Diamonds in the desert
Another human settlement in this hostile ecosystem has to do with its mineral resources: from gold to diamonds, from oil to many minerals.
As early as the Ptolemaic era in ancient Egypt, the slaves toiled all through their lives to extract gold from quartz using primitive stone tools. Even now, a large part of the Namibian and South-African desert is exploited for its diamonds. Evidence of this activity is the old mining village of Kolmanskop, now a real ghost town neighbouring on this forbidden town. It was founded around 1920 after finding diamonds in the area, it quickly expanded into a local work and residential centre and was completely deserted by 1956. Today the sand has invaded some of the houses, getting in through the windows, blocking the doors and making the roofs cave in, and only a few houses are in a good state of repair and perfectly furnished, to tell how man lived there.
South-Africa is the most important diamond producer in Africa. In this area, diamonds are mainly contained in igneous rocks, such as kimberlite vents, which were first discovered in 1869. The biggest diamond ever found, the Cullinan (3,106 carats), and many other extremely valuable gems are from South-Africa. For more information on oil, see the specific section.
Special reports
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8 July 2022
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9 May 2022
Pollination, a perfect alliance between plants and animals
Firmly rooted in soil, over the course of their evolution plants have had to develop biological mechanisms for feeding and…
20 October 2021
Chapada Diamantina: a treasure beyond gemstones
Discovering the Diamond Plateau, one of Brazil's most unique naturalistic jewels ...
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30 July 2020
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
23 June 2020
The Last Wild Valley. In defence of the Cime Bianche
The Vallone delle Cime Bianche or Courtaud Valley rises at the top of the Val d'Ayas, in Valle d'Aosta. It…
10 February 2020
Coral turns pale!
The coral reef is one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity...
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7 January 2020
Urban woods
When walking along a tree-lined avenue in a crowded and traffic-congested city, wrapped up in our daily commitments, we do…
6 February 2017
Robotics: environmental monitoring and more
More than 830 events were organised in 30 countries during the European Robotics Week (18-27 November)
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8 July 2022
Who’s coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
9 May 2022
Pollination, a perfect alliance between plants and animals
Firmly rooted in soil, over the course of their evolution plants have had to develop biological mechanisms for feeding and…
-
20 October 2021
Chapada Diamantina: a treasure beyond gemstones
Discovering the Diamond Plateau, one of Brazil's most unique naturalistic jewels ...
30 July 2020
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
-
23 June 2020
The Last Wild Valley. In defence of the Cime Bianche
The Vallone delle Cime Bianche or Courtaud Valley rises at the top of the Val d'Ayas, in Valle d'Aosta. It…
10 February 2020
Coral turns pale!
The coral reef is one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity...
-
8 July 2022
Who’s coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
-
9 May 2022
Pollination, a perfect alliance between plants and animals
Firmly rooted in soil, over the course of their evolution plants have had to develop biological mechanisms for feeding and…
-
20 October 2021
Chapada Diamantina: a treasure beyond gemstones
Discovering the Diamond Plateau, one of Brazil's most unique naturalistic jewels ...
From the Multimedia section
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