Most of the world's diamonds come from Africa.
Diamond crystals, arguably the hardest substance known to man, are typically found in countries such as Canada and Russia in the north, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Australia in the south, and Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast, Venezuela, and Brazil in the center.
Africa is home to some of the world's top diamond producing nations, with the majority of the world's gem-quality diamonds mined there since the 1870s.
In 2017, African countries' diamond exports were valued at $9.65 billion on the global market. The United States is the world's largest buyer of diamond jewelry, accounting for more than 40% of all purchases.
The top five diamond mining countries in Africa, according to NS Energy, are as follows.
Botswana is Africa's leading diamond producer, with seven well-established mines including Jwaneng, the world's richest in terms of value, Orapa, the world's largest by area, as well as Karowe and Letlhakane.
Angola was the first country to discover diamonds in 1912. However, a civil war funded by its diamond deposits lasted more than 25 years, ending only in 2002 and severely damaging most of the country's infrastructure.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the third-largest diamond-producing African country by volume, with the majority of stones mined by small-scale artisanal miners, estimated to number between 200,000 and 400,000 by the DRC Chamber of Mines.
South African diamond mining has been going on for more than 150 years, with Cecil Rhodes establishing the first mine in 1888 through his company De Beers — now the world's largest diamond miner.
Namibia ranks fifth on this list, bolstered by its Orange River Diamond Mines and Alexander Bay Marine Mining, both of which are owned by Namdeb, a joint venture between De Beers and the Republic of Namibia.