Sapphire deposits in SW Madagascar (7)

Photo taken on May 31, 2013 shows Ilakaka town, the famous sapphire town in southwest Madagascar. Since the discovery of alluvial sapphire deposits in 1998, the population had boomed from 40 residents to near 60,000 by 2005, including many businessmen from Thailand, India, France, China, etc., most of whom dreamed to become rich in one night to find sapphires. Madagsacar, famous for its sapphire production, stood alongside Australia as one of the world's two largest sapphire producers at its peak period. There are still sapphire mines operating around Ilakaka, but most deposits are located deeper below the surface now, and miners have to work much harder to extract sapphires. Due to the deep location and political crisis, Madagascar has not managed to regain its former glory as a primary producer of sapphires. (Xinhua/He Xianfeng)