- "ZMB" redirects here. This can also refer to the Berlin
Zoological Museum
.
The
Republic of Zambia ( ) is a
landlocked country in
Southern Africa.
The neighbouring
countries are the Democratic Republic of the
Congo
to the north, Tanzania to
the north-east, Malawi
to the east,
Mozambique
, Zimbabwe
, Botswana
, and
Namibia
to the south, and Angola
to the
west. The capital city is Lusaka
, located in
the southeast of the country. The population is
concentrated mainly around the capital Lusaka in the south
and the Copperbelt to the
northwest.
Zambia has been inhabited for thousands of years by
hunter-gatherers and migrating tribes.
After
sporadic visits by European explorers starting
in the 18th century, Zambia was gradually claimed and occupied by
the British
as protectorate of Northern Rhodesia
towards the end of the nineteenth
century.
On 24
October 1964, the protectorate gained independence with the new
name of Zambia, derived from the Zambezi
river which
flows through the country. Zambia was governed the
single-party rule of President
Kenneth Kaunda whose 27 years of
socialist policies are said to have hurt the
economy. Kaunda acceded to opposition demands for multiparty
elections, and in 1991 peacefully relinquished power. Zambia has
been a multiparty
democracy since 1991.
Today the country still faces steep challenges from poverty and
AIDS. An estimated one in five adults is
infected with HIV. The average per capita
income is US $1150 (World Bank, 2008). About 60 % of the population
are reportedly living on less than 1.25 dollars per day.
History
The area of modern Zambia was inhabited by
Khoisan hunter-gatherers until around AD 300, when
technologically advanced migrating tribes began to displace or
absorb them. In the 12th century, major waves of
Bantu-speaking immigrants arrived during the
Bantu expansion. Among them, the
Tonga people
(also called Batonga) were the first to settle in Zambia and are
believed to have come from the east near the "big sea".
The
Nkoya people also arrived early in the
expansion, coming from the Luba–Lunda kingdoms located in the southern parts of
the modern Democratic Republic of the
Congo and northern Angola, followed by
a much larger influx, especially between the late 12th and early
13th centuries. In the early 18th century, the Nsokolo people settled in the Mbala district
of Northern province. During the 19th
century, the
Ngoni and
Sotho peoples arrived from the south. By the
late 19th century, most of the various peoples of Zambia were
established in the areas they currently occupy.
The earliest account of a European visiting the area was
Francisco de Lacerda in the late 18th
century, followed by other explorers in the 19th century. The most
prominent of these was
David
Livingstone, who had a vision of ending the
slave trade through the "3 C's"
(Christianity, Commerce and Civilisation).
He was the first
European to see the magnificent waterfalls on the Zambezi River in 1855, naming them Victoria Falls
after Queen Victoria.
Locally the falls are known "Mosi-oa-Tunya" or "(the) thundering
smoke" (in the Lozi or Kololo dialect).
The town of Livingstone
, near the falls, is named after him. Highly
publicised accounts of his journeys motivated a wave of explorers,
missionaries and traders after his death in 1873.
In 1888,
the British South Africa
Company, (BSA Company) led by Cecil Rhodes
, obtained mineral rights from the Litunga, the king of the Lozi for the area which later became North-Western Rhodesia. To the
east, King
Mpezeni of the
Ngoni resisted but was defeated in battle and
that part of the country came to be known as
North-Eastern Rhodesia.
The two were
administered as separate units until 1911 when they were merged to
form Northern
Rhodesia. In 1923, the Company ceded control of
Northern Rhodesia to the British Government after the government
decided not to renew the Company's charter.
That same
year, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), which was also administered by the BSA Company,
became self-governing. In 1924, after negotiations,
administration of Northern Rhodesia transferred to the British
Colonial Office.
In 1953,
the creation of the Federation of Rhodesia and
Nyasaland grouped together Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia
and Nyasaland (now
Malawi) as a single semi-autonomous region. This
was undertaken despite opposition from a sizeable minority of
Africans, who demonstrated against it in 1960–61. Northern Rhodesia
was the centre of much of the turmoil and crisis characterizing the
federation in its last years. Initially,
Harry Nkumbula's African National Congress
(ANC) led the campaign that
Kenneth
Kaunda's United National Independence Party (UNIP) subsequently
took up.
