BOTSWANA : Second Largest DIAMONDS Producer in the World | 10 INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT IT
Large producer of diamonds and salt, an almost entirely desert country, which celebrates the New Year on the first two days of January, a nation with wedding rituals in which everything depends on the approval of the family, BOTSWANA is a country filled with amazing things to discover.
Botswana is the world's second largest producer of gem-quality diamonds in terms of quantity (behind Russia), but the first in terms of value. Indeed, it alone produces more than 30 million carats per year (nearly 20% of world production), half of which is gem quality in significant weights.
Its capital, Gaborone, is today an essential diamond center. The first diamond discoveries in Botswana date back to the 1950s. The mines have been in operation since 1972, and their production is of excellent quality, with over 60% of rough diamonds there being gem quality.
Unlike other African countries, diamond revenues have given Botswana a tremendous economic and social boost. It is indeed one of the few African countries to provide free education, from primary school to secondary education. In forty years, the number of schools there has multiplied by a hundred. Although still fragile, there is no doubt that Botswana will experience strong growth in the years to come, thanks to diamonds.
Botash (Botswana Ash Ltd), which is a company owned by the government of Botswana and the Chlor Alkali Holdings (CAH) group - a South African company - at 50% each, is the largest producer of sodium products in the natural region, producing sodium carbonate and salt. Botash's nominal production capacity for soda ash is 300,000 tonnes per year and for salt is approximately 650,000 tonnes per year, which includes chemical salt, coarse salt and fine salt. However, salt production amounts to 420,000 per year and is limited by the market rather than production constraints.
In the past, all mine activities were undertaken in Sua Pan - from production to marketing, sales and administration. Today, Botash has inc
