Introduction
Tour Itinerary
Destinations
Kitwe
Chingola
Mufulira
Issues
Theories
Worksheets
Resources

Home Field Trips Copper Tour

Itinerary and Tour Summary

It has been said the Zambia was born with a copper spoon it its mouth. Extracting and refining copper has been the mainstay of the Zambian economy before and after Independence. The area that you are going to first visit on this tour is the Copperbelt involves a 300 km north of Lusaka.

Destination 1 Kitwe

A visit to the copper belt must include a trip to Kitwe. It is the hub of the Copperbelt and the major industrial and commercial centre of the area. The city owes its existence to the copper mining industry but has seen a great deal of growth as a secondary and tertiary centre. We will visit the head office of KCCM, the large mining parastatal and consider the changes that are occurring due to government reforms and due to economic pressures from external donor organisations and the depressed copper market.

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The issues covered at this destination are:

• The Importance of Copper to the Economy
• Over-dependence on Copper
• Industrialisation of Zambia
• Privatisation of State Owned Enterprises
• A Case Study of a Multinational Corporation : The Anglo American Corporation

Destination 2 Chingola

Throughout the town and suburbs of Chingola the many trees and flowers make it one of the most picturesque of the Copperbelt towns. However the purpose of stopping at Chingola is to visit the largest open cast mine in Africa and see something of the production process. As you walk around the town and talk to the locals you discover how important the copper industry is for them. In talking to them you are also made aware of the effect that the refining of the metal has on peoples health and general wellbeing.

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• Specialisation and Division of Labour in the Production of Copper
• Unemployment and Underemployment
• The Environmental Impact of the Production of Copper

Destination 3 Muambe shanty town, Mufulira

On the outskirts of the town of Mufulira is a sprawling shanty settlement. Like many of the settlements that grew up around the towns of the Copperbelt Muambe was unplanned and legally unrecognised. It received no services such as piped water, electricity, schools, and health centres. The population is over 5000 and growing as people from rural areas look for work.

There are the myriad of ramshackle stalls that have grown up along the roads selling everything from car exhaust pipes to fresh fish. You are shocked at the number of young children roaming around the streets. In fact you have been surprised through out all of Zambia by the large proportion of children in the population. This visit to the Muambe will enable you to understand more about the demography of LDCs and the country in general.

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The issues covered at this destination are:

• Urbanisation
• Life in Shanty Towns
• Upgrading Shanty Towns
• The Informal Sector
• The Causes and Impact of Population Growth
• The Impact of Inflation on Zambia