A two-stage election held in October and December 1962 resulted in
an African majority in the legislative council and an uneasy
coalition between the two African nationalist parties. The council
passed resolutions calling for Northern Rhodesia's secession from
the federation and demanding full internal self-government under a
new constitution and a new
National Assembly based on a
broader, more democratic franchise. The federation was dissolved on
31 December 1963, and in January 1964, Kaunda won the first and
only election for Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia. The
Colonial Governor, Sir
Evelyn Hone, was very close to
Kaunda and urged him to stand for the post. Soon afterwards there
was an uprising in the north of the country known as the
Lumpa Uprising led by
Alice Lenshina – Kaunda's first internal
conflict as leader of the nation.
Northern Rhodesia became the Republic of Zambia on 24 October 1964,
with Kaunda as the first president.
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 expertise. There were
70,000 Europeans in Zambia in 1964, who were of great economic
importance. During the next decade, Kaunda's regime supported
movements such as
UNITA in Angola; the
Zimbabwe African
People's Union (ZAPU); the
African National Congress (ANC) in
South Africa; and the
South West Africa
People's Organization (SWAPO).
Kaunda developed close relations with
communist regimes in the Soviet Union
and the People's Republic of China
. Kaunda developed a close friendship with
Iraqi
dictator Saddam Hussein.
Conflict with Rhodesia resulted in the closure of the border with
that country in 1973 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 control centre was on the Rhodesian side of the border). A railway to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam
, built with Chinese assistance, reduced Zambian dependence on railway
lines south to South Africa and west through an increasingly
troubled Angola. Until the completion of the railway,
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.
The Tazama oil
pipeline was also built from Dar-es-Salaam to Ndola
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, however
Zambia's problems were not solved. Civil war in the former
Portuguese colonies created 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 (despite both the Zambian ANC and the SA ANC being banned
within Zambia), which had its external headquarters in Lusaka,
created security problems as South Africa raided South African ANC
military training camps 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 to market 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.
In June 1990 riots against Kaunda accelerated. Many protesters were
killed by the regime in breakthrough June 1990 protests. Kaunda
faced one coup attempt in 1990. In 1991, Kaunda's dictatorship fell
and was replaced by multiparty elections.
In the 2000s, the economy has stabilized, attaining single-digit
inflation in 2006–2007, real GDP growth, decreasing interest rates,
and increasing levels of trade. Much of its growth is due to
foreign investment in Zambia's mining sector and higher copper
prices on the world market.
Government
Liberation statue in front of a
government building
Zambian politics take place in a framework of a
presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the
President of Zambia is both
head of state and
head of government in a pluriform
multi-party system. The government exercises executive power, while
legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament.
Zambia became a republic immediately upon attaining independence in
October 1964.
Provinces
The provinces of Zambia
Zambia is divided into nine
provinces, each
administered by an appointed deputy minister. Each province is
subdivided into several
districts with a
grand total of 72 districts. The provinces are:
Population of major cities
Education
Education in Zambia is provided at three levels: Basic education
(years 1 to 9), and upper secondary (years 10 to 12). Some schools
provide a "basic" education covering years 1 to 9, as year 9 is
considered to be a decent level of education for the majority of
children.
However, tuition is only free up to year 7,
and UNESCO
estimated
that 80% of children of primary school age in 2002 were
enrolled. Most children drop out after year 7 when fees must
be paid.
Both government and private schools exist in Zambia. The private
school system began largely as a result of Christian mission
efforts during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Amongst
famous private schools are the International School of Lusaka,
Rhodes Park School (Unofficially ranked as the best private school
in Zambia), the Roman Catholic run St Mary's Seminary located in
the Msupadzi area, south of Chipata, Eastern Province and Simba
International School close to Ndola, Copperbelt Province. Private
schools operate primarily under the British way of schooling, but
also offer curricula approved by the Examinations Council of Zambia
(ECZ). An example of a school that has offered a dual program in in
both the ECZ and Cambridge curriculum is
Mpelembe Secondary School.
Educational opportunities beyond secondary school are limited in
Zambia. After secondary school, most students study at the various
colleges, around the country.
There are three main universities: the
University
of Zambia
(UNZA), Mulungushi
University (MU) and the Copperbelt University (CBU).
Normally they all select students on the basis of ability;
competition for places is intense. The introduction of fees in the
late 1990s has made university level education inaccessible for
some, although the government does provide state bursaries.
