Factbox: Key facts about Potash Corp, BHP Billiton

BANGALORE (Reuters) - BHP Billiton launched an unsolicited $38.6 billion bid to acquire Potash Corp of Sasckatchewan.

Here are some key facts about Potash Corp and BHP:

POTASH CORP OF SASKATCHEWAN:

* Headquarters - Saskatchewan, Canada

* U.S. headquarters - Northbrook, Illinois

* Market capitalization - $33 billion (C$34.4 billion)

* Employees - 5,136 at the end of 2009

* Production - more than 17 million tons of operating capacity by 2015

* Main operations - Produces potash, nitrogen and phosphate products and markets them to fertilizer, industrial and animal feed customers around the world; Operates in seven countries; Produces potash from six mines in Saskatchewan and one mine in the Atlantic province of New Brunswick

BHP BILLITON:

* Headquarters - Melbourne, Australia

* Corporate headquarters - London, England

* Market cap - $119.86 billion (A$134.24 billion)

* Employees - About 40,990 as of June 2009

* Production - World's sixth largest producer of primary aluminum, with a total production capacity of about 1.3 million tons of aluminum, about 15.6 million tons of bauxite and million tons of alumina a year; Ranks as one of the world's top producers of copper, silver, lead and uranium, and a leading producer of zinc.

* Main operations - One of Australia's oldest and largest companies; Has positions in major commodity businesses, including aluminum, energy coal and metallurgical coal; Also oil, gas, liquefied natural gas and diamonds; operates twin marketing hubs - in Singapore and The Hague, Netherlands.

* Joint venture - Seeks regulatory approval for their Australian iron ore joint venture with Rio Tinto, expected in early 2011.

For other stories about BHP's bid for Potash Corp, click on [nN22340110].

SOURCE: Company websites, Reuters data

(Compiled by Ashutosh Joshi and Bhaswati Mukhopadhyay, Bangalore newsroom)