Reko Diq (; ), is a small town in

Chagai District Chaghi District (; ), also known as Chaghi District, is the largest district of Pakistan by area, located in the northwestern corner of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. District shares the border with two countries: Afghanistan and Iran. De ...

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

. It is located in a desert area, north-west of Naukundi, close to Pakistan's border with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. The area is located in the Tethyan belt, which stretches all the way from

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and Iran into Pakistan. Reko Diq is a remote location in the north-west of Chagai district. Chagai is a sparsely populated western desert district of Balochistan. It is mostly low relief and thinly populated desert. The weather of Chagai ranges from very hot summers of to very cool winters down to , with less than of precipitation (winter rain and minor snow). It also exhibits periods of high wind and dust- and sandstorms, which have a demobilising impact on the local activities and trade. Access to the Chagai district is via the Zahidan–Quetta highway, also known as the London Road. According to the 1998 census the population of Chagai District was 202,562, along with approximately 53,000 Afghan refugees. The population of Chagai District was estimated to be over 250,000 in 2005. Over 50% of the people of the area are Muslims. Reko Diq, which means 'sandy peak' in Baluchi language, is also the name of an ancient

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

. The Reko Diq Mine is famous because of its vast gold and copper reserves; it is believed to have the world's fifth-largest gold deposit. According to Samar Mubarakmand, the Geological Survey of Pakistan discovered the Reko Diq reserves in 1978.

References

External links

Tethyan Copper Company Pakistan (Pvt.) LtdBarrick Reko Diq Projects
*http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/02/01/papua-new-guinea-serious-abuses-barrick-gold-mine Populated places in Chagai District Mining communities in Pakistan {{Balochistan-geo-stub

See also

References

External links