Solwezi
| Solwezi | |
|---|---|
 Solwezi
|
|
| 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 (2000) | |
| • Total | 65,000 |
| Climate | Cwb |
Coordinates: 12°11′00″S 26°24′00″E / 12.18333°S 26.40000°E
Solwezi is the capital of the North-Western Province of Zambia. Solwezi has approximately 65,000 inhabitants 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.
The main industry of Solwezi is copper mining at Kansanshi Mine (located about 10 km north) and Lumwana Mine (located about 65 km West), out of the town centre, run by First Quantum Minerals and Equinox Minerals, respectively. Kansanshi Mine exploits copper-gold ore from Kansanshi Anticlinal. The mining site has been running since the 19th century for copper and gold successively. Lumwana, on the other hand, was discovered in 1961, but no serious work was carried out there until Equinox Minerals Ltd became involved in 1999. Uranium is also mined in Solwezi at the Lumwana mine north of Solwezi town.
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.
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 Zaire. 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.
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