page_title: Birim River
section_title: Gold
hierarchical_section_title: Birim River / Mineral Wealth / Gold
caption_attribution_description: Español: Máscara de oro macizo que perteneciera al tesoro del rey ashanti Kofi Kolkalli. Mide 17,5 cm; pesa 1,5 kg. Arte popular africano
context_page_description: The Birim River is one of the main tributaries of the Pra River in Ghana and the country's most important diamond-producing area, flowing through most of the width of the Eastern region. The river rises in the east of the Atewa Range, flows north through the gap between this range and the Kwahu Plateau, then runs roughly south-west until it joins the Pra. It gives its name to the Birimian rock formation, which yields most of the gold in the region. Ghana is the second largest producer of gold in Africa.
context_section_description: The Birim river gravels hold gold which has long been extracted through panning or Placer mining, used in making ornaments and for trans-Saharan trade long before the Europeans discovered the Gold Coast. Starting in the late 19th century, British gold mining companies adopted conventional mining and extraction processes, developing deep underground mines in the underlying Ashanti belt. After independence in 1957 the government nationalized the gold mining industry. With inadequate investment, the mines deteriorated and profitability fell. However, after privatization in 1992 the new owners injected capital, mostly into the Ashanti belt mines, discovering new world-class deposits. The Ashanti Belt now has an aggregated gold endowment of over 125,000,000 ounces of gold.
caption: Gold mask from the treasure of the Ashanti king Kofi Kolkalli
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