HPAS 2016 Prelims Question 58

HPAS Prelims Question & Notes

Match List I (Mines) and List II (Minerals) using the codes given below:

List I (Mines) List II (Minerals)
(a) Kimberley (1) Coal
(b) Wankie (2) Diamond
(c) Witwatersrand (3) Copper
(d) Katanga (4) Gold
  • (A) a-1, b-2, c-3, d-4
  • (B) a-2, b-1, c-4, d-3
  • (C) a-1, b-2, c-4, d-3
  • (D) a-2, b-1, c-3, d-4
Show Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer: (B)

Explanation:

  • Kimberley: Famous worldwide for Diamonds.
  • Wankie: (Now Hwange) Located in Zimbabwe, it is renowned for its large Coal deposits.
  • Witwatersrand: Located in South Africa, it is the source of a massive percentage of the world’s Gold.
  • Katanga: A province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) famous for the Copperbelt, heavily mined for Copper (and Cobalt).

📚 Additional Info: Famous Mining Regions of Africa

Africa is exceptionally rich in mineral resources. These four locations frequently appear in geography matching questions.

Mining Region Country Primary Mineral(s) Key Fact
Kimberley South Africa Diamonds Home to the “Big Hole,” an enormous open-pit and underground mine claiming to be the deepest hole excavated by hand.
Witwatersrand South Africa Gold A 56km-long escarpment. It is estimated that nearly 40% of all the gold ever mined in human history came from this single basin.
Katanga (Copperbelt) Dem. Rep. of Congo (DRC) Copper, Cobalt, Uranium The Katanga region stretches into Zambia. It is one of the world’s most vital sources of Cobalt, crucial for modern EV batteries.
Wankie (Hwange) Zimbabwe Coal The Wankie Colliery is the largest coal exploration and mining company in Zimbabwe, fueling the region’s thermal power stations.

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