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Copperbelt Province is a province in
Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
which covers the mineral-rich
Copperbelt The Copperbelt () is a natural region in Central Africa which sits on the border region between northern Zambia and the southern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is known for copper mining. Traditionally, the term ''Copperbelt'' includes the ...
, and farming and bush areas to the south. It was the backbone of the
Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...
n economy during
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
colonial rule and fuelled the hopes of the immediate post-independence period, but its economic importance was severely damaged by a crash in global
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
prices in 1973. The province adjoins the
Haut-Katanga Haut-Katanga (French for "Upper Katanga") is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. Haut-Katanga, Haut-Lomami, Lualaba, and Tanganyika provinces are the result of the dismemberm ...
province of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, which is similarly mineral-rich. The main cities of the Copperbelt are
Kitwe Kitwe is the third largest city in terms of infrastructure development (after Lusaka and Ndola) and second largest city in terms of size and population (after Lusaka) in Zambia. With a population of 517,543 (''2010 census provisional'') Kitwe is ...
,
Ndola Ndola is the third largest city in Zambia and third in terms of size and population, with a population of 475,194 (''2010 census provisional''), after the capital, Lusaka, and Kitwe, and the second largest in terms of infrastructure development aft ...
,
Mufulira Mufulira, is a town in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Mufulira means "Place of Abundance and Peace". The town developed around the Mufulira Copper Mine in the 1930s. The town also serves as the administrative capital of Mufulira District. ...
,
Luanshya Luanshya is a town in Zambia, in the Copperbelt Province near Ndola. It has a population of 117,579 (2008 census). Luanshya was founded in the early part of the 20th century after two prospector/explorer, William Collier shot and killed a Roan A ...
,
Chingola Chingola is a city in Zambia's Copperbelt Province, the country's copper-mining region, with a population of 216,626 (2010 census). It is the home of Nchanga Copper Mine, a deep-shaft high-grade content copper mining operation, which subsequent ...
,
Kalulushi Kalulushi is a town in the Copperbelt Province in north central Zambia. It is located on the M18 Road, just west of Kitwe. Municipal (district) population 75,806 at the 2000 census. Kalulushi emerged as a planned company town with the development ...
and
Chililabombwe Chililabombwe (formerly named Bancroft) is a small town in Copperbelt Province, Zambia. It is located near the Democratic Republic of the Congo border. The name Chililabombwe means 'place of the croaking frog' in the local language of Lamba. The ...
. Roads and rail links extend north into the Congo to
Lubumbashi Lubumbashi (former names: ( French), (Dutch)) is the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital and principal city of the Haut-Katanga ...
, but the
Second Congo War The Second Congo War,, group=lower-alpha also known as the Great War of Africa or the Great African War and sometimes referred to as the African World War, began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 1998, little more than a year a ...
brought economic contact between the two countries to a standstill, now recovering. It is informally referred to at times as 'Copala' or 'Kopala', invoking the vernacular-like term of the mineral copper that is mined in the province.


Demographics

As per the
2010 Zambian census The 2010 Zambian census was conducted in Zambia in 2010 under the approval of the Government of Zambia, which recorded demographic data from 13 million people and 3.2 million households. The 2010 Census of Population and Housing was conducted be ...
, Copperbelt Province had a population of 1,972,317 accounting to 15.21% of the total Zambian population of 13,092,666. There were 981,887 males and 990,430 females, making the sex ratio to 1,009 for every 1,000 males, compared to the national average of 1,028. Census 2012, p. 7 The literacy rate stood at 83.10% against a national average of 70.2%. The rural population constituted 19.11%, while the urban population was 80.89%. The total area of the province was 31,328 km2 and the population density was 63.00 per km2. The population density during
2000 Zambian census The 2000 Zambian census was conducted in Zambia in 2000 by DRS under approval of the Government of Zambia, which recorded demographic data from 13 million people and 4 million households. Planning for the project commenced in 1998. In October 2000 t ...
stood at 63.00. The decadal population growth of the province was 2.20%. The median age in the province at the time of marriage was 21.7. The average household size was 5.3, with the families headed by females being 4.8 and 5.5 for families headed by men. The total eligible voters in the province was 66.10%. The unemployment rate of the province was 22.10%. The total fertility rate was 5.0, complete birth rate was 5.8, crude birth rate was 29.0, child women population at birth was 587, general fertility rate was 112, gross reproduction rate was 1.8 and net reproduction rate was 1.7. The total labour force constituted 50.40% of the total population. Out of the labour force, 63.2% were men and 37.7% women. The annual growth rate of labour force was 2.7%. Bemba was the most spoken language with 83.90% speaking it. The total population in the province with
albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...
stood at 2,912. The life expectancy at birth stood at 54 compared to the national average of 51.


