posted by Savanah on Jun 1
Johannesburg has long been known as the leader in the realm of mining for gold, hence the nickname, ‘Egoli’ which is translated to ‘City of Gold‘. The gold of this continent is found at very extreme depths under the surface of the earth, some reaching as far down as four thousand miles such as the mines of Western Deep Level. This is one of the worlds deepest mines. This has been difficult for the miners due to the fact that the further below the surface of the earth one travels, the hotter it gets. Air conditioning units are necessary to make working at these depths tolerable and bearable. While the temperature is kept at thirty two degrees, the humidity is consistently at about one hundred percent. Gold from this mine in particular, is gathered at the incredible expense of energy, materials and man power. Even after the tons of dynamite, the electricity, and the various different chemicals used to extract the gold, it is still necessary for it to go through many more stages at the refineries, before it becomes the gold that is most valuable and pure on the markets.
The industry of mining gold has experienced pressure as other countries compete, such as Australia and Russia, and are able to produce more inexpensive alternatives on the world market. This has affected many businesses in the city, such as tourism and the luxury hotels. Johannesburg was once an untouched region of South Africa, however that changed rapidly during 1886, when the first miner struck gold. As wold spread, one of the largest gold rushes in the world took place, and in just three years Johannesburg became the largest city in South Africa. Many of the black members of society were forced to spend one year tours working in the mines, separated from their homes and their families. As with so much regarding the history of this country, what came as a result was art. The men danced to raise their spirits, and the dances of the miners still occur and are celebrated throughout the city to this day.
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