Zambia

Geography
Zambia is a huge country—as large as France, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary combined—covering some 750,000 square kilometers and lying in the tropical belt of South Central Africa. The country is landlocked, but has many lakes and rivers with beaches and water sports to be enjoyed. Zambia is still developing and as such, tourist facilities outside the well-known game parks are not yet fully developed. Zambia does possess two of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in Africa, the Luangwa and the Kafue National Parks. It boasts 19 National Parks in total, which cover over eight per cent of the country.

Lusaka
Located in south central Zambia, the capital lies on a plateau, giving it a pleasant temperate climate. Lusaka was named after a local African leader when founded in 1905 by European settlers. In 1935 it replaced Livingstone as the capital of the British dependency of Northern Rhodesia, and became the capital of independent Zambia in 1964. While not a tourist attraction itself, Lusaka has experienced rapid growth since the 60’s. Many new stores, fast food restaurants and plans for a multimillion-dollar shopping mall are in the works. Although Lusaka is the capital of Zambia, Livingstone, is still the key tourist center. The Lusaka National Museum, located about halfway down Independence Avenue, is well worth a visit. Downstairs is an art gallery displaying a selection of modern art from local Zambian artists. Upstairs is a display spanning Zambia's history and culture.

Climate
From August until October a visitor to Zambia can expect sunny days and endless blue skies, beautiful red sunsets and warm comfortable evenings. It can get extremely hot in the valleys just before the rainy season begins, but this is the best time to spot game as they gather around the few remaining watering holes. When the rainy season does start in November, the dry countryside turns into plush wonderland as green grasses spring up into a thick carpet. Although the days do get very hot, the almost daily showers cool them. The rains last until late April and a mild winter sets in until August. The evenings and early mornings can be quite chilly but the days are warm and dry.

Kafue National Park
Kafue National Park is Zambia's largest national park, and is prime safari territory. The Park covers an area of roughly 22,400 square kilometers, mostly of grassland plains. Located in western Zambia, tourists can visit the park throughout the year for a chance to see a variety of wildlife in action, including about four hundred species of birds. Most of the camping sites in the park are privately owned and provide a variety of accommodations. Game viewing in four-wheel drive vehicles, fishing and bird watching, and boat trips are some of the other activities offered to visitors.

Luangwa National Park
Luangwa National Park is widely recognized as having the best game viewing opportunities in Africa. It covers a huge expanse of 9,050 sq. km. The Luangwa and its tributaries are the lifeblood of the region, because these waters support the profusion of wildlife that can be seen on guided walks or in open vehicles. The Luangwa Valley is sanctuary to one of Africa's most important elephant populations as well as large numbers of antelope, most notably impala, puku, kudu, bushbuck and waterbuck. The park has an impressive leopard population, as well as the occasional pride of lion’s. The Thornicroft's giraffe and the Cookson's wildebeest are both unique to the valley, while varieties of rhino are also seen. The Luangwa also boasts greater numbers of Nile crocodile than any other river.

On Safari
For the experienced traveler who wants to enjoy a true taste of African wildlife, Zambia offers a variety of safaris far superior to any other in the Africa. Zambia’s many National Parks contain the largest variety of animals with up-close viewing and photo opportunities.

Victoria Falls
The Zambian side of Victoria Falls is sometimes overlooked, but it provides a separate, and some would argue better, viewing position then its better-known Zimbabwean counterpart. Also, the park isn't as crowded with tourists. Five separate falls make up this incredible spectacle that plunges more than 100 m into a sheer-sided chasm separating Zambia from Zimbabwe. The awe-inspiring waterfall is spanned by a 1905 Edwardian bridge, which links the two countries together.

The mass of water plunging down the Falls and into the gorge below originate from the mighty Zambezi River that flows through more than 2700 km of African countryside. There is much more than sightseeing available at the Falls; upstream, the Zambezi plays host to the famous 'sundowner' cruises, excursions onto the river to watch the local wildlife while gently sipping a glass of champagne and enjoying of a light snack. Once the river has taken its plunge, there is quite a different experience to be had. For those with the courage, the rapids immediately downstream offer some of the most terrifying white water rafting anywhere in the world.

Animal and Bird Life
One of the most extensive collections of game in Africa is packed into Zambia. Elephants are everywhere and the river lagoons are full of hippopotami. The black rhinoceros makes itself seen along with giraffe, herds of buffalo, zebra, and numerous variety of antelope. The best time to find a pride of lions is in the early morning, when they often sun themselves in family groups near a recent kill. Other animals you will almost certainly see are monkeys, baboons, warthogs, hyenas and possibly wild dogs.

Location: Southern Africa, east of Angola

Area-comparative: slightly larger than Texas

Climate: tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)

Terrain: mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains

Natural resources: copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower

Geography—note: landlocked

Population: 9,663,535 (July 1999 est.)

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

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Zambia
conventional short form: Zambia
former: Northern Rhodesia

Government type: republic

Capital: Lusaka

Constitution: 2 August 1991

Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Flag description: green with a panel of three vertical bands of red (hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the outer edge of the flag

Economy—overview: Zambia's economy has made enormous progress in privatization and budgetary reform. Inflation which used to be high is showing signs of slowing down. However, Zambia's copper mining sector, which accounts for over 80% of the nation's foreign currency intake, is being hit by decreasing world copper prices. Urged by the World Bank, Zambia has re-embarked on a privatization program, which is to include the all-important copper industry.

Industries: copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, and fertilizer

Currency: 1 Zambian kwacha (ZK) = 100 ngwee

Telephone system: facilities are among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa
domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities
international: satellite earth stations? Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Railways:
total: 2,164 km (1995)
narrow gauge: 2,164 km 1.067-m gauge (13 km double track)
note: the total includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi where it connects to the Zambia Railways system; TAZARA is not a part of Zambia Railways

Highways:
total: 39,700 km
paved: 7,265 km (including 60 km of expressways)
unpaved: 32,435 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 2,250 km, including Zambezi and Luapula rivers, Lake Tanganyika

Ports and harbors: Mpulungu

Military branches: Army, Air Force, paramilitary forces, Police

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