Zambia

Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa.

Being landlocked means it has no direct access to an ocean. It is surrounded by several neighbors. To the north are the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. Malawi lies to the east, while Mozambique is to the southeast. Zimbabwe and Botswana sit to the south. Namibia is to the southwest, and Angola is to the west.

The capital city is Lusaka, located in the south-central region. Much of the population lives near Lusaka or in the northern Copperbelt Province.

The geography of Zambia consists mostly of high plateaus. These plateaus are divided by river valleys, hills, and mountains. The land sits mostly between latitudes 8° and 18°S. The country is the 39th-largest in the world. In the northeast, the plateau rises toward the north. This area contains the Mafinga Hills. These hills hold the highest point in the country, known as Mafinga Central.

The Luangwa Valley also splits the plateau in a curve. This valley extends from the northeast to the southwest.

Water systems are vital to the Zambian landscape. Two major river basins drain the land. The Zambezi and Kafue basin covers about three-quarters of the country. The Congo basin covers the remaining one-quarter in the north.

Several rivers flow through the Zambezi basin. These include the Kabompo, Lungwebungu, Kafue, Luangwa, and the Zambezi itself. The Zambezi River flows through the west. It then forms the southern border with Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The Kafue and Luangwa are two of its largest tributaries. The Luangwa River forms part of the border with Mozambique before meeting the Zambezi.

Zambia has a tropical climate that is modified by its high elevation. The average elevation is between 1,000 and 1,250 meters. This altitude helps keep the weather moderate. Most of the country is classified as humid subtropical or tropical wet and dry.

Some areas in the southwest have a semi-arid steppe climate. The year is divided into two main seasons. The rainy season occurs from November to April. The dry season runs from May to November. The dry season includes a cool period from May to August and a hot period from September to November.

The history of the region stretches back hundreds of thousands of years. Fossil remains of the Broken Hill Man date to between 300,000 and 125,000 years BC.

Early inhabitants included the Khoisan and Batwa peoples. Around AD 300, the Bantu expansion brought new groups to the area. The Bantu people migrated from West and Central Africa. They brought iron-working technology to large parts of the continent. Some Bantu groups formed the Luba Kingdom in the 14th century. This kingdom had a centralized government and large trading networks.

European influence changed the region in the nineteenth century. Britain colonized the area and created two protectorates. These were Barotziland–North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia. In 1911, these were merged into Northern Rhodesia. The territory was governed by officials from London. On 24 October 1964, Zambia gained independence from the United Kingdom.

Kenneth Kaunda became the first president. He led the United National Independence Party. From 1972 to 1991, Zambia was a one-party state. In 1991, Frederick Chiluba succeeded Kaunda as president.

Zambia is home to incredible biological diversity. In 2015, researchers identified about 12,505 different species. This includes 63% animal species and 33% plant species.

The African fish eagle is the national animal. There are 242 species of mammals in the woodlands and grasslands. Some animals, like the Kafue lechwe, are endemic. This means they are found only in Zambia. There are also about 490 known fish species. The country relies on natural resources like minerals, wildlife, and forestry. However, as of 2018, an estimated 47.9% of the population faces multidimensional poverty.