Zambia

Republic of Zambia
Motto: One Zambia, One Nation
Anthem: Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free
Capital (and largest city)		Lusaka 15°25′S 28°17′E
Official languages		English language
Government		Republic
-	List of Presidents of Zambia	Levy Mwanawasa
Independence		From United Kingdom
-	Date	October 24, 1964
Area
-	Total	752,618 km² (39th) 290,586 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1%
Population
-	July 2005 estimate	11,668,000 1 (71st)
-	2003 census	9,582,418
GDP (PPP)		2005 estimate
-	Total	$10.792 billion (133rd)
-	Per capita	$931 (168th)
Currency		Zambian kwacha (ZMK)
Time zone		Eastern European Time (UTC+2)
-	Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+2)
Internet TLD		.zm
Calling code		+260
1.) 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 distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected

Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in the central part of southern Africa. Zambia, is 752,614 square kilometers ( 290,586 sq.m.) and has a population of almost 12 million. Zambia has one of the lowest population to land ratio’s in Africa. It borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania on the north-east, Malawi on the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola on the west.

In 1895 the name "Rhodesia" was applied to the Ndebele territory of Zimbabwe. In 1911 Rhodesia was divided into Northern Rhodesia and Southern Rhodesia. Northern Rhodesia became Zambia in 1964. The origin of the name Zambia, comes from the Zambezi River.

Once a wealthy nation Zambia is currently engaged in a struggle against crushing poverty, drought and a rampant AIDS epidemic. Today it is one of the poorest and least developed nations on earth. One in five people are infected with HIV and life expectancy has dropped below 40 years of age and young people aged 20-25 actually have less education than their parents’generation.

History

The indigenous Khoisan (hunter-gatherer) occupants of Zambia began to be displaced by technologically advanced migrating tribes about 2,000 years ago. The major waves of Bantu-speaking immigrants—the Bantu expansion—[1]began in the 12th century.

The Tonga people (also called Batonga) were one of the first cultures to settle in Zambia and trace their roots to the Polynesian Island of Tonga. The Tonga identified strongly with the Zambezi river, calling themselves “Basilwizi”— the river people. The Nkoya people also claim a long heritage in Zambia after moving from the Luba-Lunda kingdoms in the north during the great influx between the late 17th and early 19th centuries. These migrants came primarily from southern Democratic Republic of Congo and northern Angola and were joined in the 19th century by Ngoni peoples from the south.

The area lay untouched by Europeans for centuries until in the mid-19th century when Western explorers, missionaries, and traders came to what was then known as Northern Rhodesia and today is known as Zambia.

In 1855, missionary and explorer David Livingstone, became the first European to see the magnificent waterfalls on the Zambezi River. He named them Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria. The falls are known in Zambia as Mosi-O-Tunya (in the Lozi or Kololo dialect), "the smoke that thunders." The Zambian town, Livingstone, near the falls is named after him.

Northern Rhodesia was colonized in the 1890s by the British South Africa Company (BSAC), a business group that received a royal charter from the government of Britain in 1888. This charter gave the BSAC and its leader, Cecil Rhodes, permission to colonize the areas north of the Limpopo river on behalf of Britain. In return for undertaking the expense of colonization, the BSAC was given the right to control all mineral resources found in the new colonies.

By 1900 the BSAC gained control of an area of South Central Africa which was comprised of many different societies and kingdoms and was divided into three colonies, Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), and Nyasaland (Malawi). By 1920 no large deposits of gold or any other minerals were found so the BSAC was not willing to continue to pay for the colonial governance of these territories. In 1923, the BSAC gave up political control over these territories.

Southern Rhodesia was annexed formally and granted self-government in 1923, and the administration of Northern Rhodesia was transferred to the British Colonial Office in 1924 as a protectorate.

Between 1920 and 1950 large deposits of high quality copper ore were found in Northern Rhodesia and across the border in the Katanga region of the Congo. This discovery happened just as the demand for copper in the West was peaking. In a period of 30 years, Northern Rhodesia developed into one of the leading producers of copper in the world.

In 1953, both Rhodesias were joined with Nyasaland (now Malawi) to form the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The Federation, also called the Central African Federation, was formed on Britain’s initiative. Under an appointed governor-general, the federal government handled all governmental affairs even though countries retained most of their former legislative structure. In 1960-61 the Africans demonstrated against the federation. At the core of the controversy were African demands for greater participation in government and European fears of losing political control. Official dissolution came on Dec. 31, 1963, after which Northern Rhodesia became independent as Zambia on October 24, 1964.

