Lihir Gold Mine, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is also famous for its legendary gold mines. One of the most famous in the country is the Lihir mine. It is owned by Newcrest Mining, Australia's largest gold mining company. In recent years, the level of extraction of a precious metal at the mine approached an impressive mark of 800000 ounces a year.

The deposit is located on the island of the same name, which has been formed as a result of volcanic activity. Between 1914 and 1975, the island of Lihir and the smaller islands adjacent to it were controlled by Australia and only in 1975 became part of the independent state of Papua New Guinea. It is noteworthy, that gold deposits on the island were discovered much later, in 1982. A year later aconstruction of the mine began and lasted until 1995.

Since the opening of the mine, the life of the islanders has changed radically. Nowadays, about 3000 local residents are engaged in industrial development, which is ¼ of the total population of the island of Lihir. The mine's reserves are truly huge and amount to more than 28 million ounces. The reserves are estimated by experts at 43 million ounces. The island of Lihir is quite popular with tourists, it is famous for its charming beaches and natural beauties. Lately, the gold deposit is one of the main attractions of the island. Next - Muruntau Mine