Copperbelt, Zambia

Discussion 0 posts |  Only members can post. Join?

No topics have been posted yet.

About Copperbelt, Zambia

Maybe you are also interested in the group of:
Zambia visitors page
Zambia photo's
Friends of Mpongwe Zambia
The Zambezi River



The Copperbelt is a province of Zambia which is very rich in mineral deposits. It was the backbone of the Northern Rhodesian economy during British colonial rule, but its economic importance was severely damaged by a crash in global copper prices in 1973 and the nationalization of the copper mines by the government of Kenneth Kaunda.

The region adjoins Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is similarly mineral-rich. The main cities of the Copperbelt include Kitwe, Ndola and Mufulira. Roads extend north into the Congo to Lubumbashi, but war in the Congo has brought economic contact between the two countries to a standstill.

Copperbelt Province is divided into 10 districts:
Chililabombwe
Chililabombwe (formerly named Bancroft) is a city located in Zambia's Copperbelt Province. The name means 'place of the croaking frog'.

The population of Chililabombwe is approximately 93,000. The main economic activity is the mining of copper.

Chingola
Chingola is a city in Zambia's Copperbelt Province, the country's copper-mining region, with a population of 147,448 (2000 census). It is the home of Nchanga Open Pit Mine, the second largest open cast mine in the world.

History
Chingola was founded somewhat later than the cities in the south-eastern half of the Copperbelt, in 1943, when the Nchanga Open Pit was started up. It was, at one point, known to be the cleanest town in Zambia.

Mines at Chingola
Nchanga Open Pit workings lie in an arc 11 km long around the west and north of the town, covering nearly 30 km². The deepest part of the pit is 400 m lower than the surrounding plateau.

As well as the Nchanga Open Pit, Chingola has an underground mine. A mine tailings dam about 7 km south of the city covers 24 km².

Communications
A freight-only branch of Zambian Railways services the town from Kitwe.

In Chingola, the main road to Lubumbashi in DR Congo via Chililabombwe and Konkola branches off the main Copperbelt highway running south-east from Kitwe going north-west to Solwezi.

Health Facilities
The town has two hospitals: Nchanga North General Hospital (Government-owned, bed capacity 283) and Nchanga South Hospital (privately-owned by the mines, bed capacity about 100).

Features of Chingola
National Monuments
Hippo Pool on the Kafue River, 10 km north

Other features
Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, a sanctuary for orphaned chimpanzees lies 60 km north-west of Chingola.

Statistics
Elevation = 1363m
Population = 16,332

Born in Chingola
Samuel Matete (born 1968), Zambian athlete
Felix Bwalya (born 1970), Zambian boxer (d. 1997)
Fighton Simukonda (born 1961, Zambian Soccer Coach)

Kalulushi
Kalulushi is a town in the Copperbelt Province in north central Zambia. Population 100,000. It was established in 1953 as a company town for workers at the nearby Chibuluma copper and cobalt mine, and it became a public town in 1958. It is located 14 km (9 mi) west of Kitwe, the nearest rail station, at an altitude of 1,260 m (4,130 ft). The city's major employer is ZCCM (Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines). The Chati Forest Reserve west of the city manages large plantations of eucalyptus, tropical pine, and other exotic tree species supplying wood for the mining industry. Coordinates: 12°50′S, 28°05′E

Kitwe
Kitwe is the third-largest town in Zambia, with a population of 363,734 (2000 census). It is in the centre of the Copperbelt, Zambia's copper-mining region, in the Province of that name, with a complex of mines on its north-western and western edges.

Kitwe includes a number of townships and suburbs including Nkana East, Nkana West, Mindolo and Garneton. The city is sometimes referred to as Kitwe-Nkana. As well as the mines, the city has light industrial areas manufacturing building materials, furniture and consumer goods.

Kitwe-Nkana Mines
There are two main underground mines in Kitwe, Nkana in the south-west and Mindolo in the north-west. Nkana includes a concentrator, smelter and refinery, as well as a cobalt plant producing about 1800 tonnes per year, operated by Mopani Copper Mines plc. There are extensive mine tailings around both mines, and two small tailings dams right in the city centre. There are also small-scale emerald mines in the area.

Communications
Kitwe lies at the end of Zambia Railways' passenger services from Livingstone, Lusaka and Ndola, but freight lines continue to the mining towns to the north-west. The main highway through the Copperbelt runs south-east to north-west through the city, to Ndola (as a freeway) in the south-east, and to Nchanga, Chingola and Chililabombwe in the north-west. A laterite road goes west to Kasempa.

