COUNTRY IN FOCUS •
INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
Edited by Sharyn Macnamara
The small Indian Ocean islands are better known as popular vacation destinations for their idyllic beaches and year-round temperate weather , but they also have a small mining industry , writes Dr Nicolaas C Steenkamp .
Pexels : Soner Mazlum
Aggregates abound
Tourism remains the main source of income for these countries , and they have suffered severe losses due to the global lockdowns when international tourists were barred from entering . Although these small islands are mainly dependent on imports for goods and raw materials , they do have limited natural resources . All of these countries have a small industrial mineral mining sector that is able to supply domestic demand and meet some of the demands from their neighbouring island states too . The main Indian Ocean island countries considered here are the Comoros , Mauritius , Reunion and the Seychelles .
Comores The Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros is located on three main islands in the Mozambique Channel about two thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique . The industrial mineral mining sector comprises construction materials such as clay , sand and gravel , and crushed stone for local consumption , while cement , steel , and petroleum products are imported . The country operates fossil fuel power plants , but also has the potential for geothermal power generation from inland sources . The increasing cost of fuel imports and limited biofuel reserves may prompt the nation to seek investment and donations to develop these geothermal resources .
The Republic of Mauritius The Republic of Mauritius is located about 1000km east of Madagascar and is one of the most popular island destinations for South African tourists . Its industrial mineral sector includes basalt construction stone from nine mines located on the island and other aggregates such as coral sand and lime from coral . While the semi-manufactured steel industry consists of domestic rolling mills producing rebar and welded mesh using imported ingot as raw material , Mauritius also produces solar-evaporated sea salt and fertiliser , and a small number of local companies cut imported diamonds . Limited offshore exploration has been
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African Mining • July 2022 • 17 |