Copperbelt facts for kids

The Copperbelt is a special area in Central Africa. It stretches across northern Zambia and the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This region is famous for its huge amounts of copper and for copper mining.

It usually refers to the mining areas in Zambia's Copperbelt Province. These areas include towns like Ndola, Kitwe, Chingola, Luanshya, and Mufulira. It also includes the Congo's Katanga Province, with its main city Lubumbashi. Sometimes, the term "Copperbelt" might only refer to the Zambian part.

Central African Copper Belt geologic map of Katanga Supergroup and mine locations

Native copper from Mufulira, Zambia

Discovering Copper in the Copperbelt

The discovery of copper in Zambia by Western explorers happened a long time ago. An American scout named Frederick Russell Burnham played a big part. In 1895, he led a large expedition for the Northern Territories (BSA) Exploration Co.

Burnham's Discoveries

Burnham's team found that there were huge copper deposits in Central Africa. Near the Kafue River in what was then called Northern Rhodesia, Burnham noticed things that looked like copper deposits he had seen in the United States. He also saw local people wearing bracelets made of copper.

He reported that this area was probably one of the biggest copper fields in Africa. He noted that local people had been working with copper for ages. They were skilled miners and workers of copper and iron. They traded their metalwork far and wide.

Transporting Copper

Burnham also thought that the copper from this northern field could be sent to the East Coast of Africa. This would be cheaper than sending copper from places like Montana and Arizona to New York City. Many years later, the British South Africa Company built towns and a railroad. This railroad helped transport the copper through Mozambique.

Ancient History of the Copperbelt

Long before modern mining, the Copperbelt was home to many ancient groups of people. One of these was the Chondwe Goup. Their pottery looks similar to vessels found today in the Kalambo Falls region.

Images for kids

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  Rwandan workers in a Congolese copper mine, around 1920, during the Belgian colonial period

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  Pre-colonial copper coin from the Katanga Province. These coins are now used symbolically for dowry payments.

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  Copperbelt mining centers