Copper (Cu) is a reddish-coloured metal, with a high electrical and thermal conductivity (among pure metals at room temperature, only silver has a higher electrical conductivity).In Roman times, it became known as aes Cyprium (aes being the generic Latin term for copper alloys such as bronze and other metals, and Cyprium because so much of it was mined in Cyprus). From this, the phrase was simplified to cuprum and then eventually anglicized into the english copper.

Copper can be found as native copper in mineral form. Minerals such as the carbonates azurite and malachite are sources of copper, as are sulfides such as chalcopyrite, bornite, covellite, chalcocite and oxides like cuprite. Most copper ore is mined or extracted as copper sulfides from large open pit mines in copper porphyry deposits that contain 0.4 to 1.0 percent copper. Examples include: Chuquicamata in Chile and El Chino mine in New Mexico.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/ a.o.