Copper ( A copper disc made by continuous casting and etching.
Copper metal and alloys have been used for thousands of years. In the Roman era, copper was principally mined on Cyprus, hence the origin of the name of the metal as Cyprium, "metal of Cyprus", later shortened to Cuprum.
Like many other metals, copper is easily recyclable. However, the fraction of copper in active use is steadily increasing, and its total quantity available on Earth may be barely sufficient to allow all countries to reach developed world levels of copper usage.[1] Some countries, such as Chile and the United States, still have sizeable reserves of unmined metal which are extracted through large open pit mines.
Copper compounds are commonly encountered as salts of Cu2+, which often impart blue or green colors to minerals such as turquoise and have been used historically widely as pigments. Copper metal architectural structures and statuary eventually corrode to acquire a characteristic green patina. Copper as both metal and pigmented salt, has a significant presence in decorative art.
Copper(II) ions (Cu2+) are soluble in water, where they function at low concentration as bacteriostatic substances, fungicides, and wood preservatives. In sufficient amounts, copper salts can be poisonous to higher organisms as well. However, despite universal toxicity at high concentrations, the Cu2+ ion at lower concentrations is an essential trace nutrient to all higher plant and animal life. In animals, including humans, it is found widely in tissues, with concentration in liver, muscle, and bone. It functions as a co-factor in various enzymes and in copper-based pigments.
The Limpopo River rises in central southern Africa, and flows generally eastwards to the Indian Ocean. It is around 1,750 kilometres (1,087 mi) long, with a drainage basin 415,000 square kilometres (160,200 sq mi) in size. Its mean annual discharge is 170 m³/s (6,200 cu ft/s) at its mouth.[1] The Limpopo is the second largest river in Africa that drains to the Indian Ocean, after the Zambezi River.
History
The Musina tribe discovered copper and settled here. In the 20th century European prospectors rediscovered the large copper desposits and established the town of Messina. The spelling of the name was changed to Musina in 2003 to correct the colonial-era misspelling of the name of the Musina people.
[edit] Geology
The Limpopo River is a dry river bank which flows annually in rains when lichen and other plant species of the desert region come alive. Sometimes, it floods. The low-shrub and thorny tree lands that surround Musina and thrive in rains are alive with animals in sanctuaries that offer experienced-only camping safari accessible by sand and rock road tracks. Access is generally good, with the road from Johannesburg to Musina being wide tar, as are most other roads in the area.
[edit] Border with Zimbabwe
The link with Zimbabwe has become one of the busiest roads in the world and the busiest in Africa, due to black market importers from Zimbabwe and people looking for employment. This is mainly due to thousands crossing (and fleeing) the border into South Africa every day. According the New York Times, in January 2009 Musina had a shifting population of about 15,000 foreigners, overwhelmingly Zimbabweans, many of whom lived in a refugee camp at the showground or in the streets. [1]
[edit] Name
The city and surroundings have been called Messina since the very day Europeans arrived in the area. The town, which was founded and settled by white people, was also named Messina. However, in 2003, the Limpopo government (while changing the names of other cities in Limpopo) changed the name to Musina. Unlike other towns in South Africa, it was one of the very few which underwent very little riots or oppositions, such as Pretoria and Louis Trichardt. The reason is probably due to the fact that the name change was only a misspelling, rather than a whole new name.
[edit] Current usage
Although Musina is becoming more widely accepted, Messina is still often used[1], especially by the white community.
