Kitwe

Kitwe
City
View towards the City of Kitwe, Zambia
Kitwe Location in Zambia
Coordinates: 12°49′S 28°12′E / 12.817°S 28.200°E / -12.817; 28.200
Country	Zambia
Province	Copperbelt Province
District	Kitwe District
Population (2010 census)
• Total	504,194
Climate	Cwa

Kitwe is the second largest city in terms of size and population in Zambia. With a population of 504,194 (2010 census provisional) Kitwe is one of the most developed commercial and industrial areas in the nation, alongside Ndola and Lusaka. It has a complex of mines on its north-western and western edges.

Kitwe is made up of townships and suburban areas including Parklands, Riverside, Buchi, Chimwemwe, Nkana East, Nkana West, Garneton and Race Course, to mention a few. The city is sometimes referred to as Kitwe-Nkana.

Kitwe has both private and public schools which include Lechwe School, Mpelembe Secondary School, Kitwe Boys Secondary School, Parklands Secondary School, Mukuba Secondary School, Nkana Trust School and Helen Kaunda Secondary School.

Kitwe was founded in 1936 in north-central Zambia as the railway was being built by Cecil Rhodes' company. It was first established as an adjunct, non-mining-related but supportive part of an expanding copper-mining centre at Nkana. The expanding copper mines at Nkana made it the dominant centre in the region and Kitwe started building up its size and significance over the years, finally surpassing Nkana as the main centre. The Rhodesia Railways main line reached the town in 1937, providing passenger services as far south as Bulawayo, with connections to Cape Town. The line was extended into DR Congo, and from there eventually linked to the Benguela Railway to the Atlantic port of Lobito, which used to take some of Zambia's copper exports but is currently closed.

Kitwe is the base for a number of mining operations including the Mopani Copper Mines.

Kitwe lies at the end of Zambia Railways' passenger services from Livingstone, Lusaka and Ndola, but freight lines continue to the mining towns to the north-west.

The main highway through the Copperbelt runs south-east to north-west through the city, to Ndola (as a freeway) in the south-east, and to Nchanga, Chingola and Chililabombwe in the north-west. A laterite road goes west to Kasempa.