Background: The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered
by the South Africa Company from 1891 until takeover by the UK in 1923.
During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and
immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In
the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt
the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the
subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties.
Government
type: republic
Capital: Lusaka
Currency: 1 Zambian kwacha (ZK) = 100 ngwee
Geography of Zambia
Location: Southern Africa, east of Angola
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 S, 30 00 E
Area:
total: 752,614 sq km
land: 740,724 sq km
water: 11,890 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 5,664 km
border countries: Angola 1,110 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,930 km,
Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zimbabwe 797 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)
Terrain: mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m
highest point: unnamed location in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m
Natural resources: copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver,
uranium, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 40%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 460 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: tropical storms (November to April)
Environment - current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain in the
mineral extraction and refining region; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros and
elephant populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water
treatment presents human health risks
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine
boundary with Zimbabwe
People of Zambia
Zambia's population comprises more than 70 Bantu-speaking tribes. Some
tribes are small, and only two have enough people to constitute at least
10% of the population. Most Zambians are subsistence farmers. The
predominant religion is a blend of traditional beliefs and Christianity.
Expatriates, mostly British (about 15,000) or South African, live
mainly in Lusaka and in the Copperbelt in northern Zambia, where they are
employed in mines and related activities. Zambia also has a small but
economically important Asian population, most of whom are Indians. The
country is 42% urban
Population: 11,261,795 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 48%
15-64 years: 50%
65 years and over: 2%
Population growth rate: 1.95%
Birth rate: 41.9 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 22.08 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: -0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 92.38 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 37.24 years
male: 37.08 years
female: 37.41 years
Total fertility rate: 5.62 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Zambian(s)
adjective: Zambian
Ethnic groups: African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%
Religions: Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Languages: English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda,
Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 78.2%
male: 85.6%
female: 71.3% (1995 est.)
SOURCES: The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State |