Longwall mining originated in the early 18th century in the county of Shropshire in England, where it was known as the longway method. Its name implies the extraction of the seam over a long continuous length or wall of exposed coal. Until the late 19608 and early 1970s the use of the longwall system with a few exceptions was confined to the United Kingdom and Europe. It was not until the early 19708 that the highly productive longwall faces we now know, were developed and the application of the longwall system extended to Australia, South Africa, United states of America and other parts of the world._x000D_
The modern longwall face has three major components, namely:_x000D_
the machine to break and load the coal_x000D_
the face conveyor;_x000D_
and a system of roof support._x000D_
This paper reviews the development of longwall mining technology._x000D_
The parameters directly influencing the production 'of a modern longwall face are considered, as are the possible constraints to the further development of the longwall system.