In which country is Copperbelt Province?

Copperbelt Province is a province in Zambia, which comprises the mineral-rich Copperbelt, and farming and the bush areas to the south. It is sometimes informally referred to as “Kopala”, using the vernacular term for the mineral copper that is mined in the province. It adjoins Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is likewise mineral-rich.

The Copperbelt was the backbone of the economy of Northern Rhodesia (the precursor of Zambia) during British colonial rule. “Kopala” similarly underpinned 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 main cities of the Copperbelt are Kitwe, Ndola, Mufulira, Luanshya, Chingola and Chililabombwe. Roads and rail links extend north into the Congo to Lubumbashi, but the Second Congo War brought economic contact between the two countries to a standstill, now recovering.