Mufulira | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 12°32′08″S28°14′31″E / 12.53556°S 28.24194°E | |
Country | Zambia |
Province | Copperbelt |
District | Mufulira District |
Elevation | 4,180 ft (1,270 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 151,309 |
Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
Climate | Cwa |
Mufulira is a town in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Mufulira means "Place of Abundance and Peace". The town developed around the Mufulira Copper Mine in the 1930s. The town also serves as the administrative capital of Mufulira District. [1]
Mufulira is located approximately 19 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of the town of Mokambo, at the international border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [2] A tarmac highway to the south-west (the M4 road) connects Mufulira to Kitwe, 43 kilometres (27 mi) away. [3]
The city of Ndola, the commercial and transport hub of the Copperbelt, lies approximately 105 kilometres (65 mi), by road, southeast of Mufulira. A shorter, less well-maintained road (the M4 road) exists and measures 70 kilometres (43 mi). [4]
Mufulira is connected to the Mokambo Border and eventually the Luapula Province of Zambia by the Congo Pedicle road. The section from Mufulira to Mokambo is designated as the M5 road while the route through the Congo Pedicle to the Chembe Border is named the Congo Pedicle road.
The geographical coordinates of Mufulira are:12°32'08.0"S, 28°14'31.0"E (Latitude:-12.535556; Longitude:28.241944). [5] Mufulira sits at an average elevation of 4,180 feet (1,274 m) above mean sea level. [6]
The town of Mufulira developed around the Mufulira Copper Mine in the 1930s. A branch of Zambia Railways, carrying freight only, serves the mine. Mufulira is the south-western end of the Congo Pedicle road connecting the Copperbelt Province to the Luapula Province, making that province Mufulira's commercial hinterland. [1]
In 1990, the population of Mufulira was 123,936 people. In 2000, there were 122,336 people. The 2010 population census and household survey enumerated the population of the town at 151,309 inhabitants. [7] The table below illustrates the same data in tabular format.
Year | Population |
---|---|
1990 | 123,936 [7] |
2000 | 122,336 [7] |
2010 | 151,309 [7] |
The Mufulira Mine is now owned and operated by Mopani Copper Mines, which employs 10,000 permanent workers and produced about 300,000 tonnes (330,693 tons) of copper bars in 2007. The Mufulira Copper Smelter was rehabilitated by SMEC South Africa. Production and employment levels went down from the 1969 peak when the Copperbelt made Zambia the world's 4th largest copper producer. [1] [8]
In Zambia, Mufulira is well known for being the home of the successful Mufulira Wanderers F.C., a professional soccer club. [1] [9]
Lake Mweru is a freshwater lake on the longest arm of Africa's second-longest river, the Congo. Located on the border between Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, it makes up 110 kilometres (68 mi) of the total length of the Congo, lying between its Luapula River (upstream) and Luvua River (downstream) segments.
The Luapula River is a section of Africa's second-longest river, the Congo. It is a transnational river forming for nearly all its length part of the border between Zambia and the DR Congo. It joins Lake Bangweulu to Lake Mweru and gives its name to the Luapula Province of Zambia.
Ndola is the third largest city in Zambia and third in terms of size and population, with a population of 475,194, after the capital, Lusaka, and Kitwe, and the second largest in terms of infrastructure development after Lusaka. It is the industrial and commercial center of the Copperbelt, Zambia's copper-mining region, and capital of Copperbelt Province. It lies just 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the border with DR Congo. It is also home to Zambia's first modern stadium, the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
Copperbelt Province is a province in Zambia which 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 damaged by a crash in global copper prices in 1973. The province adjoins the Haut-Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is similarly mineral-rich.
Kitwe is the third largest city in terms of infrastructure development and second largest city in terms of size and population in Zambia. With a population of 517,543 Kitwe is one of the most developed commercial and industrial areas in the nation, alongside Ndola and Lusaka. It has a complex of mines on its north-western and western edges.
Luanshya is a town in Zambia, in the Copperbelt Province near Ndola. It has a population of 117,579. The town is situated in an area which was under Chief Mushili of the Lamba people.
The Copperbelt is a natural region in Central Africa which sits on the border region between northern Zambia and the southern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is known for copper mining.
Chililabombwe is a small town in Copperbelt Province, Zambia. It is located near the Democratic Republic of the Congo border. The name Chililabombwe means 'place of the croaking frog' in the local language of Lamba. The town has a population of 87 000 based on census data from 2010, making it one of the largest towns in the Copperbelt. The town is on the T3 road, 26 km north of the neighbouring town of Chingola, and approximately 10 km south of the large border market of Kasumbalesa. It has also produced national heroes like the late soccer star Eston Mulenga and many others.
Mansa is the capital of the Luapula Province of Zambia, and headquarters of Mansa District. It takes its name from the local Chief Mansa and the small Mansa River which flows west to the Luapula River. During British rule the city was named Fort Rosebery.
Peter Zuze Air Force Base is an airbase located in the city of Ndola in the Copperbelt Province in northern Zambia. It used to be the premises of the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport until late 2021, when Ndola's airport moved its operations 15 km (9.3 mi) to the west and this old airport address ceased to be a commercial airport. It now belongs to the Zambian Air Force.
The Congo Pedicle road crosses the Congolese territory of the Congo Pedicle and was constructed by and is maintained by Zambia to connect its Copperbelt and Luapula Provinces. Both the road and the territory may be referred to as ‘the Pedicle’. It is designated as the N36 Route on the Congolese Road Network.
Sakania is a town in Haut-Katanga Province, in the Congo Pedicle, in the far south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, near the border with Zambia. It is located at an elevation of 1278m asl, therefore it has a cool climate. Between 1935 and 1939 it recorded one of the lowest temperatures in the history of the country, with -1.5 °C.
Mufulira Wanderers are Zambia's most successful football club, based in the Copperbelt town of Mufulira and currently playing in the Zambia Super League for the 2023/2024 season after their promotion from the Zambia National Division One.
Roan United is a Zambian football club based in Luanshya, in the Zambian Premier League and mostly successful during the early years of Zambian football. Indeed, they were the inaugural winners of the ZPL, clinching what was then called the Northern Rhodesia National Football League in 1962. They play their home matches at Kafubu Stadium.
Chambishi is a town in Kalulushi District in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. According to the 2021 Census its population stands at slightly above 11,000. It is located on the T3 road between the cities of Kitwe and Chingola.
The T3 is a Trunk Road in Zambia. The road runs from Kapiri Mposhi via Ndola, Kitwe and Chingola to Kasumbalesa on the border with DR Congo. The entire route is a toll road.
The M4 road is a road in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The road connects the city of Ndola with the city of Mufulira and extends to connect Mufulira with the city of Kitwe. As it is a v-shaped route, the M4 road starts and ends at a junction with the T3 road.
The M3 road is a road in northern Zambia that connects Kasama in the Northern Province with the Congo Pedicle border at Chembe in the Luapula Province via Luwingu and Mansa. The road contains two tollgates between Kasama and Mansa.
Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport is an international airport located in Ndola, Copperbelt Province, Zambia. It was officially known as Ndola Airport before being renamed in 2011 in honour of Simon Kapwepwe, the nation's former vice president. It is located adjacent to the Dag Hammarskjöld Crash Site Memorial about fifteen kilometres (9.3 mi) west of the city centre. It is accessed by using the Dag Hammarskjöld Memorial Access Road off the T3 road.