The European settlers in Northern Rhodesia never gained the power that settlers did in neighboring Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South Africa. But their influence was strong enough to delay political independence in Zambia. While the majority of African colonies obtained independence in 1960 or shortly before, Zambia did not gain independence until 1964.

Southern Rhodesia refused to hand political control over to its African majority, and in 1965 the white government unilaterally proclaimed the colony’s independence from Britain as Rhodesia.

At independence, despite its considerable mineral wealth, Zambia faced major challenges. Domestically, there were few trained and educated Zambians capable of running the government, and the economy was largely dependent on foreign expertize. Three of its neighbors—Southern Rhodesia and the Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola—remained under white-dominated rule. Zambia's sympathies lay with forces opposing colonial or white-dominated rule, particularly in Southern Rhodesia. During the next decade, it actively supported movements such as the National Union for Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC), and the South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO).

Conflicts with Rhodesia (formerly Southern Rhodesia) resulted in the closing of Zambia's borders with that country and severe problems with international transport and power supply. However, the Kariba hydroelectric station on the Zambezi River provided sufficient capacity to satisfy the country's requirements for electricity (despite the fact that the hydro control center was on the Rhodesian side of the border). A railroad to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, built with Chinese assistance, reduced Zambian dependence on railroad lines south to South Africa and west through an increasingly troubled Angola. Until the completion of the railroad, however, Zambia's major artery for imports and the critical export of copper was along the TanZam Road, running from Zambia to the port cities in Tanzania. Also a pipeline for oil was built from Dar-es-Salaam to Kitwe in Zambia.

By the late 1970s, Mozambique and Angola had attained independence from Portugal. Zimbabwe achieved independence in accordance with the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement, but Zambia's problems were not solved. Civil war in the former Portuguese colonies generated an influx of refugees and caused continuing transportation problems. The Benguela railway, which extended west through Angola, was essentially closed to traffic from Zambia by the late 1970s. Zambia's strong support for the ANC, which had its external headquarters in Lusaka, created security problems as South Africa raided ANC targets in Zambia.

In the mid-1970s, the price of copper, Zambia's principal export, suffered a severe decline worldwide. In Zambia's situation, the cost of transporting the copper great distances was an additional strain. Zambia turned to foreign and international lenders for relief, but, as copper prices remained depressed, it became increasingly difficult to service its growing debt. By the mid-1990s, despite limited debt relief, Zambia's per capita foreign debt remained among the highest in the world.

Politics

Politics in Zambia takes place in a framework of a presidential system in a representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Zambia is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. Zambia became a republic immediately upon attaining independence in October 1964.

Kenneth Kaunda was the first president of Zambia, ruling between 1964 and 1991. Formerly an educator, Kaunda began his political career as the founder and Secretary of the Lubwa Branch of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1950. He held various positions until 1953. Kaunda then became Secretary General of the Northern Rhodesia African National Congress.

In 1958, Kaunda formed the Zambian African National Congress of which he became President. In 1960 Kaunda became President of the United National Independence Party (UNIP), a post he held until 1962, and again from 1995 to 2000.

With the development of a new Constitution, and the advent of Zambia's first black Government in 1962, Kaunda became Minister of Local Government and Social Welfare 1962 - 1964 and Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia from January - October 1964.

In addition to his efforts in Zambia, Kaunda was in the forefront of the efforts to liberate all of Africa, serving as the President of the Pan - African Freedom Movement for East, Central and Southern Africa (Pafmesca) in 1962 and as Chairman of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) from 1970 to 1973. Kaunda also played key roles in resolving territorial disputes between Kenya and Somalia and the liberation movements in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

In 1991 Kaunda lost the Presidential election and in 1992 founded the Kenneth Kaunda Peace Foundation, dedicated to the establishment of peace and conflict resolution on the continent.

He left office after the return of multi-party elections, which his United National Independence Party lost to Frederick Chiluba's Movement for Multiparty Democracy. When Chiluba, a former bus conductor and trade union leader, took over the constitution was changed to bar anyone whose parents came from outside of the country from holding a post in government. This meant Kuanda could no longer be active in Zambia's politics.

The new government freed the country's collapsing economy from stifling state controls. Guided by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, it embraced the free-market with one of the most ambitious liberalization programs in Africa.

After 10 years, however, many regarded Chiluba's rule as a disappointment. The government's privatization of the copper mines - the country's biggest asset - was scandal-ridden. Despite billions of dollars of international aid after he took office, three-quarters of Zambia's population was still living below the World Bank poverty threshold of $1 a day in 2001.

