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Top 5 Largest Diamond Mines In Africa

Top 5 Largest Diamond Mines In Africa

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There are tons of gemstones all around, but Diamond remains outstanding. It is well-known, very valuable, and also useful in various regards. Diamonds are very hard and are also rare. These gemstones are not usual, and they form naturally (carbon). A diamond is chemically resistant and it is pretty durable. It has properties that have made it useful as a cutting tool, as well as for other stuff where durability can’t be ignored. 

Diamonds are not regarded as the most popular gemstones in the world for nothing. Its demand greatly exceeds the supply. In fact, the money spent on all other gemstones is no match with what is spent on diamonds many times. In the year 2018, it was made known that the United States of America alone splashed up to $26 billion to import diamonds from other places in the world (the United States of America is one of its highest consumers). 

These gems are being produced by the mining of rocks that contains xenoliths. It can also be gotten by the mining of soils and sediments that come together when the rocks that have diamond weathered away. They are used for various purposes. While gemstone diamonds are simply sold for their beauty as well as their quality, industrial diamonds are predominantly utilized when it comes to cutting, grinding, drilling, and so on. 

Coming to Africa, there are various diamond mines operating in the continent. Indeed, Africa is blessed with various gemstones, and diamond is not excluded. Diamond can be found in different parts of the continent, and there are organizations that have made it a job to get them mined. Just as stated earlier, some of these diamond mines are larger and bigger than the rest, and here, we will be exploring the top five largest in the continent. 

Top 5 Largest Diamond Mines In Africa

  •  Catoca

Starting this list with Catoca, as the diamond mine currently has the reputation of being the largest in Africa. On the world scale, it came fifth (yeah, the fifth-largest diamond mine in the world – which should give you a glimpse of its hugeness). 

Sociedade Mineira de Catoca is in charge of the largest diamond mine in Africa, and it is a venture that is being taken care of by various parties, including Endiama, ALROSA, China as well as Odebrecht.

The mine is located in Angola, and its two major shareholders are Endiama (a diamond firm owned by the Angolan government) and ALROSA (which owns some of the biggest diamond mines in the world). Sonangol has an 18 percent stake, while Odebrecht has 16.4 percent.

Angola is one of the leading African countries when it comes to diamonds, and indeed, the Catoca mine keeps playing a huge role in these exploits. Actually, it is being said that Catoca contains over 120 million carats of mineable diamonds. 

  • Venetia 

The second on the list is Venetia, which is located in South Africa and is owned by De Beers – who had been in charge of its growth for some time now. 

This mine is one of the largest diamond mines in the world at large and is the hugest in South Africa (the second in Africa). Sitting in the province of Limpopo, it is said to have over 100 million carats of diamonds. It is actually an open-pit mine (as well as an underground too). It has the capacity to produce millions of diamonds annually. 

  • Jwaneng 

The third-largest diamond mine in Africa is the Jwaneng site. We should also add that this diamond mine is one of the largest in the world at large. In fact, it is regarded as the eighth largest diamond mine in the world. 

The mine is sitting in Botswana and has been doing its things as far back as 1982. It is being managed by the government of the country as well as De Beers (a partnership). 

The Jwaneng mine is pretty valuable and it has over 80 million carats of diamond reserves. Considering the fact that appropriate works have been strategically done to ensure its life cycle will remain until 2025, it is not surprising that the mine is valued greatly. 

  • Orapa 

Coming next is Orapa, which is a well-known diamond mine. Located in Botswana too, Orapa mine is the fourth largest diamond mine in Africa. It is also important to note that this mine is one of the largest in the world too (it is regarded as the ninth largest diamond mine in the world). 

If we should look at it from the angle of the area, the Orapa diamond mine emerged as the largest, not only in Africa but the world as a whole. It is an open-pit mine that has been operating since as far back as 1971. It is being said that the mine contains over 80 million carats of diamond reserves.

Orapa diamond mine is owned by Debswana (a collective effort of the government of the country and De Beers). In the year 1999, it was expanded to increase its value (which made it the largest diamond mine in terms of area). 

  • 5. Damtshaa 

So, we have decided to end this list with the Damtshaa diamond mine, a mine that is sitting in Botswana too. It is owned by the government of Botswana and De Beers. It is an open-pit mine that can actually produce a lot of diamonds each year. We should also add that the ore made here is processed at the Orapa diamond mine. Don’t forget that the Orapa diamond mine is regarded as the fourth largest diamond mine in Africa. 

Due to their hardness, they are usually used as an abrasive. In industries, it is not unusual to see particles of a diamond being embedded in saw blades and drill bits (used for grinding hard materials and drilling tough stuff). It can be utilized to cover openings in lasers and x-ray machines. Apart from its hardness, another quality of diamond that has made it so relevant is its transparency. 

There are tons of diamond mines in the world (as, of course, it is big business). However, some mines are bigger and larger than some others. Right now, the two biggest diamond mines in the world are located in Russia. Jubilee diamond mine is currently the largest diamond mine in the world – it is said to contain over 153 million carats of recoverable diamonds. The other is Udachny (which is also owned by ALROSA) and situated in the Yakutia region of Russia. This mine is also said to have over 152 million carats of diamonds, producing 10 million carats of these gemstones annually.

So, here we go. As we have expatiated earlier, the diamond business is a big and lucrative business that has fetched tons of revenue and has boosted the revenue of countries. Hopefully, more African countries will prioritize the mining of these gemstones to ensure the creation of wealth on the continent. With a lot of funds at their disposal, it gets easier to invest more in this sector, which means more money that can be utilized in the building of superb structures and systems. That’s all about the top largest diamond land mines in Africa.

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