Kitwe
Coordinates: 12 ° 49 ′ S , 28 ° 13 ′ E
Kitwe , also Kitwe Nkana or Nkana-Kitwe , is a city in northern Zambia in the Copperbelt province on the upper reaches of the Kafue River . With 553,000 inhabitants it is the second largest city in Zambia, 1.2 million people live in the agglomeration . Kitwe is 1200 meters above sea level and is the seat of the administration of the district of the same name.
economy
Kitwe is the main location for copper extraction and processing in Zambia through the Nkana mining complex. The fall in copper prices on the world market in the 1990s hit the city hard. The people became impoverished and partly lived again in subsistence , partly on contaminated soils. The water supply collapsed. From 1993 onwards, around 60% of the water was lost due to unrepaired burst pipes and the water quality deteriorated noticeably. UN-HABITAT has therefore started a project. But since the privatization of the Nkana copper mines and Chambeshi Metals , the economy has picked up again. Zambia's gem mines are located in the south of the city.
Kitwe is a working class town. It was founded in 1936 as a mining site and received city rights in 1966 . The Zambia Institute for Technology and the Zambia Chamber of Mines reside here. The industry in Kitwe is extensive and consists of electrical engineering ( Electrical Instrumentation Services Limited ), civil engineering ( Pittsburgh Engineering Ltd ), ironworking, furniture and plastics production. A jewelry and precious stone processing could be established, as well as a further processing of agricultural products.
The chisokone market, where numerous traders offer their goods for sale, is an important economic factor. The comprehensive range includes groceries, industrially manufactured household items and the self-made range of traditional healers. There is a Shoprite supermarket.
The city has two large business districts (first and second class).
tourism
Seven kilometers west of the city are the Mindolo reservoir and nine kilometers in the direction of Ndola are the small Makwera falls with a lake. For the few tourists in Kitwe there is a hotel and several lodges.
traffic
Kitwe is on the T3 highway . The airport in the west with an asphalt, 3200 meter long runway ceased regular air traffic in 2009.
Health and culture
There are three hospitals and a theater ( Kitwe Little Theater ) in the village . The only cinema closed in March 2009.
education
Kitwe is home to the Mindolo Ecumenical Center , a Christian training center with a library, seminar rooms, cafeteria and quarters for teachers and students.
Public educational institutions are Copperbelt University , several state colleges (including the Kitwe Teachers School ) and the international Lechwe School .
sons and daughters of the town
- Frederick Chiluba (1943–2011), second President of Zambia from 1991 to 2002
- Isaac Chansa (born 1984), football player
Twin cities
Web links
- Kitwe city map
- Zambia Kitwe Urban Profie. UN-HABITAT, 2009
Chililabombwe | Chingola | Kalulushi | Kitwe | Luanshya | Lufwanyama | Masaiti | Mpelembe | Mufulira | Ndola