Southdowns Airport, Kitwe lies about 12 km south-west of the town but does not currently receive scheduled services. The airport was closed down for repair in 2005, and are not expected to open anymore. Ndola Airport is 60 km south-east.

Features of Kitwe
Obote Ave Market: arts and crafts stalls, including copper craft items.
Copperbelt University
Mindolo Ecumenical Centre
Kitwe Central Hospital
Nkana FC
Power Dynamos FC
Kitwe United Football Club
Arthur Davies Stadium
Chisokone Market
Nkana Mine

Around Kitwe
The landscape around Kitwe is an attractive mix of gently undulating woodland, dambos, farmland and rivers such as the Kafue River flowing along Kitwe's eastern and southern edges.

Mindolo Dam 7km west of the city centre towards Kalulushi has a boating club, swimming pool and bar.
Mwekwera Falls 9 km south east just off the Kitwe-Ndola freeway, with a small lake and fish farms. The falls are small but scenic with an attractive pool below.
Chembe Bird Sanctuary 20 km east on the Kasempa Road has a small lake surrounded by woodland and is excellent for birdwatching, fishing, camping and picnics. The shady lake shore has campsites with a communal amenities block, firewood, and water. Boats are available for hire and fishing is permitted. It is run by the Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia.

Sister Cities
Kitwe's has four sister cities:
- Baia Mare, Romania
- Bor, Serbia
- Sheffield, England
- Detroit, Michigan, United States

Luanshya
Luanshya is a town in Zambia, in the Copperbelt Province near Ndola. It has a population of 115,579 (2000 census).

Luanshya was founded in the early part of the 20th century after a prospector/explorer, William Collier, shot and killed a Roan Antelope on the banks of the Luanshya River, discovering a copper deposit in the process. The antelope fell to the ground, its head resting on a rock where an exposed seam of copper ore was clearly visible. The mining company eventually formed to exploit Collier's find was named "Roan Antelope Copper Mines Ltd".

For most of the 20th century, copper was mined in great quantities at Luanshya but towards the end of the century, mining there became increasingly uneconomic, causing a severe recession in the town. There is still a fair amount of copper underground. Whether the town sees a revival in its fortunes will depend on how efficiently it is extracted and sold.

In 2006, Luanshya was the home of the Miss Commonwealth Africa (Emma Chishimba).

Luanshya is the home base of a Technical and Vocational Teacher's College (TVTC).

Lufwanyama
Lufwanyama is a small town in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia, and is headquarters of an administrative district of the same name. Despite being only 60 km west of the most urban and industrialised part of the country, the mining cities of the Copperbelt, Lufwanyama is undeveloped and lacks infrastructure such as electricity, all-weather roads and hospitals. In fact the location of the town is not certain (the coordinates shown are an estimate) as it does not appear on the maps of Zambia which are generally available, but is presumed to lie close to the Lufwanyama River which flows from north to south about 65 km west of Kitwe and enters the Kafue River.

Lufwanyama District
Lufwanyama District is a large rural undeveloped district in the west of Copperbelt Province. On a number of maps it is mixed up with Mpongwe District and Masaiti Districts. At one time these three districts were known as 'Ndola Rural'.

Masaiti

Mpongwe

Mufulira
Mufulira is a city (population 122,336) in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. It grew up in the 1930s around the site of the Mufulira Copper Mine on its north-western edge. The city is 16 km from the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is the start of the Congo Pedicle road connecting the Copperbelt to the Luapula Province, making that province Mufulira's commercial hinterland. A tarred highway to the south-west connects Mufulira to Kitwe (40 km) and Chingola (55 km), and another to the south-east connects to Ndola (60 km), the commercial and transport hub of the Copperbelt. A branch of Zambia Railways (freight only) serves the mine.

The Mufulira Mine is now owned and operated by Mopani Copper Mines which employs 10,000 permanent workers and expects to produce 300,000 tonnes of copper bars in 2007 after rehabilitating the Mufulira copper smelter. Production and employment levels are down from the 1969 peak when the Copperbelt made Zambia the world's 4th largest copper producer.

In Zambia, Mufulira is well-known for being the home of the successful Mufulira Wanderers football team. Zambia's current president, Levy Mwanawasa, was born in Mufulira, as well as Welsh international sportsmen Robert Earnshaw (football) and Dafydd James (rugby union).

