Luanshya

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Coordinates: 13 ° 8 ′  S , 28 ° 25 ′  E

Map: Zambia
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Luanshya​
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Zambia

Luanshya is a mining town in Zambia 30 kilometers southwest of Ndola and 42 kilometers southeast of Kitwe in the Copperbelt Province . It has 112,726 inhabitants (2006 estimate) and is 1200 meters above sea level. It is the seat of the administration of the district of the same name with 147,908 inhabitants (2000 census).

history

Luanshya has the oldest copper mine in Zambia. When William Collier, whose monument is still in town today, discovered copper on the banks of the Luanshya River in 1902 while hunting , that was the beginning. The roan antelope he had shot was lying with its head on a stone in which the ore vein was clearly visible.

economy

The company, which henceforth opened up the copper deposits, was accordingly Roan Antelope Copper Mines Ltd . Today it belongs to the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines and continues to be one of the most productive deposits. Also Luanshya Copper Mines Plc. still working. The copper smelter has ceased operations. Still, the Luanshya and Baluba mines produced 48,345 tons of copper and 1,216 tons of cobalt in 1996 .

Large amounts of copper were extracted from the ground during the 20th century and the city prospered. It was not until the world market price for copper fell in the 1990s that copper production became uneconomical, and the city lost almost a fifth of its population.

Social

In 1930 the first miners' settlement was built. This is considered to be the founding of Luanshya. The city developed around two centers, the mine and the administrative center. During the colonial period, she played a leading role in the labor movement whose aim was to improve workers' wages and living conditions.

Infrastructure

Luanshya has elementary and secondary schools, a school for the disabled, hospitals, and a technical college for vocational teachers ( Luanshya Technical and Vocational Teachers College , TVTC). The predominant language is Bemba .

sons and daughters of the town

See also