Coltan in the DRC

Coltan is short for columbite–tantalites and known industrially as tantalite is a dull black metallic ore from which the elements niobium and tantalum are extracted. Coltan is known as "black gold" in the Democratic Republic of Congo as it holds very high monetary value. Chances are you have coltan in your pocket right now - as coltan is used in every cellphone, laptop, and electronic device.

Coltan is mined in Australia, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, China, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Russia, Rwanda, and Mozambique. Majority of all Coltan mines in the world are found on the western side of the DRC boarding Rwanda and Burundi. Currently there 80% of the world's Coltan can be found in the DRC.

Click the orange dots on the map to gain information about the mines

• It was first colonized by Belgium in 1879
• It gained independence in 1960
• It has a total area of 2,345,409 km^2
• A population of 101,780,263
• In 2018 the DRC had a GDP per Capita of $561.78 USD
• They have a HDI Rating of 0.459, only 10 nations have a lower score
• According to Transparency International the DRC ranked 165/180 in 2019, making one of the most corrupt Countries
• In 2012 the DRC reported a Gini Index of 42.1

Coltan is mined by old primitive mining processes just like how gold was mined in California during the 1800s. Groups of men work together digging large pits in stream beds. Then dirts is scrapped off the surface exposing the coltan in the ground. In DRC terms coltan mining is very well paid. Coltan miners work 7 days a week with horrible conditions can make up to $200 USD per month. 

After coltan is mined it is shipped to Europe, China, and the United States of America to be made into parts for electronic devices. Coltan is a vital part of capacitors. Capacitors store and release energy, image in it as a mini temporary battery. The capacitors used in Laptops, cellphones, other electronic devices are made out of coltan. This makes it a very valuable resource

The DRC is the world's largest producer of “blood coltan”. Blood coltan mined and sourced in a conflict zone, an area with lots of fighting can conflict internal and external. There are small amounts of coltan in Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Namibia, Ghana, and Mozambique, but the majority is in the DRC. The DRC is a conflict zone due to the fighting over the land in which the mines and workers live in. The constant threat of attack and death plagues the workers and people who live in these zones. This fighting is caused by the government, the warlords and the guerrillas who are in constant conflict of control of the coltan rich land.

As seen in the Map on the left, coltan is transported out of the DRC outside its broader. This is done as it is much safer to move the coltan through neighbouring countries. There are less gorilla, and warlords in the neighbouring, and more developed infrastructure. It is then shipped out of Africa to Europe, China, and the United States of America.

Zoom in to see the routes, click the yellow dots to gain more information about each route.

• Coltan is the main driving force in internal DRC conflict
• The mines controlled by rebel groups near the Rwandan boarder allow them to move $250 million USD of coltan, funding their groups
• Because of the prospect of massacre, 30% of school children elect to abandon their education and work in the coltan mines to keep the warlords pleased. 
• The DRC coltan fulls the tech industry and has allowed it to boom in recent years

• The effects of coltan mining have cause the DRC to be in constant internal and external conflict since the Rwandan Genocide, all after the groups after the coltan
• Due to these convicts 10,000 people have been killed from the coltan conflict since 2002, and another 200,000 people have been displaced
• With no strong labour laws or authorities to enforce them Child Labour is extremely common in Coltan mining, about 30% of children are forced to mine without pay

• Everyday approximately 3,300 trees are cut down for Coltan Mines, and 440,000 trees Annually
• The DRC ranks seventh in top 10 countries with highest deforestation rates
• Coltan mines have wiped out the habitat of the Eastern Lowland Gorilla if the mining expansion increases at the current rate the gorilla's in this area will go extinct
• Eastern Lowland Gorilla population has dropped from 8,800 in 1989, to 40 in 2005
• The Southern Lowlands of the DRC where coltan is mined is an extremely volatile ecosystem, meaning a small outside influence can have massive effects on the ecosystem
• Congo’s Basin rainforest is one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems because of coltan mining