Mumbwa

Mumbwa is a town with 19,000 inhabitants ( 2006 estimate ) close to the Kafue National Park 150 km west of Lusaka in the Central Province of Zambia. It is the seat of the administrative district of the same name with 165 652 inhabitants ( 2006).

History

Mumbwa is the first Kupferbergbauort in Zambia and dates back to 1897 when the mines Sable, Silver King, Crystal Jack and Lou -Lou promoted ore. It was also promoted to 1939 gold in the area of Matala, 30 kilometers away. Similarly, iron ore was found. Nevertheless Mumbwa a place of small mines has always remained.

Economy

2004 iron-copper Golderzgebiet of 9,000 km ² was staked. This has resulted in 2006 that the ore deposits account for 566 million tonnes, mostly copper; It is the eighth-largest copper deposits of 2% of the total copper inventories worldwide. In addition, there were 0.7 grams per tonne gold and 0.6 kilograms of uranium per ton. Mumbwa has long been a city of manufacturing industry, whose cotton fabrics are known in Zambia.

The soil is fertile. The district is considered Zambia's breadbasket. There are numerous rivers and thus enough water to 410 drilled wells. The Lochinvar National Park and the Blue Lagoon National Park in the Kafueauen lie in it. The Itezhitezhi dam is just 66 km away. Since the beginning of the colonial period were only tobacco, then grown peanuts and cotton large area. Today, 1.3 million tons of cotton per year are harvested 35,000 tonnes of maize to vegetables such as onions, tomatoes and cabbage, which are mostly sold on the Sowetomarkt in Lusaka.

Infrastructure

The road network is well developed and is constantly being expanded. Mumbwa has primary and secondary schools and a hospital. There is a supermarket, petrol station, restaurants and cafes; three small hotels and lodges are available in the nearby parks. In the vicinity are the Mumbwa Caves.

Social

By 2006, several programs have been launched to curb child labor in agriculture. The dominant tribe are the Nkoya.