Panama Copper Mine

Panama is also famous for its copper mine. Canadians have controlling interest in Inmet copper mine. Ever wonder why Canada is so popular for its copper production? Actually, most of the copper mines are not located in Canada, and the largest copper mine in the world is located in Panama. This is actually very good for Panama’s economy. Panama copper mines are employing the locals in Panama and improving Panamanian peoples’ average income. It is really an advantage for Canada and Panama. The question is why Panama is not running the copper mine by themselves? The answer is that although their land contains a lot of natural resources in it including copper, they do not have the technology and funding to get it to succeed as well as what other developed countries such as Canada can. This project will have a huge impact on the economic condition of the both countries.

Although—according to 2005 data—Chile is the largest copper producer in the world, most of the copper produced from the United States comes from mines which are located in Panama. The vast majority of the mines in Panama are owned by Canadians and Americans, actually.
How is copper so effective at growing the economy? It is one of the most used metals in the world. Copper is a chemical element that is given the Cu symbol (Latin: cuprum). It is one of the best conductors of electricity and heat, and the best for its price. Copper is a very popularly utilized material for industrialization, health, military, and other crafts. The use of copper can be traced back to 10,000 years ago. Before copper, iron and gold are estimated as the first metal used by humans. Copper has a cubic crystal system, physically, and yellow when viewed with a microscope. The ore will be seen to have a color in pink to grayish brown. Elements of the copper presents in nearly 250 minerals, but only a few are commercial. In the primary sulfide precipitate, chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) is the largest, followed by kalkosit (Cu2S), bornite (Cu5FeS4), kovelit (CUS), and enargit (Cu3AsS4). The main copper mineral deposits in the form of oxide is krisokola (CuSiO3.2HO), malasit (Cu2 (OH) 2CO3), and azurit (CU3 (OH) 2 (CO3) 2). Copper can be mined by open pit methods and underground method. The contents of copper are expressed in % (percent). So if the quarry yield is 2.3%, then it means that from 100 kg of ore, it contains 2.3 kg of copper.

Copper metal is very commonly used in the electrical equipment industry. Copper wire and copper alloys are used in the manufacturing of electric motors, generators, transmission cables, home and industrial electrical installation, motor vehicles, electrical conductors, coaxial cables and tubes, microwave tubes, switches, telecommunications and so on. Areas that require electrical conductivity and thermal properties have a high demand for copper, such as for the manufacturing of tubes. Although aluminum can be used for high voltage transmission lines, copper still plays an important role for the underground network and dominates the market of small wires, industrial equipment associated with the solution, the construction industry, aircrafts and ships, roofing, plumbing, home decoration, non industrial  machinery, electrical, machine tools, agricultural machinery, and so on. Copper is really used for various purposes from electrical components, crafts, coins, household items, to biomedical components. Copper can also be combined with other metals to form alloys such as bronze.