World Atlas: Zambia. On this page you can see the map, country flag and many detailed information about the people, history and economy of Zambia.
Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Zambia. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Zambia. But let's start with the flag of Zambia here:
Zambia - Overview:
What you should know about Zambia? Let's start with this: The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the former British South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over 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, economic mismanagement, and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule and propelled the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) to government. The subsequent vote in 1996, however, saw increasing harassment of opposition parties and abuse of state media and other resources. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems, with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy Mwanawasa. Mwanawasa was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair. Upon his death in August 2008, he was succeeded by his vice president, Rupiah Banda, who won a special presidential byelection later that year. The MMD and Banda lost to the Patriotic Front (PF) and Michael SATA in the 2011 general elections. SATA, however, presided over a period of haphazard economic management and attempted to silence opposition to PF policies. SATA died in October 2014 and was succeeded by his vice president, Guy Scott, who served as interim president until January 2015, when Edgar Lungu won the presidential byelection and completed SATA's term. Lungu then won a full term in August 2016 presidential elections.
Geography of Zambia
Where on the globe is Zambia? The location of this country is Southern Africa, east of Angola, south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Total area of Zambia is 752,618 sq km, of which 743,398 sq km is land. So this is quite a large country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains. The lowest point of Zambia is Zambezi river 329 m, the highest point unnamed elevation in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m. And the climate is tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April).
Inhabitants of Zambia
Let's take a look how many people live in Zambia. The number is: 15.972 million. So not so many people live here. Who lives here? Bemba 21%, Tonga 13.6%, Chewa 7.4%, Lozi 5.7%, Nsenga 5.3%, Tumbuka 4.4%, Ngoni 4%, Lala 3.1%, Kaonde 2.9%, Namwanga 2.8%, Lunda (north Western) 2.6%, Mambwe 2.5%, Luvale 2.2%, Lamba 2.1%, Ushi 1.9%, Lenje 1.6%, Bisa 1.6%, Mbunda 1.2%, other 13.8%, unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.). What are the languages in Zambia? Bembe 33.4%, Nyanja 14.7%, Tonga 11.4%, Lozi 5.5%, Chewa 4.5%, Nsenga 2.9%, Tumbuka 2.5%, Lunda (North Western) 1.9%, Kaonde 1.8%, Lala 1.8%, Lamba 1.8%, English (official) 1.7%, Luvale 1.5%, Mambwe 1.3%, Namwanga 1.2%, Lenje 1.1%, Bisa 1%, other 9.7%, unspecified 0.2%. And the religions: Protestant 75.3%, Roman Catholic 20.2%, other 2.7% (includes Muslim Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha'i), none 1.8% (2010 est.). How old are the people in average? 16.8 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 52.7 years. Where the people live in Zambia? Here: one of the highest levels of urbanization in Africa; high density in the central area, particularly around the cities of Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, and Mufulira. The major urban areas of Zambia are: Lusaka (capital) 2.179 million (2015).
Government and Economy of Zambia
The capital of Zambia is Lusaka; note - a proposal to build a new capital city in Ngabwe was announced in May 2017 and the government type presidential republic. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - 10 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Muchinga, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western. Regarding the economy of Zambia, important industrial products are copper mining and processing, emerald mining, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture. Important agricultural products are corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seeds, vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (manioc, tapioca), coffee; cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides. The most important export commodities are copper/cobalt, cobalt, electricity; tobacco, flowers, cotton and the most important export partners are Switzerland 39.4%, China 18%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 6.7%, South Africa 6.4%, UAE 6%, Singapore 5.6% (2016). The most important import commodities are machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer, foodstuffs, clothing and the most important import partners are South Africa 31.2%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 12.3%, Kuwait 8.1%, China 7.6%, Mauritius 4.4%, UAE 4.2%, India 4% (2016). How rich is Zambia and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $4,000 (2017 est.). This is a very low number. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: 60.5% (2010 est.).