Map of Zambia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the South Africa Company from 1891 until takeover by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 752,610 km²
Land: 740,720 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Texas

Land boundaries:

Coastline: none - landlocked

Maritime claims: none - landlocked
Disputes:

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

Terrain: mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains

Elevation

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

Land use: arable land: 7%; permanent crops: NEGL%; meadows and pastures 47%; forest and woodland 27%; other 19%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 8,745,284 (July 1992), growth rate 3.5% (1992)

Nationality: noun - Zambian(s; adjective - Zambian

Ethnic groups: African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%

Languages: English (official; about 70 indigenous languages

Religions: Christian 50-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24-49%, remainder indigenous beliefs 1%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 48 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 11 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: -2 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; desertification
Current issues note: landlocked

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 77 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 55 years male, 59 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 6.9 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 73% (male 81%, female 65%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Zambia

Government type: multiparty system; on 17 December 1990, President Kenneth KAUNDA signed into law the constitutional amendment that officially reintroduced the multiparty system in Zambia ending 17 years of one-party rule

Capital: Lusaka

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 24 October 1964 (from UK; formerly Northern Rhodesia)

National holiday: Independence Day, 24 October (1964)

Constitution: NA 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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18
President: last held 31 October 1991 (next to be held mid-1995); results - Frederick CHILUBA 84%, Kenneth KAUNDA 16%
National Assembly: last held 31 October 1991 (next to be held mid-1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (150 total) MMD 125, UNIP 25

Executive branch: president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:
Diplomatic representation:
US:

Diplomatic representation

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy has been in decline for more than a decade with falling imports and growing foreign debt. Economic difficulties stem from a sustained drop in copper production and ineffective economic policies. In 1991 real GDP fell by 2%. An annual population growth of more than 3% has brought a decline in per capita GDP of 50% over the past decade. A high inflation rate has also added to Zambia's economic woes in recent years.
GDP: exchange rate conversion - $4.7 billion, per capita $600; real growth rate -2% (1991)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 17% of GDP and 85% of labor force; crops - corn (food staple), sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava; cattle, goats, beef, eggs

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

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate -2% (1991; accounts for 50% of GDP

Labor force: 2,455,000; agriculture 85%; mining, manufacturing, and construction 6%; transport and services 9%
Organized labor: about 238,000 wage earners are unionized

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $665 million; expenditures $767 million, including capital expenditures of $300 million (1991 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
Commodoties: copper, zinc, cobalt, lead, tobacco
Partners: EC, Japan, South Africa, US, India

Imports: $1.3 billion (c.i.f., 1991)
Commodoties: machinery, transportation equipment, foodstuffs, fuels, manufactures
Partners: EC, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, US

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Zambian kwacha (ZK) per US$1 - 128.2051 (March 1992), 61.7284 (1991), 28.9855 (1990), 12.9032 (1989), 8.2237 (1988), 8.8889 (1987)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 2,775,000 kW capacity; 12,000 million kWh produced, 1,400 kWh per capita (1991)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports:

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 1,724 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways:

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs