Rio Tinto Group is a British-Australian multinational company that is the world's second largest metals and mining corporation.[3] It was founded in 1873 when a group of investors purchased a mine complex on the Río Tinto, in Huelva, Spain, from the Spanish government. It has grown through a long series of mergers and acquisitions. Although primarily focused on extraction of minerals, it also has significant operations in refining, particularly the refining of bauxite and iron ore.[4] It has joint head offices in London, England and Melbourne, Australia.[5][6]