
Katanga is
a southern province in the Congo. Its official name
was Shaba between 1971 and 1997. The province will
be replaced by four smaller provinces by February
2009. Its regional capital city, Lubumbashi (formerly
Elisabethville), is the second largest city in
Democratic Republic of Congo. Katanga has a
population of about 4.1 million.
Farming and ranching are carried
out on the Katanga Plateau. The eastern part of the
province is a rich mining region, which supplies
cobalt, copper, tin, radium, and diamonds.
Copper mining is an important
part of the economy of Katanga province. Cobalt
mining by individual contractors is also prevalent.
Gecamines is the state owned
mining company which has monopoly concessions in the
province.
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