Mumbwa
Mumbwa is a city with 19,000 inhabitants (2006 estimate) near the Kafue National Park 150 kilometers west of Lusaka in the central province of Zambia . It is the seat of the administration of the district of the same name with 165,652 inhabitants (2006).
history
Mumbwa is the first copper mining site in Zambia and dates back to 1897 when the Sable, Silver King, Crystal Jack and Lou-Lou mines produced ore. Gold was also mined in the Matala area, 30 kilometers away , until 1939 . It was also iron ore found. Nevertheless, Mumbwa has always remained a place of small mines.
economy
In 2004, an iron-copper-gold ore area of 9,000 km² was staked out. In 2006 it turned out that the ore deposits account for 566 million tons, mostly copper; it is the eighth largest copper deposit in the world with 2% copper in total supplies. In addition, 0.7 grams of gold per ton and 0.6 kilograms of uranium per ton were found. Mumbwa has long been a manufacturing city, whose cotton fabrics are known in Zambia.
The soil is fertile. The district is considered to be Zambia's granary. There are numerous rivers and therefore enough water, plus 410 wells. The Lochinvar National Park and the Blue Lagoon National Park in the Kafueauen lie within it. The Itezhitezhi Dam is just 66 kilometers away. Since the beginning of the colonial era, first tobacco, then peanuts and then cotton were grown on a large scale. Today 1.3 million tons of cotton are harvested each year, 35,000 tons of corn, plus vegetables such as onions, tomatoes and cabbage, most of which are sold at the Soweto market in Lusaka.
Infrastructure
The road network is well developed and is constantly being expanded. Mumbwa has elementary and secondary schools and a hospital. There is a supermarket, gas station, restaurants and cafes; There are three small hotels and lodges in the nearby parks. The Mumbwa Caves are nearby.
Social
By 2006, various programs had been launched to curb child labor in agriculture. The dominant tribe are the Nkoya.
See also
- For a map with all districts and provinces see: Administrative division of Zambia
Web links
Coordinates: 15 ° 6 ′ S , 27 ° 18 ′ E