Uis
Encyclopedia
Uis is a village located in Erongo Region
, Namibia
. It belongs to the Dâures electoral constituency. Located in the former Damaraland
, it is known for the local mineral wealth. The settlement has approximately 3,600 inhabitants and owns 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) of land.
Uis is located in the shadow of the Brandberg Mountain
, Namibia's highest. The Brandberg is home to the world famous The White Lady
rock painting, said by some to be over 20,000 years old. Being also situated on the main road between the coast and the Damaraland interior there is s reasonable amount of traffic and Uis manages to eke out an existence based almost entirely on this traffic passing through the area. There is a small supermarket, guesthouses, bakery and a petrol station, together with a few other small shops.
has been mined in the Uis region since the early 1900s and the settlement was established in 1958 as a mine
workers residence when a South African mining company started operations there and increased production. Today when approaching Uis, the first thing you see is a huge white
mountain which is in fact the old mine dump for processed tin ore
.
In 1991, the main mining operation closed down because the price of tin dropped far enough to make it un-economical. There is still minimal work progressing on the mine site today. Technology
has improved enough to make it worthwhile to re-process the already excavated ore that was originally discarded and there is a tiny re-processing plant located near the old mine dumps. This ore is processed to an enriched state and then taken to Walvis Bay
for export
. Uis is in danger of becoming a ghost town
if mining cannot be continued. Uis is scheduled to be downgraded to "settlement" status before November 2010.
One product that Uis still produces is rocks and minerals. Namibia is well known as a mineral
rich country and geologists come from all over the world to study in Namibia because much of the interesting geology
and rare rocks are situated at ground level rather than on top of mountains or deep underground.
Erongo Region
Erongo is one of the 13 regions of Namibia. It comprises the Swakopmund magisterial district up to the Ugab River and includes Walvis Bay, Omaruru and Karibib magisterial districts. This region is named after Erongo mountain, a well known landmark in Namibia and in this area...
, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
. It belongs to the Dâures electoral constituency. Located in the former Damaraland
Damaraland
Damaraland was a name given to the north-central part of what later became Namibia, inhabited by the Damaras. It was bounded roughly by Ovamboland in the north, the Namib Desert in the west, the Kalahari Desert in the east, and Windhoek in the south....
, it is known for the local mineral wealth. The settlement has approximately 3,600 inhabitants and owns 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) of land.
Uis is located in the shadow of the Brandberg Mountain
Brandberg Mountain
The Brandberg , is Namibia's highest mountain.-Location and Extent:Brandberg Mountain is located in Damaraland, in the northwestern Namib Desert, near the coast, and covers an area of approximately 650 km²...
, Namibia's highest. The Brandberg is home to the world famous The White Lady
The White Lady
The White Lady is a rock painting, located on a panel, also depicting other art work, on a small rock overhang, deep within Brandberg Mountain...
rock painting, said by some to be over 20,000 years old. Being also situated on the main road between the coast and the Damaraland interior there is s reasonable amount of traffic and Uis manages to eke out an existence based almost entirely on this traffic passing through the area. There is a small supermarket, guesthouses, bakery and a petrol station, together with a few other small shops.
Mining industry
TinTin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
has been mined in the Uis region since the early 1900s and the settlement was established in 1958 as a mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
workers residence when a South African mining company started operations there and increased production. Today when approaching Uis, the first thing you see is a huge white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
mountain which is in fact the old mine dump for processed tin ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
.
In 1991, the main mining operation closed down because the price of tin dropped far enough to make it un-economical. There is still minimal work progressing on the mine site today. Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
has improved enough to make it worthwhile to re-process the already excavated ore that was originally discarded and there is a tiny re-processing plant located near the old mine dumps. This ore is processed to an enriched state and then taken to Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay , is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies...
for export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...
. Uis is in danger of becoming a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
if mining cannot be continued. Uis is scheduled to be downgraded to "settlement" status before November 2010.
One product that Uis still produces is rocks and minerals. Namibia is well known as a mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
rich country and geologists come from all over the world to study in Namibia because much of the interesting geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and rare rocks are situated at ground level rather than on top of mountains or deep underground.