Administration

Provincial administration is set up purely for administrative purposes. The province is headed by a minister appointed by the
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
and there are ministries of central government for each province. The administrative head of the province is the Permanent Secretary, appointed by the President. There is a Deputy Permanent Secretary, heads of government departments and civil servants at the provincial level. Copperbelt Province is divided into ten
district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
s, namely,
Chililabombwe District Chililabombwe District is a district of Zambia, located in Copperbelt Province. The capital is Chililabombwe Chililabombwe (formerly named Bancroft) is a small town in Copperbelt Province, Zambia. It is located near the Democratic Republic of the ...
,
Chingola District Chingola District is a Districts of Zambia, district of Zambia, located in Copperbelt Province. The capital lies at Chingola. As of the 2010 Zambian Census, the district had a population of 216,626 people. It is divided into two constituencies, nam ...
,
Kalulushi District Kalulushi District is a district of Zambia, located in Copperbelt Province. The capital lies at Kalulushi Kalulushi is a town in the Copperbelt Province in north central Zambia. It is located on the M18 Road, just west of Kitwe. Municipal (distri ...
,
Kitwe District Kitwe District is a district of Zambia, located in Copperbelt Province. The capital is Kitwe. As of the 2000 Zambian Census, the district had a population of 376,124 people. Constituencies Kitwe District is divided into five constituencies, name ...
,
Luanshya District Luanshya District is a district of Zambia, located in Copperbelt Province. The capital lies at Luanshya Luanshya is a town in Zambia, in the Copperbelt Province near Ndola. It has a population of 117,579 (2008 census). Luanshya was founded in t ...
,
Lufwanyama District Lufwanyama District with headquarters at Lufwanyama is a large rural undeveloped district in the west of Copperbelt Province. On a number of maps it is mixed up with Mpongwe District and Masaiti District. At one time these three districts were kno ...
,
Masaiti District Masaiti District is a district of Zambia, located in Copperbelt Province. The capital lies at Masaiti. As of the 2000 Zambian Census, the district had a population of 95,581 people. It is divided into two constituencies, namely Masaiti constituen ...
,
Mpongwe District Mpongwe District is a district of Zambia, located in Copperbelt Province. The capital lies at Mpongwe. As of the 2010 Zambian Census, the district had a population of 93,380 people. It neighbours Lufwanyama District and Masaiti District. At one ...
,
Mufulira District Mufulira District is a district of Zambia, located in Copperbelt Province. The capital lies at Mufulira. As of the 2000 Zambian Census, the district had a population of 143,930 people. It is divided into three constituencies, namely Mufulira M ...
and
Ndola District Ndola District is a district of Zambia, located in Copperbelt Province. The capital lies at Ndola. As of the 2000 Zambian Census, the district had a population of 374,757 people. Constituencies Ndola District is divided into four constituencies, ...
. All the district headquarters are the same as the district names. There are ten councils in the province, each of which is headed by an elected representative, called councilor. Each councilor holds office for three years. The administrative staff of the council is selected based on Local Government Service Commission from within or outside the district. The office of the provincial government is located in each of the district headquarters and has provincial local government officers and auditors. Each council is responsible for raising and collecting local taxes and the budgets of the council are audited and submitted every year after the annual budget. The elected members of the council do not draw salaries, but are paid allowances from the council. The Copperbelt province is a predominantly urban district and has three city councils. The government stipulates 63 different functions for the councils with the majority of them being infrastructure management and local administration. Councils are mandated to maintain each of their community centres, zoos, local parks, drainage system, playgrounds, cemeteries, caravan sites, libraries, museums and art galleries. They also work along with specific government departments for helping in agriculture, conservation of natural resources, postal service, establishing and maintaining hospitals, schools and colleges. The councils prepare schemes that encourage community participation.


Wildlife areas

There are no national parks in this most urban and industrial of Zambia's provinces. Other parks with wildlife aspects: *Chembe Bird Sanctuary west of
Kitwe Kitwe is the third largest city in terms of infrastructure development (after Lusaka and Ndola) and second largest city in terms of size and population (after Lusaka) in Zambia. With a population of 517,543 (''2010 census provisional'') Kitwe is ...
includes crocodiles and
Sitatunga The sitatunga or marshbuck (''Tragelaphus spekii'') is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, parts of Southern Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, ...
as well as plentiful bird life. *
Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage is a sanctuary for chimpanzees, located in Zambia's Copperbelt Province. Chimfunshi started as a family-run wildlife orphanage, and today Chimfunshi is managed by a board of trustees to ensure the long-term sustainabili ...
(established mainly to rescue captive non-indigenous chimpanzees).


