Solwezi
12°11′00″S 26°24′00″E / 12.18333°S 26.40000°E
Solwezi | |
|---|---|
  Solwezi Location in Zambia | |
| Coordinates: 12°11′S 26°24′E / 12.183°S 26.400°E | |
| Country |  Zambia |
| Province | North-Western Province |
| District | Solwezi District |
| Elevation | 4,052 ft (1,235 m) |
| Population (2010 Census)[1] | |
| • Total | 96,725 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
| Climate | Cwb |
Solwezi is the capital of the North-Western Province of Zambia. Solwezi town has approximately 260,000 inhabitants[2] at an elevation of 1235 m above sea level. Kaonde is the largest tribe represented in Solwezi, in addition to large numbers of Lunda and Luvale speaking people.
Economy
The main industry of Solwezi District is copper mining at Kansanshi Mine (located about 10 km north) run by First Quantum Minerals. Kansanshi Mine exploits copper-gold ore. The mining site has intermittently been running since the early 20th century for copper and gold.[3] The adjacent Kalumbila District hosts Lumwana Mine (located about 65 km West) and Kalumbila Mine (located about 140 km West), run by Barrick Gold and First Quantum Minerals, respectively. The deposits at Lumwana were discovered in 1961, but no serious work was carried out there until Equinox Minerals Ltd became involved in 1999. Uranium is also mined in the Kalumbila District at the Lumwana mine.
Three miles from city centre lies the "Kifubwa Rock Stream Shelter" located next to the Kifubwa River. There are inscriptions to be found from the late Stone Age people.
Tribes
Over 70 tribes can be found in Zambia, but the most prominent tribe in Solwezi is the Kaonde people. The Kaonde is a tribe that, like the Lunda people, are descendants of the Luba-Lunda Empire of Congo. They were among the first Zambians to do mining of copper in Zambia as suggested by archaeological evidence at the Kansanshi Mine in Solwezi that dates back to the Iron Age. The Kaonde tribe falls under one of the main tribes of Zambia, among the Lozi, the Bemba, the Ngoni, the Tonga and the Luvale. The Kaonde tribe has about 300,000 people in Zambia and about 30,000 people in Southern DRC.
Transportation
The Solwezi Airport is an airport near the T5 motorway.
Climate
The average temperature varies from 15°C in June to 22°C in November.
Statistics
- Elevation = 1366 m
- Population = 260,000
References
- ^ Zambia Central Statistical Office. "2010 Census Migration and Urbanization Report". Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ Kesselring, Rita (2018). "At an extractive pace: Conflicting temporalities in a resettlement process in Solwezi, Zambia". The Extractive Industries and Society. 5 (2): 237–244. doi:10.1016/j.exis.2018.02.008.
- ^ Kesselring, Rita (2017). "The electricity crisis in Zambia: Blackouts and social stratification in new mining towns". Energy Research & Social Science. 30: 94–102. doi:10.1016/j.erss.2017.06.015.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
 | This Zambia location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |