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Copper is one of the world's most important industrial minerals, and Africa is an important world producer. While output is traditionally dominated by Zambia, South Africa and Katanga Province in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, many African nations contribute to copper production, and many African nations have undeveloped ore resources.
Copper appeared to be a prestigious metal in Central and Southern Africa. In Central Africa copper has been found in places where copper is not produced, implying some sort of commerce. Also the majority of artifacts found suggest that the primary use for copper in the area was for decorative purposes.
Ancient Egypt is one of the earliest regions in Africa where metallurgy was significantly advanced. Copper was the primary metal used, with evidence of iron production dating back to around 3000–2500 BCE. [4] Egyptian metallurgists mastered various techniques, including casting, forging, and alloying with tin to produce bronze. [5]
Mining for metals like copper, lithium, nickel, and cobalt, essential for the growing electric vehicle industry, is encroaching on the habitats of Africa's great apes. According to a study in Science Advances , this trend endangers an estimated 180,000 apes across 17 countries, with habitat destruction occurring even in protected areas.
The second-largest mineral industry in the world is the mineral industry of Africa, which implies large quantities of resources due to Africa being the second largest continent, with 30.37 million square kilometres of land.With a population of 1.4 billion living there, mineral exploration and production constitute significant parts of their economies for many African countries and remain keys ...
These sites rank among the world's most significant copper reserves, with Collahuasi containing 3.93 billion tons of ore at 0.66% copper and Quellaveco holding 1.1 billion tons at 0.55% copper.
Its principal products are copper (which often accounted for 50% of export earnings), cobalt and zinc. [16] Copper mines in which Gécamines has a major interest include Kambove, Kipushi and Kolwezi. Gécamines also owns a copper smelter at Lubumbashi and a hydrometallurgical plant at Shituru. [17]
Production trends in the top five copper-producing countries, 1950-2012. This is a list of countries by mined copper production. Copper ore can be exported to be smelted so that a nation's smelter production of copper can differ greatly from its mined production. See: List of countries by copper smelter production.