Chingola
Encyclopedia
Chingola is a city in Zambia's Copperbelt Province
, the country's copper-mining
region, with a population of 157,340 (2008 census). It is the home of Nchanga Copper Mine, a deep-shaft high-grade content copper mining operation, which subsequently (in the 1960s) led to the development of two open pit operations, Chingola Open Pit and then Nchanga Open Pit (the latter being the second largest open cast mine in the world).
Open Pit workings lie in an arc 11 km long around the west and north of the town, covering nearly 30 km². The deepest part of the pit is 400 m lower than the surrounding plateau.
See Copperbelt Province
for the history of the copper-mining industry.
In Chingola, the main road to Lubumbashi
in DR Congo via Chililabombwe
and Konkola
branches off the main Copperbelt highway running south-east from Kitwe
going north-west to Solwezi
.
There´s also an airport with IATA code CGJ in Chingola.
Copperbelt Province
Copperbelt Province in Zambia covers the mineral-rich Copperbelt, and farming and bush areas to the south. It was the backbone of the Northern Rhodesian economy during British colonial rule and fuelled the hopes of the immediate post-independence period, but its economic importance was severely...
, the country's copper-mining
Copper extraction
Copper extraction techniques refers to the methods for obtaining copper from its ores. This conversion consists of a series of chemical, physical, and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, local environmental regulations, and other...
region, with a population of 157,340 (2008 census). It is the home of Nchanga Copper Mine, a deep-shaft high-grade content copper mining operation, which subsequently (in the 1960s) led to the development of two open pit operations, Chingola Open Pit and then Nchanga Open Pit (the latter being the second largest open cast mine in the world).
History
Chingola was founded somewhat later than the cities in the south-eastern half of the Copperbelt, in 1943, when the Nchanga Mine was started up. It was, at one point, known to be the cleanest town in Zambia.Mines at Chingola
Nchanga MinesNchanga Mines
The Nchanga mines are a group of copper mineing operations near the municipal town of Chingola in Zambia.- Nchanga Open Pit Mine :The Open Pits at Nchanga Mine are situated in a crescent shaped structure 11 km long around the municipal town of Chingola in Zambia. Covering nearly 30 km² it...
Open Pit workings lie in an arc 11 km long around the west and north of the town, covering nearly 30 km². The deepest part of the pit is 400 m lower than the surrounding plateau.
See Copperbelt Province
Copperbelt Province
Copperbelt Province in Zambia covers the mineral-rich Copperbelt, and farming and bush areas to the south. It was the backbone of the Northern Rhodesian economy during British colonial rule and fuelled the hopes of the immediate post-independence period, but its economic importance was severely...
for the history of the copper-mining industry.
Communications
A freight-only branch of Zambian Railways services the town from Kitwe.The branch includes the movement of copper ore to the smelters at Nkana in Kitwe.In Chingola, the main road to Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi
Lubumbashi is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, second only to the nation's capital Kinshasa, and the hub of the southeastern part of the country. The copper-mining city serves as the capital of the relatively prosperous Katanga Province, lying near the Zambian border...
in DR Congo via Chililabombwe
Chililabombwe
Chililabombwe is a city located in Zambia's Copperbelt Province. The name means 'place of the croaking frog'.The main economic activity is the mining of copper....
and Konkola
Konkola
Konkola is an area of Zambia, near Chingola, on the border with Congo. It has large copper reserves.There is a copper smelter at Nchanga.-Konkola Copper Mines:Konkola Copper Mines established a major mine in the area; it is now controlled by Vedanta....
branches off the main Copperbelt highway running south-east from Kitwe
Kitwe
Kitwe is the second largest city in terms of size and population in Zambia. With a population of 547,700 Kitwe is one of the most developed commercial and industrial areas in the nation, alongside Ndola and Lusaka...
going north-west to Solwezi
Solwezi
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...
.
There´s also an airport with IATA code CGJ in Chingola.
Health Facilities
The town has two hospitals: Nchanga North General Hospital (Government-owned, bed capacity 283) and Nchanga South Hospital (privately-owned by the KCM (Konkola Copper Mines Plc) , bed capacity about 100).Other features
- Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, a sanctuary for orphanOrphanAn orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed chimpanzeeChimpanzeeChimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s lies 60 km north-west of Chingola.
Born in Chingola
- Samuel MateteSamuel MateteSamuel Matete is a retired male track and field athlete from Zambia, who competed mainly in 400 meter hurdles. Noted for his exceptionally fast finish, he was one of the world's leading hurdlers in the early 1990s, and became the first Zambian track and field world champion in 1991...
(born 1968), Zambian athlete - Felix BwalyaFelix BwalyaFelix Bwalya was a boxer from Zambia, who competed for his native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There he was stopped in the first round of the lightweight division by Tanzania's Rashid Matumla.-External links:* * from New York Times...
(born 1970), Zambian boxer (d. 1997) - Jacoline Loewen (born 1960), Zambian writer, author of The Power of Strategy and e-Business by Struik New Holland, and Money Magnet by Wiley.
- Dennis Freeman (born 1954), founder of In-Home Tutors (American tutoring company)
- Michael Anthony Coombs (born 1963)
- Andrew (AJ) Hendricks (born 1974), raconteur and adventurer.
- Christine H Smith (nee Anderson) (born 1959), teacher and children's advocate.