Chiluba failed to convince Zambians that he should be allowed to run for an unconstitutional third term in the December 2001 general elections. Prominent lawyer and former vice-president, Levy Mwanawasa, was picked by Chiluba and his party to be his successor. Mwanawasa served as Chiluba's vice-president soon after elections in 1991. His choice was a surprise because he had quit as President Chiluba's number two in July 1994, saying that his integrity had been "put in doubt."

Mwanawasa received 29.1 percent of the vote and was declared the victor by a narrow margin. Some 70 percent of the population voted for the other 10 candidates. Three parties submitted petitions to the High Court, challenging the election results, but to no avail.

Mwanawasa stirred controversy when he did not prevent the arraignment of Chiluba in early 2003, on charges of corruption related to massive illicit diversion of state funds and also in 2002 when he refused to accept genetically modified maize, despite strong pressure from the US, to meet food shortages.

On October 3, 2006, President Mwanawasa was sworn in for a second and final 5-year mandate after obtaining 42 percent of the votes in an election contested by four other candidates. His closest challenger Michael Sata (29 percent) claimed massive fraud and said he was the rightful winner. Sata's supporters staged two days of violent protests, mostly in poor districts of the capital, Lusaka, where the army has been deployed.

Education

At independence Zambia had one of the most poorly developed education systems of Britain's former colonies, with just 109 university graduates and less than 0.5 percent of the population estimated to have completed primary education.

The country has since invested heavily in education at all levels, and well over 90 percent of children in the 7–13 age group attend school. However, of those who enroll for the seven years of primary education, less than 20 percent enter secondary school, and only two percent of the 20–24 age group enter university or some other form of higher education.

A major factor in the dismal education statistics is the HIV-AIDS epidemic. With one in five dying from AIDS it means it affects teachers, parents and students. Fewer children enroll, especially when they become orphans, and fewer teachers are available to teach. A study in 1999 showed that 56,000 students in Zambia had lost a teacher to AIDS. Currently more than 1 million Zambians are HIV positive or have AIDS. An estimated 100,000 died of the epidemic in 2004 and almost three-quarters of a million Zambian children have been orphaned.

Higher Education

Educational opportunities beyond high school are very limited in Zambia. There are few schools offering higher education and most Zambians cannot afford the fees. The University of Zambiain Lusaka is the primary institution of higher learning. It was founded in 1966 and has a student population of about 6,000.

In 1987 the Government reconsisted the University of Zambia at Ndola into Copperbelt University.It now has four faculties after the incorporation of the Zambia Institute of Technology into the University as the School of Technology in 1989, and the creation of the School of Forestry and Wood Science in 1995 later renamed School of Natural Resources in 2001.

In 2004 Northrise University became the latest effort to solve the education problem when Moffat and Doreen Zimba, native Zambians, created an institution to teach ministry and business skills.

Geography

Map of Zambia

Satellite image of Zambia, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library

Zambia is a landlocked country (surrounded by eight other countries) in southern Africa, with a tropical climate and consists mostly of high plateau with some hills and mountains. At 290,566 sq.mi. (752,614 sq.km) it is the 39th-largest country in the world (after Chile) and is slightly larger than the US state of Texas.

The country is dominated by wilderness and its lush river valleys and floodplains offer excellent habitat for a wide range of wildlife species, as do the dense woodlands that cover much of the country. It has nineteen National Parks, and thirty-one Game Management Areas designated as buffer zones on the borders of these Parks. It's wildlife population includes the lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and hippo as well as Sitatunga and Puku antelope and bee-eaters, pelicans, storks and many bird species.

Zambia is drained by two major river basins: the Zambezi River basin, in the south; and the Congo River basin, in the north. Of the two basins, the part of Zambia drained by the Zambezi River basin is about three-quarters of the country's total area.

Economy

The Zambian economy relies heavily on the country’s mineral wealth, particularly copper and also cobalt and zinc. These account for the bulk of export earnings and provide essential raw materials for Zambia’s manufacturing industry, which accounts for over one-third of national output.

Output of copper fell to a low of 228,000 metric tons in 1998, after a 30-year decline due to lack of investment, low copper prices, and uncertainty over privatization. In 2002 the Konkola copper mine – the country’s largest and a major source of Government revenue – was closed. However, following privatization of the industry, copper production rebounded to 337,000 metric tons. Improvements in the world copper market have magnified the effect of this volume increase on revenues and foreign exchange earnings. Recently firms like Vedanta Resources, a London based metals giant aquired Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) and have completely transformed the company allowing it to develop to its full potential and maximize the benefits for the employees.

