Quick Facts – Copper Development Association Africa

Copper has played a key role in driving economic growth in Southern Africa. Copper ensures the efficient generation, distribution and usage of electricity in our homes and in our industries; and the delivery of safe, clean drinking water to our citizens. Below are some more quick facts about copper:

Copper is a natural element. It is a metal	Copper has excellent corrosion resistance	Copper conducts electricity reliably and efficiently
South Africa is a copper-producing country	Copper is represented by the chemical symbol Cu	People have been using copper since 9000 BC
Copper can be combined with other metals to make new alloys, like brass and bronze	Most copper in use, such as wiring & plumbing, will remain in use for over half a century	Copper is biostatic, i.e. it does not sustain bacterial growth
Copper is represented by the atomic number 29	Copper is virtually 100% recyclable	South Africa has about 2,1% of the world’s copper reserves
South Africa has copper mines, smelters and refineries	Copper compounds are used as algaecides and pesticides	Copper keeps drinking water safe and pure
When tin is alloyed with copper, bronze is made	Copper handles extremes of heat with no problems or long-term degradation	Copper is strong, ductile and easily joined by soldering or brazing
Copper is an essential nutrient enabling the body to metabolize energy and function properly	Average home has ± 180kg of copper for electrical wiring, water pipes and appliances	Copper is a better conductor of heat and electricity than any other metal, except silver
Copper is the only naturally occurring metal other than gold that has a distinctive colour	Palabora Copper Mine is South Africa’s deepest and largest open cast mine	The word copper comes from the Latin word cuprum which means ore of Cyprus
The Statue of Liberty contains 179,000 lbs of copper	Plants and animal health rely on adequate copper intake	When zinc is alloyed with copper, brass is made

World mine production

Rank	Country/Region	2006 Copper production
	World	15,100,000 tonnes
1	Chile	5,360,800 tonnes
2	United States	1,220,000 tonnes
3	Peru	1,049,933 tonnes
4	China	915,000 tonnes
5	Australia	875,000 tonnes
6	Indonesia	817,796 tonnes
7	Russia	675,000 tonnes
8	Zambia	502,998 tonnes
9	Canada	606,958 tonnes
10	Poland	497,200 tonnes
11	Kazakhstan	459,200 tonnes
12	Iran	249,100 tonnes
13	Papua New Guinea	194,355 tonnes
14	Argentina	180,144 tonnes
15	Brazil	147,836 tonnes
16	DR Congo	131,400 tonnes
17	Mongolia	129,675 tonnes
18	Mexico	129,042 tonnes
19	Uzbekistan	103,500 tonnes
20	Bulgaria	99,000 tonnes
21	South Africa	89,700 tonnes