Most people live in small towns scattered throughout the region.
The mining and agricultural sectors provide some employment, but unemployment rates are high. Despite the large distances infrastructure is well-developed with good roads, power supply and communication systems. Fragmentation of services with poor co-ordination is a major problem facing the region. There are three public sector hospitals and eight fixed clinics in the region - the outlying areas are visited by mobile clinics. There is little data concerning health status of the people in the area.