The Orapa diamond mine is the world's largest diamond mine. The mine is located in Botswana about 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of the city of Francistown. Orapa ("resting place for lions") is owned by Debswana, a partnership between the De Beers company and the government of Botswana. It is the oldest of four mines operated by the company, having begun operations in July 1971. Jump to: navigation, search A scattering of round-brilliant cut diamonds shows off the many reflecting facets. ... Jump to: navigation, search The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam. ... Francistown is the second largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 90,000. ... Jump to: navigation, search Debswana Diamond Company Ltd, or simply Debswana, is a mining company located in Botswana, and is the worlds leading producer of diamonds by value. ... In the common law, a partnership is a type of business entity in which partners share with each other the profits or losses of the business undertaking in which they have all invested. ... Jump to: navigation, search The De Beers Group is a Johannesburg- and London-based diamond mining and trading corporation. ... July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ...

Orapa is of open pit construction and is the largest diamond mine in the world by area. The mine is located on two kimberlite pipes that converge near the surface, covering 1.18 square kilometres at ground level. Orapa operates seven days per week, and produces 20 million tons per year of ore and an additional 40 million tons per year of waste rock. In 2003, the Orapa mine produced 16.3 million carats (3260 kg) of diamond. The recoverable ore grade at the mine is about 0.87 carats (174 mg) per ton. The mine was expanded in 1999, doubling its previous capacity. The processing plant at Orapa processes the ore produced at Orapa as well as two of Debswana's three other mines, the Letlhakane and Damtshaa diamond mines. The El Chino mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine Open-pit mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow. ... Hewn kimberlite core sample from the James Bay Lowlands region of Northern Ontario, Canada. ... Volcanic pipes are subterranean geological structures formed by the violent, supersonic eruption of deep-origin volcanoes. ... An ore is a mineral deposit containing a metal or other valuable resource in economically viable concentrations. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The carat is a unit of mass used for gems, and equals 200 milligrams. ... Ore grade is a measure that describes the concentration of a valuable natural material (such as metals or minerals) in its surrounding ore. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1999 is a common year starting on Friday Anno Domini (or the Current Era), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Letlhakane diamond mine is a diamond mine located in Botswana about 190 kilometers (120 miles) west of the city of Francistown. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Damtshaa diamond mine is a diamond mine located in Botswana about 220 kilometers (140 miles) west of the city of Francistown. ...

Orapa and its sister mine Letlhakane employ over 3,100. Debswana also maintains a 100 bed hospital, pre-primary and primary schools for employees' children, and the Orapa game park. The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, and places some importance on water conservation and waste management. A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ... The ISO 14000 environmental management standards exist to ensure products and services have the lowest possible environmental impact. ... Water resources are sources of water that are useful to human beings for drinking, recreation, irrigation, livestock production, industry, etc. ... Jump to: navigation, search Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal of waste materials, usually ones produced by human activity, in an effort to reduce their effect on human health or local amenity. ...

References

• http://www.debswana.com (Retrieved April 13, 2005)
• http://www.mining-technology.com/projects/debswana/ (Retrieved April 13, 2005)