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Zambia Country Guide
Explore Zambia in Africa
The landscape offers mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains. The average density of population is approximately 16 per km². The notable climate conditions in Zambia can be described as tropical with modified by altitude and rainy season (October to April). Potential threats by nature are periodic drought or tropical storms (November to April).
To reach someone in Zambia dial +260 prior to a number. There are 90,300 installed telephones. And there are 4,407,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".zm". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 230V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Zambia
Green field 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; green stands for the country's natural resources and vegetation, red symbolizes the struggle for freedom, black the people of Zambia, and orange the country's mineral wealth; the eagle represents the people's ability to rise above the nation's problems.
The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the [British] South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over 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 and 1990s, declining copper prices, economic mismanagement and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair. Upon his abrupt death in August 2008, he was succeeded by his vice president, Rupiah BANDA, who subsequently won a special presidential byelection in October 2008. Michael SATA was elected president in September 2011.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Africa Neighbours: Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, Malawi, Angola Capital: Lusaka |
| Size | 752,614 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 290,585 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly larger than Texas |
| Population | 11,669,000 |
| Currency | Name Kwacha, Currency Code:ZMK |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .zm |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +260 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 4,407,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 90,300 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 752,618 (sq km) | 39 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,222,233 | 70 |
| Population growth rate | 2.89 (%) | 12 |
| Birth rate | 42.79 (births/1,000 population) | 5 |
| Death rate | 13.17 (deaths/1,000 population) | 19 |
| Net migration rate | -0.75 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 143 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 440.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 25 |
| Infant mortality rate | 68.58 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 19 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 51.51 (years) | 216 |
| Total fertility rate | 5.81 (children born/woman) | 7 |
| Health expenditures | 5.90 (% of GDP) | 113 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 13.50 (%) | 6 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 980,000 | 11 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 45,000 | 10 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 3.60 (%) | 174 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 14.90 (%) | 52 |
| Education expenditures | 1.40 (% of GDP) | 168 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 23.40 (%) | 41 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 24,360,000,000 | 124 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 7.30 (%) | 24 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 1,700 | 200 |
| Labor force | 5,839,000 | 68 |
| Unemployment rate | 14.00 (%) | 139 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 50.80 | 19 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 20.50 (% of GDP) | 90 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 19.90 (% of GDP) | 164 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -6.20 (% of GDP) | 177 |
| Public debt | 31.20 (% of GDP) | 111 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6.50 (%) | 171 |
| Central bank discount rate | 14.49 (%) | 12 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 18.84 (%) | 20 |
| Stock of narrow money | 1,919,000,000 | 127 |
| Stock of broad money | 4,906,000,000 | 129 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 3,956,000,000 | 122 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 2,817,000,000 | 92 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 8.80 (%) | 19 |
| Current account balance | -1,048,000,000 | 113 |
| Exports | 8,346,000,000 | 99 |
| Imports | 7,279,000,000 | 110 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 2,616,000,000 | 115 |
| Debt - external | 5,445,000,000 | 112 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 10,200,000,000 (kWh) | 93 |
| Electricity - consumption | 7,704,000,000 (kWh) | 97 |
| Electricity - exports | 110,000,000 (kWh) | 70 |
| Electricity - imports | 33,000,000 (kWh) | 102 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 1,679,000 (kW) | 110 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 0.40 (% of total installed capacity) | 206 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 99.60 (% of total installed capacity) | 4 |
| Crude oil - imports | 10,790 (bbl/day) | 77 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 9,664 (bbl/day) | 106 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 19,260 (bbl/day) | 131 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 21 (bbl/day) | 122 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 17,570 (bbl/day) | 109 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 2,416,000 (Mt) | 147 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 85,700 | 149 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 8,165,000 | 87 |
| Internet hosts | 16,571 | 122 |
| Internet users | 816,200 | 105 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 88 | 65 |
| Railways | 2,157 (km) | 69 |
| Roadways | 91,440 (km) | 50 |
| Waterways | 2,250 (km) | 39 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1.80 (% of GDP) | 82 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls These are among the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. The Zambezi River, which is more than 2 km wide at this point, plunges noisily down a series of basalt gorges and raises an iridescent mist that can be seen more than 20 km away. ... | 1989 |