Kitwe is the commercial heart of Zambia's Copperbelt, the second-largest city in the country and the hub of an industry that has shaped the nation's economy for nearly a century. It sits at around 1,300 meters elevation, giving it a surprisingly pleasant climate for a city this close to the equator.
The city itself is functional rather than beautiful -- wide streets, mine headframes on the outskirts, a busy central market -- but it has an energy that comes from being a working city rather than a tourist one. The Nkana mine on the city's edge is one of the largest copper mines in Africa, and the industry's presence is felt everywhere, from the engineering firms along the main roads to the mining museum downtown.
If you are passing through the Copperbelt, Kitwe makes a logical base. The Mindolo Dam area offers some greenery and birdwatching, and the city is a starting point for trips further into the mining towns of Mufulira and Chingola, or south toward the Kafue National Park. The Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, one of the world's largest chimpanzee sanctuaries, is about 80km northwest and makes an excellent day trip. The Nkana mine district on the western edge of the city gives a clear picture of the industry that built the Copperbelt.