Zambia

Zambia Background

The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the 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 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. 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. The new president launched a far-reaching anti-corruption campaign in 2002, which resulted in the prosecution of former President Frederick CHILUBA and many of his supporters in late 2003. Opposition parties currently hold a majority of seats in the National Assembly.

Zambia Information

• Population: 10,462,436 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the
• Nationality: noun: Zambian(s) adjective: Zambian
• Location:: Southern Africa, east of Angola
• Religions:: Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1%
• Ethnic Groups:: African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%
• 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
• Area: total: 752,614 sq km water: 11,890 sq km land: 740,724 sq km
• Coast Line: 0 km (landlocked)
• Climate: tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)
• Terrain: mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
• Maritime Claims: none (landlocked)
• Land Use: arable land: 7.08% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 92.9% (2001)
• Environmental Issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lac
• Natural Resources: copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower
• Highways: total: 66,781 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1999 est.)
• Railways: total: 2,173 km narrow gauge: 2,173 km 1.067-m gauge note: includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) (2003)
• Ports & Harbours: Mpulungu
• Airports: 109 (2003 est.)