It is home to the immense Kipushi Mine, which was originally called the Prince Leopold Mine when the Belgians established it in 1924. At that time, the mine had the largest known deposits of copper and zinc in the world. UMHK exploited the mine until it was nationalized by Mobutu under Gécamines. Gécamines operated the mine for almost three decades, after which operations ceased around the same time as they did at Gécamines Sud.
