Global silver trade from the 16th to 18th centuries American mining for the early part of the 16th Century. Mining in the Americas became formally industrialized when the process of mercury amalgamation became popularized. Mercury amalgamation was invented by a Spaniard in central Mexico in the 1550s. Historians dispute what individual was the first to invent the process, however most agree that it was a Spaniard. Mercury was the one of the highest costs of production for the Americas, since much of it had to be shipped. The ratio of Mercury to silver produced was about two to one. Furthermore, German miners introduced the stamp mill and lead smelting
White people in Botswana White people in Botswana White people in Botswana are Botswana people whose ancestry lies within the continent of Europe, most notably the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Currently, White Africans are a minority ethnic group in Botswana, accounting for a little more than 3% of the country's population. The White population usually speak Afrikaans as well as other European languages, most notably English. European people began to immigrate into what is today the nation of Botswana in the 19th century, starting with the Boer people. The Dorsland Trek in the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw thousands of Boer