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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName iSHARES INC
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Jan. 30, 2012
iShares MSCI Global Select Metals and Mining Producers Fund | iShares MSCI Global Select Metals and Mining Producers Fund
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.39%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets none
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.41%
Fee Waiver rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.02%)
Total Annual Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.39%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 40
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 125
iShares MSCI Global Select Metals and Mining Producers Fund
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading  

iSHARES® MSCI GLOBAL SELECT METALS & MINING PRODUCERS FUND

Ticker: PICK Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The iShares MSCI Global Select Metals & Mining Producers Fund (the "Fund") seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI ACWI Select Metals & Mining Producers Ex Gold & Silver Investable Market Index (the "Underlying Index").
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares, Inc. (the "Company") and BlackRock Fund Advisors ("BFA") (the "Investment Advisory Agreement") provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. "Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses" reflect the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies. As the Fund has not commenced operations prior to the date of the Fund's prospectus (the "Prospectus"), Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on an estimate of the Fund's allocation to other investment companies for the current fiscal year. The impact of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses is included in the total returns of the Fund. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not used to calculate the Fund's net asset value per share ("NAV") and are not included in the calculation of the ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights section of the Fund's prospectus (the "Prospectus"). BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fees in an amount equal to the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund's investments in other iShares funds through December 31, 2014. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2014 only upon written agreement of the Company and BFA. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investments)

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination December 31, 2014
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover.
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock
The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance.
Expense Exchange Traded Fund Commissions [Text] rr_ExpenseExchangeTradedFundCommissions

You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, Based on Estimates [Text] rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesBasedOnEstimates As the Fund has not commenced operations prior to the date of the Fund's prospectus (the "Prospectus"), Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on an estimate of the Fund's allocation to other investment companies for the current fiscal year.
Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text] rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not used to calculate the Fund's net asset value per share ("NAV") and are not included in the calculation of the ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights section of the Fund's prospectus (the "Prospectus").
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example.
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Underlying Index has been developed by MSCI Inc. ("MSCI") to measure the combined performance of equity securities of companies primarily involved in the extraction and production of diversified metals, aluminum, steel, and precious metals and minerals, excluding gold and silver, in both developed and emerging markets. MSCI begins with the MSCI All Country World Investable Market Index, and then selects securities of companies that are primarily focused on extraction and production of aluminum, steel and diversified metals and mining. The Underlying Index excludes companies that are included in the MSCI ACWI Select Gold Miners Investable Market Index and MSCI ACWI Select Silver Miners Investable Market Index. As of January 18, 2012, the Underlying Index consisted of companies in the following 36 countries or regions: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Fund, under normal market conditions, will invest at least 40% of its assets in issuers organized or located outside the United States or doing business outside the United States.

BFA uses a "passive" or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund's investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to "beat" the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. "Representative sampling" is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.

The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index, and in other investments, including futures contracts, options on futures contracts, options, and swaps related to its Underlying Index, as well as cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates.

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received).

The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the "Index Provider") that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund's Index Provider is MSCI.

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Strategy Portfolio Concentration [Text] rr_StrategyPortfolioConcentration

Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading

Summary of Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share ("NAV"), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.

Asset Class Risk. Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes.

Commodity Risk. The Fund invests in companies that are susceptible to fluctuations in certain commodity markets. Any negative changes in commodity markets could have an adverse impact on those companies.

Concentration Risk. To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class.

Currency Risk. Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar.

Custody Risk. Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.

Emerging Markets Risk. The Fund's investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities.

Equity Securities Risk. Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes.

Geographic Risk. A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region.

Issuer Risk. Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes to the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.

Management Risk. As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results.

Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.

Metals and Mining Sector Risk. Companies in the metals and mining sector are susceptible to fluctuations in worldwide metal prices, and extraction and production costs. In addition, metals and mining companies may have significant operations in areas at risk for social and political unrest, security concerns and environmental damage. These companies may also be at risk for increased government regulation and intervention. As a result, such risks may adversely affect the issuers to which the Fund has exposure.

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.

Non-U.S. Securities Risk. Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a non-U.S. issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to European Economic Risk.

Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.

Privatization Risk. Some countries in which the Fund invests have begun a process of privatizing certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized.

Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The Fund invests in countries whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to Asian Economic Risk, European Economic Risk and U.S. Economic Risk.

Risk of Investing in Russia. Investing in Russian securities involves significant risks, including legal, regulatory and economic risks that are specific to Russia. In addition, investing in Russian securities involves risks associated with the settlement of portfolio transactions and loss of the Fund's ownership rights in its portfolio securities, as a result of the system of share registration and custody in Russia.

Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.

Security Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns. Incidents involving a country's or region's security may cause uncertainty in these markets and may adversely affect their economies and the Fund's investments.

Structural Risk. The countries in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability.

Tracking Error Risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Underlying Index. Because the Fund employs a representative sampling strategy, the Fund may experience tracking error to a greater extent than a fund that seeks to replicate an index.

Valuation Risk. The sales price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text] rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

As of the date of the Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.
Performance One Year or Less [Text] rr_PerformanceOneYearOrLess As of the date of the Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information