The Zambian Government is now pursuing an economic diversification program to reduce the economy's reliance on the copper industry. This initiative seeks to exploit other components of Zambia's rich resource base by promoting agriculture, tourism, gemstone mining, and hydro power. In 2003, nonmetal exports increased by 25 percent, and accounted for 38 percent of all export earnings, up from 35 percent. The Zambian government has recently been granting licenses to international resource companies to prospect for minerals such as nickel and uranium.

Apart from raw material processing, the manufacturing sector includes vehicle assembly and oil refining as well as the production of fertilizers, textiles, construction materials and a variety of consumer products.

Agriculture produces 14 per cent of GDP and employs 85 per cent of the population. Maize and cattle are the main earners; other crops (cassava, millet, sorghum and beans) are produced mainly for domestic consumption but have to be supplemented by substantial food imports. Zambia’s hydroelectric projects have allowed it self-sufficiency in energy.

Economic policy changed radically during the 1990s when the Government sought the backing of the IMF in tackling Zambia’s serious financial problems. With some difficulty, many of the IMF-imposed measures were put into effect. More recently, Zambia has been a beneficiary of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries program to reduce the external debts of the world’s poorest countries, but still owes over $6 billion. The economy has been growing (5.1 per cent in 2004) but inflation (21 per cent) and unemployment (estimated at 50 per cent) remain high. Zambia is a member of the Southern African Development Council (SADC).

But Zambia is far from nbeing out of the woods. More than 70 percent of Zambians currently live in poverty. Social indicators continue to decline, particularly in measurements of life expectancy at birth (about 37 years) and maternal mortality (729 per 100,000 pregnancies). The country's rate of economic growth cannot support rapid population growth or the strain which HIV/AIDS related issues (i.e., rising medical costs, decline in worker productivity) place on government resources. HIV/AIDS is the nation's greatest problem, with 17 percent prevalence among the adult population. HIV/AIDS will continue to ravage Zambian economic, political, cultural, and social development for the foreseeable future.[2]

In January 2003, the Zambian Government informed the IMF and World Bank that it wished to renegotiate some of the agreed performance criteria calling for privatization of the Zambia National Commercial Bank and the national telephone and electricity utilities. In April of 2005 Zambia signed an agreement under the Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative that will reduce outstanding obligations by about $3.9 billion - out of a total $7.1 billion owed.

The money that was going towards debt can now go to infrastructure, the improvement of the health sector, the fight against HIV/AIDS, schools and the implementation of new agricultural policies.

Demographics

File:Zambian Church by spooceman.jpg

A thatched roof Church in a Zambian Village

File:Zambian Field by spooceman.jpg

Zambian Field

More than a quarter of Zambia's population lives in two urban areas near the center: in the capital Lusaka and in the industrial towns of the Copperbelt. The rest of Zambia is very sparsely populated, particularly the west and the northeast, and the majority of people make their living as subsistence farmers.

Zambia's population is comprised of about 72 Bantu-speaking ethnic groups but almost 90 percent of Zambians belong to the eight main ethnolinguistic groups, which are the Bemba, Nyanja-Chewa, Tonga, Lunda, Luvale, Kaonde, Nkoya and Lozi. Each ethnic group is concentrated in a particular geographic region of the country and many groups are very small and not well known.

Expatriates, mostly British (about 15,000) or South African, live mainly in Lusaka and in the Copperbelt in northern Zambia, where they are employed in mines and related activities. Zambia also has a small but economically important Asian population, most of whom are Indians. In recent years over 300 dispossesed white farmers left Zimbabwe at the invitation of the Zambian government and have taken up farming in the southern region.

Religion

The Zambian Constitution provides for freedom of religion the country. Christianity took hold in the country when Christian missionaries came in the late 19th century. The country is now 85 percent Christian with Catholicism being in the majority. Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists and Seventh Day Adventists all have established a presence as well.

While Zambia is predominantly a Christian country few have totally abandoned all aspects of their traditional beliefs. African traditional religions worship a supreme being or a natural element as the mother or father of the people. Many Zambians believe that the spirits of their ancestors can help them in times of need or difficulty. The Bemba believe that spirits dwell in animals or natural elements like rivers or stones. In the village the power of the traditional healer is unquestioned and it is believed that they can solve disputes and medical ailments because of supernatural powers.

One of Zambia's world reknown Roman Catholic leaders is the Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo.In 1969 Pope Paul VI consecrated him as the Bishop of the archdioceses of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, as one of Africa's youngest bishops. He served there for 14 years. In the 1970's Archbishop Milingo became famous as an exorcist and a powerful spiritual healer. In 1983 he was recalled to Rome because of controversy over his "non-conventional" healing ministry.