Geography

The Copperbelt region of Zambia and Congo D.R. is a 500 million year old
mountain chain A mountain chain is a row of high mountain summits, a linear sequence of interconnected or related mountains,Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, p 87. . or a contiguous ridge of mountains within a larger m ...
, the
Lufilian Arc The Lufilian Arc (or Lufilian Belt) is part of a system of orogenic belts in southern Africa formed during the Pan-African orogeny, a stage in the formation of the Gondwana supercontinent. It extends across eastern Angola, the Katanga Province of ...
, which formed when two large pieces of
continental crust Continental crust is the layer of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks that forms the geological continents and the areas of shallow seabed close to their shores, known as continental shelves. This layer is sometimes called ''sial'' be ...
, the
Kalahari craton The Kalahari Craton is a craton, an old and stable part of the continental lithosphere, that occupies large portions of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. It consists of two cratons separated by the Limpopo Belt: the larger Kaapvaal Cra ...
and the
Congo craton The Congo Craton, covered by the Palaeozoic-to-recent Congo Basin, is an ancient Precambrian craton that with four others (the Kaapvaal, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and West African cratons) makes up the modern continent of Africa. These cratons were fo ...
, collided. This collision was one of the many that happened between 700 and 500 million years ago to form the
Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...
supercontinent In geology, a supercontinent is the assembly of most or all of Earth's continent, continental blocks or cratons to form a single large landmass. However, some geologists use a different definition, "a grouping of formerly dispersed continents", ...
. This collision is thought to have remobilised
base metal A base metal is a common and inexpensive metal, as opposed to a precious metal such as gold or silver. In numismatics, coins often derived their value from the precious metal content; however, base metals have also been used in coins in the past ...
s, largely already present in the sediments that had accumulated in the basin between the two cratons. These
brine Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of that of solutions used for br ...
s then concentrated the base metals either along
stratigraphic Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostrati ...
boundaries, or along fractures, faults or within structurally controlled 'traps' (such as the nose of a fold). The collision also produced
crustal shortening Thrust tectonics or contractional tectonics is concerned with the structures formed by, and the tectonic processes associated with, the shortening and thickening of the crust or lithosphere. It is one of the three main types of tectonic regime, ...
, during which the stratigraphic sequence was
tectonic Tectonics (; ) are the processes that control the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. These include the processes of mountain building, the growth and behavior of the strong, old cores of continents k ...
ally pushed northwards on top of the Congo Craton. The Lufilian Arc contains two
diamictite Diamictite (; from Ancient Greek ''δια'' (dia-): ''through'' and ''µεικτός'' (meiktós): ''mixed'') is a type of lithified sedimentary rock that consists of nonsorted to poorly sorted terrigenous sediment containing particles that ra ...
s, megaconglomerates of
glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betw ...
origin. One of those is correlated with the
Sturtian The Sturtian glaciation was a Snowball Earth glaciation, or perhaps multiple glaciations, during the Cryogenian Period when the Earth experienced repeated large-scale glaciations. The duration of the Sturtian glaciation has been variously defined, ...
glaciation, while another correlates with the Marinoan Glaciation, both global glaciation events that had profound influence on the history of the planet. The Lufilian Arc is correlated along trend to the west with the Damara Orogen in
Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
, which also hosts large mineral deposits. Copperbelt Province is rich with mineral finds and mines. The name of the province is given by the rich finds of copper ore (e.g. Chingola, Konkola, Nchanga Mines), but notable are also emerald mines along Kafubu River, which in the first 6 months of 2011 yielded 3.74 tons of high quality emeralds.


Economy and education

As 2004, the province had 856 basic schools, 71 high schools and the number of school children out of school in ages between 7 and 15 stood at 856 . The unemployment rate was 32 per cent and the general unemployment rate for youth stood at 55 per cent as of 2008. The province had 213 doctors as of 2005. There were 377
Malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
incidence for every 1,000 people in the province as of 2005 and there were 26,799
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
death as of 2010. The total area of crops planted during the year 2014 in the province was 122,525.52 hectares which constituted 6.46% of the total area cultivated in Zambia. The net production stood at 315,153 metric tonnes, which formed 7.74% of the total agricultural production in the country. Maize was the major crop in the province with 37,610 metric tonnes, constituting 17.56% of the national output


See also

Ndola City Council


Notes


References

*


External links

{{Coord, 13, 00, S, 28, 00, E, region:ZM_type:adm1st, display=title Provinces of Zambia Copper mining Geology of Zambia