Largest diamond mine
- Who
- Orapa diamond mine
- What
- 1.18 square kilometre(s)
- Where
- United Kingdom
- When
- 01 January 0001
The Orapa diamond mine, Botswana, is the largest diamond mine by area. It is an open pit mine that sits above two kimberlite pipes that converge near the Earth’s surface. The mine covers an area of 1.18 km2 and is owned by a partnership between the Botswana government and the company De Beers.
The Orapa diamond mine began operations in 1971 and in 2017 it produced around 9.8 million carats (1,960 kilograms; 4,320 pounds) of diamonds.