Did You Know?

Africa contains some 40% of the total world reserves of industrial diamons. The stones are found in a number of major belts south of the Sahara. The principal known reserves of diamonds in their primary form are in the South African Vaal belt. Elsewhere in Africa, primary deposits are found in Tanzania, Botswana, and Lesotho. Another major belt of diamondiferous rocks encircles the Congo River basin and includes the world’s largest deposit, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which contains the majority of Africa’s reserves of industrial diamonds.