In 2001 the Archbishop made a public call for an end to mandatory celibacy in the Catholic Church in 2001 and married a Doctor of Acupuncture from Korea. This was seen as a major embarrassment to the church. At the Pope's urging, he set aside his marriage and returned to his healing ministry in Zagarolo, outside of Rome. But after several years of constant observation and restrictive supervision, he reemerged in 2006 to form a group known as Married Priests Now!

Zambia has a very small Jewishcommunity, composed mostly of white Ashkenazi. Notable among those who grew up in this small community are Simon Zukas, who served as the Minister of Works and Supply and was a member of United National Independence Party, and the economist Stanley Fischer, currently the governor of the Bank of Israel and formerly head of the International Monetary Fund.

Muslim, Hindu and Baha'i citizens together represent about 2 percent of the population.

Leaders of various ecumenical movements, such as the Zambia Episcopal Conference, the Christian Council of Zambia, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, hold regular meetings to promote mutual understanding and interfaith dialog, and to discuss national issues.

Culture

Many of Zambia'a rural inhabitants have retained their traditional customs and values. After Independence in 1964 the government recognized the role culture was to play in the overall development of a new nation and began to explore the question of a National identity.

As a result institutions to protect and promote Zambia’s culture were created, including the National Heritage Conservation Commission. Private museums were also founded and cultural villages were established to promote the expression of artistic talents.

Zambia's present-day culture exhibits a blend of historical and cultural features from the past as well as the present.

• Music of Zambia: traditional instruments include the hand piano, a small instrument with iron keys mounted on a rectangular box and plucked by both thumbs. Also the silimba, a xylophone type instrument with a range of flat wooden keys mounted over gourds. The most common instrument of course is the drum and drumming plays an important part in rituals, ceremonies, celebrations.

• Basketry: Zambian crafts include some of the finest basketry in Africa. Basketry, practiced by both the men and the women is widespread. The many forms and raw materials include bamboo, liana vines, roots, reeds, grasses, rushes, papyrus palm leaves, bark and sisal. They are decorated with symbolic designs using traditional dyes made from different colored soils, roots, bark and leaves.
• Textiles:Tribal Textiles, based in the Luangwa Valley, produce unique individually designed and hand-painted textiles made from 100 percent Zambian cotton. They produce cushion covers, bedcovers, table linen, wallhangings and an extensive range of personal accessories and bags.

• Zambian Languages: Chibemba, Nkoya, Chichewa or Chinyanja, Chilunda or Lunda, ChiTonga or Tonga, Ila, Mambwe, Namwanga, Kaonde, Lozi, Luvale, Shona, Tumbuka, Yauma, Aushi, Lenje, Lamba, Lala*, Fanagalo (a pidgin language used mainly used in the South African mines) and others (78 in total)

• Traditional ceremonies: There are more than 20 annual traditional ceremonies in Zambia, manifesting customs, social life, rituals, oral history, material and spiritual culture.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Zambia. (2006). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition: http://www.library.eb.com/eb/article-9109719
• Zukas, Simon, Into Exile and Back, Bookworld Publishers (2002),ISBN 998224020X

External links

Government

• Zambia Mining The Ministry of Mines Guide
• Zambia Online The national homepage of Zambia
• Republic of Zambia State House official government site
• The Zambian Parliament official site
• Zambia National Tourist Board official Travel Guide site
• General Info on Zambia
• Bank Of Zambia BOZ
• Export Board Of Zambia
• Communications Authority of Zambia telco supervision and regulation
• Zambia Revenue Authority tax collection
• Lusaka City Council LCC
• LCC Waste Management Unit
• Kafue Gorge Regional Training Center hydropower courses
• Chiluba's Legacy

News

• Visit Zambia news portal
• African News Dimension...breaking news second by second - Zambia news headline links
• The Lowdown monthly Lusaka magazine
• The Post private newspaper
• The Times of Zambia newspaper
• The Zambian newspaper
• Zambia News Agency government site
• Breeze 99.6FM radio station in Chipata
• Zamnet ISP and news portal

Overviews

• CIA World Factbook - Zambia
• Open Directory Project - Zambia directory category
• US State Department - Zambia includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports

Technology

• Open Source Zambia

Tourism

• Visit Zambia Campaign
• Zambian Homepage
• Victoria Falls

References

Digital Look, Albidon signs agreement with Zambian government, PennySharesOnline, 2006-07-14, website: PennySharesOnline

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