Zambia — map and facts

About Zambia

Zambia is a landlocked country in southern Africa with a population of approximately 20 million people. Its capital is Lusaka, located in the south-central part of the country on the Central African Plateau at an elevation of about 1,300 metres. Zambia is a presidential republic and has been praised as one of Africa's more stable multiparty democracies, having undergone several peaceful transfers of power since the reintroduction of multiparty elections in 1991. Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development was elected president in 2021. English is the official language, and Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga, and Lozi are among the most widely spoken indigenous languages. The economy is heavily dependent on copper mining, which has historically accounted for the majority of export earnings. Zambia experienced a major economic boom during colonial-era copper extraction and again during high commodity prices in the 2000s, but copper price fluctuations and mismanagement have led to recurring debt crises. Agriculture, particularly maize cultivation, is the primary occupation for the majority of the rural population.

Geography and Landscape

Zambia occupies a large elevated plateau in south-central Africa, covering approximately 752,000 square kilometres. It is bordered by eight countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania to the north, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia's Caprivi Strip to the south, and Angola to the west. The terrain is predominantly high plateau at elevations between 1,000 and 1,600 metres. The Muchinga Escarpment in the northeast marks the edge of the plateau and contains the country's highest terrain. Three major river systems drain the country: the Zambezi flows from the northwest through the south, the Luapula-Congo system drains the north, and the Kafue and Luangwa are major tributaries. Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean border — one of the world's greatest waterfalls — is shared with Zimbabwe and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lake Kariba, an enormous reservoir on the Zambezi, forms part of the southern border with Zimbabwe. The climate is tropical with a single wet season from November to April.

History

The territory of present-day Zambia was inhabited by San hunter-gatherers before Bantu-speaking migrations transformed the region from around the fourth century CE. Kingdoms including the Lozi in the west and the Bemba in the northeast emerged as regional powers over subsequent centuries. European contact began with Portuguese traders and culminated with the explorations of David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary and explorer who traversed much of the region in the mid-nineteenth century and named Victoria Falls. The British South Africa Company under Cecil Rhodes obtained mineral and land concessions and began administering the territory in 1891. The regions of Barotseland, North-Eastern Rhodesia, and North-Western Rhodesia were eventually amalgamated into Northern Rhodesia, a British protectorate. Zambia gained independence on 24 October 1964 under Kenneth Kaunda, who led the country as a one-party state until 1991. The second republic under Frederick Chiluba oversaw a transition to multiparty democracy. Zambia defaulted on its external debt for the first time in 2020, prompting international restructuring negotiations.