Diamonds among the dunes! We explored an old Namibian
diamond mining town, Kolmanskop, now a
deserted relic from Namibia's diamond rush. This country's economy
depends on mining its rich mineral deposits. The world's
richest gem-quality diamond fields are here, in a area called the
Forbidden Zone (tourists
aren't allowed to see). In the early 1900's when diamond's were
discovered here, people could
actually pick up large stones lying exposed in the sands. What is
the current price for a roughcut, au-natural diamond? $300 US
dollars per carat. |
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Like most Namibian towns, Luderitz is a town of German
architecture. |
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Luderitz is named after Alfred Luderitz, a German
merchant that
persuaded the German government to annex Namibia during Europe's "scramble
for Africa," the
period of frantic European colonization of the continent at the end of the
19th century. |
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The dunes steadily swallow Kolmanskop town, once a prominent
diamond mining town, now only
inhabited by beetles. Luckily, we visited on a calm, windless day. Our
guide told us that sandstorms
often hit this area with winds in excess of 100 km per hour. |
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