MINING
TOPIC CODE:  NTGE160205ES

What is mining?

Mining is the extraction of minerals from the ground.

What is a mineral?

A mineral is any valuable substance found on or below the surface of the earth.

Places where minerals are found are called mines.

Many minerals are mined in East Africa such as Gold, Diamond, Iron, Copper, Aluminium, Tin, Salt, Soda Ash and Limestone.

There are two types of mining commonly used:

Surface mining and underground mining.

Surface mining used to extract minerals found near the earth’s surface  such as Coal.

Underground mining used to extract minerals found deep within the earth such as Diamond and Gold.

Minerals are used to make different items such as bead and metal earrings, diamond ring.

TYPES OF MINERALS

There are two main types of minerals such as metallic and non-metallic,

Metallic minerals are those which are Ductile, Shiny and Good conductors of heat and electricity.

Examples of metallic minerals are: iron, zinc, gold, uranium, Aluminium.

Examples of non– metallic minerals are Sulphur, carbon and coal.

USES OF MINERALS

Salt:         To add flavor to food

Sulphur:  Ingredient in drugs

Copper:  Making electric wires and cables as  well as making coins

Cobalt:   Magnet in nature, making magnets

Gold, Diamond, Tanzanite: making jewellery.

Uranium: Making Nuclear Energy

Diamond: Cutting , drilling things like glass.

Alumium: making cooking utensils because it doesn’t rust.

Copper is mined at Kilembe in Western Uganda and transported to Jinja through railway to be smelted into blister copper.

Copper in Tanzania is mined at Mpanda in Katavi region.

The leading country for copper production in Africa is Zambia. The capital City of Zambia is Lusaka

Chief producer of copper in the world is  Chile. The capital city of Chile is Santiago

In Africa Red Copper is found in the country of DRC and ZAMBIA. The capital city of DRC is Kinshasa.

In Tanzania, gold is mined at Bulyanhulu in Shinyanga region, and in  Geita.

Leading country in Africa for Gold mining is . South Africa

Tanzania is famous for tanzanite production at Mererani in Manyara Region.

Lake Magadi in Kenya contains the largest natural deposit of salt, hence the main minerals mined in Kenya is salt

Salt is mined at Uvinza in western part of Tanzania.

Diamond is most expensive and earn our country much foreign currency.

coal is mined at songwe kiwira in Mbeya region

salt can be obtained from the sea by making artificial shallow pools, or from underground  salt deposits.

Diamond is mined at Mwadui in Shinyanga region. Mwadui also know as Williamson Diamond Mone

*********** END OF PART ONE ***********

Feel free to ask or comment down here:
Thanks
********* Mr. Yahya M (Badshah )  ********

 Part 2 (Advantages of Minerals).

****NTGE160205ES*****