Zambia
Rich in scenic beauty and wildlife, Zambia boasts some of the most breath-taking natural attractions in the world.
As large as France, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary combined, Zambia lies in the tropical belt of South Central Africa. Zambia offers visitors the chance to escape from holiday masses and savour an environment that has remained largely unchanged since the beginning of time. The country is famed for its huge protected wilderness areas it has 19 National parks. The South Luangwa National Park is home to arguably the most diverse range of game in Africa. Even though the country is landlocked it has many lakes with excellent beaches for those who like to swim and enjoy watersports in uncrowded surroundings.
The many rivers provide opportunities for canoeing and rafting. The swirling rapids of the Zambezi River below the Victoria Falls are said to be the best rafting waters in the world. Fishing is also a popular pastime and Lake Kariba offers excellent tiger fishing. Zambia is the birthplace of the walking safari and there's no better way of getting really close to nature. The welcome given to tourists by the Zambian people is legendary and their traditional ceremonies and festivals provide an added dimension to a holiday.
Zambia's people are also very friendly.
Population
The current estimate is over 9,6 million
Language
English is the official language and there are some 73 regional dialects which fall into the main language groups of Nyanja, Tonga, Bemba, Lozi, Kaonde, Luvale and Lunda
Capital City
Lusaka
Zambia is situated in south central Africa bounded in the north by Tanzania and Zaire, on the east by Malawi, on the south-east by Mozambique, on the south by Zimbabwe, Botswana, Caprivi Strip (Namibia) and in the west by Angola. The country has a surface area of about 750 000km².
Most of Zambia is moist savanna woodland, where broadleaf deciduous trees grow far enough apart to allow grasses and other plants to grow on the woodland floor. In the wetter north you'll see sprawling branches of stout baobab trees, some thousands of years old. Bushveld covers much of the drier south-west.
Most of Zambia is moist savanna woodland, where broadleaf deciduous trees grow far enough apart to allow grasses and other plants to grow on the woodland floor. In the wetter north you'll see sprawling branches of stout baobab trees, some thousands of years old. Bushveld covers much of the drier south-west.
There are seven major ethnic groups within the country, comprising 25 distinct tribes with their own traditional rituals and some 73 language dialects. Since much of African culture is evidenced in artefacts rather than written texts, the sculpture, architecture and home crafts of the people are an insight into their living cultures.
A lot of traditional Zambian music is heavily rhythmic, usually played on drums, whistles and thumb pianos, and nearly always to accompany dancing. One of the most popular styles, however, is an import from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the rumba. Zambia is, however, famous throughout the region for its traditional drumming.
Religion
Approximately 20 percent of the population follow Christian practices with some Hindu and Moslem adherents in the larger centres. The rest of the population follow traditional African beliefs.
Head of state is President Rupiah Bwezani Banda.
Zambia was, for a lengthy period following independence from Britain, a democratic state which was ruled by a single party. This predominantly socialist structure has recently changed to allow the country to become a viable multi-party democracy.
Much of Zambia's history has been influenced by its central location in the region. This has resulted in the country frequently being affected by events beyond its borders.
Among the earliest visitors were slave traders exploring from their commercial centres on the east coast of the continent, although the country had simultaneously become the territory of the Maravi people who had migrated from the Congo area during the 14th century.
By the 18th century, the country had been visited by Portuguese explorers who followed the routes of the slave traders. But the early 19th century was a key period as the expansion of the Zulu empire displaced many cultures, most of whom found their way north to escape the tribal conflicts to the south. The mid-19th century also saw the arrival of David Livingstone, which resulted in many other missionaries, explorers and adventurers following the routes he had mapped out.
Livingstone's reports drew the interest of the British government, who created the British South Africa Company (BSAC) to strengthen their hold on the region in the face of continued Portuguese involvement. The company took control of Zambia (then known as Northern Rhodesia) in 1911 with the discovery of vast reserves of copper in the northern regions. This resource was not, however, fully exploited until the company passed control on to the British government in 1924.
Until gaining independence in 1964, the country remained under British colonial rule, as a valued possession for mining and minerals. Since then, the country has been run until 1991 as a one-party state under president Kaunda's United National Independence Party (UNIP), with an active involvement in supporting liberation struggles in neighbouring Zimbabwe and South Africa. The 1991 elections finally removed power from the ruling party and began the present period of democratic government under president Chiluba's Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD).
The export of copper accounts for approximately 80 percent of Zambia's foreign income. Internally, the country is mainly farming orientated with about 30 percent of its GDP falling into this sector. The economy is also reliant on other extensive mineral resources of the country, including cobalt and zinc, which account for another 20 percent of GDP. The rest of the economy comprises power generation, manufacturing and the busy tourist industry.
Zambia is one of the largest producers of electricity on the African continent, which is mainly used by the copper mining industry on the far side of the country to the Kariba Dam, where the power is generated. Not only do the mining companies work in close co-operation with the government to maintain standards regarding the impact on the environment, but the very power used by the industry is generated hydro-electrically at the Kariba Dam with minimal pollution.