Ndola
Ndola is the second-largest city in Zambia, with a population of 374,757 (2000 census). It is the industrial, commercial, administrative and distribution hub of the Copperbelt, Zambia's copper-mining region, and capital of Copperbelt Province. It lies just 10 km from the border with DR Congo.

History
Ndola was founded in 1904, just six months after Livingstone, making it the second oldest colonial-era town of Zambia. It was started as a boma and trading post, which laid its foundations as an administrative and trading centre today.

The Rhodesian Railway main line reached the town in 1907, providing passenger services as far south as Bulawayo, with connections to Cape Town. The line was extended into DR Congo and from there eventually linked to the Benguela Railway to the Atlantic port of Lobito Bay (which used to take some of Zambia's copper exports but is currently closed). The Ndola railhead was responsible for the town becoming the country's centre of distribution. Before the road network was built up in the 1930s, a track from Ndola to Kapalala on the Luapula River, and boat transport from there to the Chambeshi River was the principal trade route for the Northern Province, which consequently formed part of Ndola's hinterland.

Industry in Ndola
The largest industrial centre of Zambia has been decimated over the past decade and scores of closed factories and plants can be seen in the town. A number of former industries such as clothing and vehicle assembly have gone completely.

There are no mines in Ndola itself but the Bwana Mkubwa open-cast mine is only 10 km south-east of the city centre. Copper and precious metals used to be brought from elsewhere in the Copperbelt for processing at the Ndola Copper Refinery and Precious Metals Refinery. Copper exports provide 70–80% of Zambia's export earnings, making the city very important to the country's economy.

The Indeni Oil Refinery in Ndola supplies the whole country, and was repaired in 2001 after being severely damaged by fire in 1999.

Ndola is home to one of the country's national newspapers, The Times of Zambia.

Transport
Ndola is on the Zambia Railways line with passenger and freight services running between Kitwe and Livingstone via Kabwe and Lusaka. Freight branch lines run to other Copperbelt towns and from Ndola to Lubumbashi in DR Congo via Sakania.

A dual carriageway links Ndola to Kitwe, the Copperbelt's second city, and other tarred highways link to Mufulira and Lusaka.

Ndola Airport has scheduled domestic services to Lusaka and an international service to Johannesburg.

The oil pipeline from Dar es Salaam terminates at the Indeni Oil Refinery in the town.

These factors make Ndola the distribution centre of the Copperbelt and northern Zambia.

Features of Ndola
National Monuments
The Slave Tree or Mukuyu Slave Tree around which Arab slave traders held slave markets in the nineteenth century (a mukuyu tree is kind of fig tree).
Dag Hammarskjöld Memorial ten kilometres along the Ndola/Kitwe road commemorates the site where the then United Nations Secretary-General died in a plane crash on 18th September 1961 during the Congo Crisis.
Lake Chilengwa 14 km E of Ndola at 12°58' S 28°45' E, was formed by the collapse of rock into an underlying limestone cavern, and has local cultural significance.

Other features
Northrise University, a private university.
NORTEC, the Northern Technical College.
The Copperbelt Museum, with a collections of gems and minerals of the Copperbelt.
Small reservoirs formed by dams on the Kafubu and Itawa streams flowing through the south-east of the city are used for boating and recreation.
Note: the thermal power station which dominates the skyline near the railway station and which was built to power the mines and refineries ceased operation in the 1960s when the Kariba Dam power station came on line.

Geology
The Copperbelt region of Zambia and Congo D.R. is a 500 million year old mountain chain, the Lufilian Arc, which formed when two large pieces of continental crust, the Kalahari Craton and the Congo craton, collided. This collision was one of the many that happened between 700 and 500 million years ago to form the Gondwana supercontinent.

This collision is thought to have remobilised base metals, largely already present in the sediments that had accumulated in the basin between the two cratons. These brines then concentrated the base metals either along stratigraphic boundaries, or along fractures, faults or within structurally controlled 'traps' (such as the nose of a fold). The collision also produced crustal shortening, during which the stratigraphic sequence was tectonically pushed northwards on top of the Congo Craton.

The Lufilian Arc contains two diamictites, megaconglomerates of glacial origin. One of those is correlated with the Sturtian glaciation, while another correlates with the Marinoan Glaciation, both global glaciation events that had profound influence on the history of the planet.

The Lufilian Arc is correlated along trend to the west with the Damara Orogen in Namibia, which also hosts large mineral deposits.

All literatures hereabove are From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

v0.01 by Justin Qian on 10 Nov 2007