Zambia

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Zambia

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Republic of Zambia Area 752,600 sq km/290,578 sq mi Capital Lusaka Language English (official), Bantu languages Religion about 64% Christian, animist, Hindu, Muslim Time difference GMT +2 Major holidays 1 January, 1, 25 May, 24 October, 25 December; variable: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Youth (March), Heroes (July), Unity (July), Farmers (August)


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Kitwe, Ndola, Kabwe, Mufulira, Chingola, Luanshya, Livingstone Physical features forested plateau cut through by rivers; Zambezi River, Victoria Falls, Kariba Dam Airports one international airport and over 130 domestic airports, aerodromes, and airstrips; total passengers carried: 51,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: 2,162 km/1,343 mi; total passenger journeys: 860,000 (2000 est) Roads total road network: 91,440 km/56,821 mi, of which 22% paved (2001 est); passenger cars: 15 per 1,000 people (1996 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Levy Mwanawasa from 2002 Political system emergent democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions nine provinces Political parties United National Independence Party (UNIP), African socialist; Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), moderate, left of centre; Multiracial Party (MRP), moderate, left of centre, multiracial; National Democratic Alliance (NADA), left of centre; Democratic Party (DP), left of centre Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 15,100; plus 3,000 reservists and paramilitary forces of 1,400 (2006 est) Conscription military service is voluntary Defence spend (% GDP) 0.7 (2004 est) Education spend (% GDP) 2 (2002 est) Health spend (% GDP) 2.8 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Zambian kwacha GDP (US$) 7.3 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 6 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 5.7 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 950 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 9.2% (2006 est) Unemployment 10.3% (1999) Labour force 66% agriculture, 6% industry, 28% services (2003) Foreign debt (US$) 6.5 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners South Africa, Switzerland, United Arab Emiratres, China, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, UK Resources copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, gold, emeralds, amethysts and other gemstones, limestone, selenium Industries metallurgy (smelting and refining of copper and other metals), food canning, fertilizers, explosives, textiles, bottles, bricks, copper wire, batteries Exports copper, zinc, lead, cobalt, tobacco. Principal market: South Africa 28.3% (2003) Imports metals, petroleum, machinery and transport equipment, fertilizers, electricity, basic manufactures, chemicals, food and live animals. Principal source: South Africa 53.1% (2005) Arable land 7% (2006 est) Agricultural products maize, sugar cane, seed cotton, tobacco, groundnuts, wheat, rice, beans, cassava, millet, sorghum, sunflower seeds, horticulture; cattle rearing


POPULATION

Population 11,860,800 (2006 est) Population growth rate 1.7% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 16 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 37 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 46%, 15–59 49%, 60+ 5% (2005 est) Ethnic groups over 95% indigenous Africans, belonging to more than 70 different ethnic groups, including the Bantu-Botatwe and the Bemba; about 1% European Life expectancy 40 (men); 39 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 182 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 7 Literacy rate 86% (men); 74% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 0.7 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 2.6 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 17 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 98,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 90 (urban); 36 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 0.8 (2005est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 8.1 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 169 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 64 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 1 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 2 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

16th century Immigration of peoples from Luba and Lunda Empires of Zaire, to the northwest, who set up small kingdoms. late 18th century Visited by Portuguese explorers. 19th century Instability with immigration of Ngoni from east, Kololo from west, establishment of Bemba kingdom in north, and slave-trading activities of Portuguese and Arabs from East Africa. 1851 Visited by British missionary and explorer David Livingstone. 1889 As Northern Rhodesia, came under administration of British South Africa Company of Cecil Rhodes, and became involved in copper mining, especially from 1920s. 1924 Became a British protectorate. 1948 Northern Rhodesia African Congress (NRAC) formed by black Africans to campaign for self-rule. 1953 Became part of Central African Federation, which included South Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (Malawi). 1960 Socialist United National Independence Party (UNIP) formed by Kenneth Kaunda to campaign for independence and dissolution of federation dominated by South Rhodesia's white minority. 1963 Federation dissolved and internal self-government achieved. 1964 Independence achieved within Commonwealth as Republic of Zambia, with Kaunda as president. later 1960s Key enterprises brought under state control. 1972 UNIP declared sole legal party. 1975 Opening of Tan-Zam railway from Zambian copperbelt to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania reduced Zambia's export dependence on Rhodesia. 1976 Zambia declared support for Patriotic Front (PF) guerrillas fighting white-dominated regime in Rhodesia. 1980 Unsuccessful South African-promoted coup against President Kaunda. 1985 Kaunda was elected chair of African Front Line States (confronting apartheid South Africa). 1991 Multiparty constitution adopted; Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) won a landslide election victory and leader Frederick Chiluba became president. 1993 Privatization programme launched. 1996 Former president Kaunda effectively barred from future elections by amendment to constitution. 2001 MMD candidate Levy Mwanawasa narrowly elected president; opposition legal challenge to result rejected by Supreme Court (in 2005). 2003 Mwanawasa launched anticorruption drive leading to arrest of former president Chiluba. 2005 Appeal for food aid due to continuing drought. 2006 Mwanawasa and MMD re-elected. Discovery of oil and gas reserves.


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