Copperbelt University opened in the late 1980s, taking over most of
the former Zambia Institute of Technology site in Kitwe. Other
centres of education include the Public Administration College
(NIPA), the Northern Technical College (NORTEC), the National
Resources Development College (NRDC), the Evelyn Hone College, and
Northrise University. There are also several teacher training
colleges offering two-year training programmes, whilst missionary
hospitals around the country offer internationally acceptable
training for nurses. Several Christian schools offer seminary-level
training.
Geography
Map of Zambia
Zambia is a
landlocked country in
southern Africa, with a
tropical
climate and consists mostly of high
plateau, with some hills and mountains, dissected by
river valleys.
At it is the 39th-largest country in the
world (after Chile
) and
slightly larger than the US state of Texas
.
Zambia is
drained by two major river basins: the Zambezi
basin in the south covering about three-quarters of
the country; and the Congo
basin in
the north covering about one-quarter of the country.
A very
small area in the north-east forms part of the internal drainage
basin of Lake
Rukwa
in Tanzania.
In the
Zambezi basin, there are a number of major rivers flowing wholly or
partially through Zambia: the Kabompo
, Lungwebungu
, Kafue
, Luangwa, and the Zambezi itself, which flows
through the country in the west and then forms its southern border
with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Its source is in Zambia but it diverts into
Angola, and a number of its tributaries arise in Angola's central
highlands.
The edge of the Cuando River
floodplain (not its main channel) forms Zambia's
south-western border, and via the Chobe River
that river contributes very little water to the
Zambezi because most is lost by evaporation).
Two of the Zambezi's longest and largest tributaries, the Kafue and
the Luangwa, flow mainly in Zambia.
Their confluences with the Zambezi are on
the border with Zimbabwe at Chirundu and Luangwa town
respectively. Before its
confluence, the Luangwa River forms part of Zambia's border with
Mozambique. From Luangwa town, the Zambezi leaves Zambia
and flows into Mozambique, and eventually into the Mozambique
Channel
.
The
Zambezi falls about over the wide Victoria Falls, located in the south-west corner of the country,
subsequently flowing into Lake Kariba
. The Zambezi valley, running along the
southern border, is both deep and wide.
From Lake Kariba
going east it is formed by grabens and like
the Luangwa, Mweru-Luapula, Mweru-wa-Ntipa
and Lake Tanganyika valleys, is a rift valley.
Landscape of Zambia.
The north of Zambia is very flat with broad plains.
In the west the most
notable being the Barotse Floodplain
on the Zambezi, which floods from December to June,
lagging behind the annual rainy season (typically November to
April). The
flood dominates the
natural environment and the lives, society and culture of the
inhabitants and those of other smaller, floodplains throughout the
country. In Eastern Zambia the plateau which extends between the
Zambezi and Lake Tanganyika valleys is tilted upwards to the north,
and so rises imperceptibly from about in the south to in the
centre, reaching in the north near Mbala. These plateau areas of
northern Zambia have been categorised by the
World Wildlife Fund as a large section
of the
Central
Zambezian Miombo woodlands ecoregion.
Eastern Zambia shows great diversity.
The Luangwa Valley
splits the plateau in a curve north east to south west, extended
west into the heart of the plateau by the deep valley of the
Lunsemfwa
River
. Hills and mountains are found by the side
of some sections of the valley, notably in its north-east the Nyika
Plateau ( ) on the Malawi border, which extend into Zambia as the
Mafinga Hills, containing the country's highest point, Kongera ( ).
The Muchinga Mountains, the watershed between the Zambezi and Congo
drainage basins, run parallel to the deep valley of the Luangwa
River and form a sharp backdrop to its northern edge, although they
are almost everywhere below . Their culminating peak Mumpu is at
the western end and at is the highest point in Zambia away from the
eastern border region.
The border of the Congo Pedicle
was drawn around this mountain.
The
southernmost headstream of the Congo River rises in Zambia and
flows through its north firstly as the Chambeshi and then, after the Bangweulu
Swamps
as the Luapula, which
forms part of the border with the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. The Luapula flows south then west before it
turns north until it enters Lake Mweru
. The lake's other major tributary is the
Kalungwishi
River
, which flows into it from the east. The
Luvua River drains Lake Mweru, flowing
out of the northern end to the
Lualaba
River (Upper Congo River).
Lake
Tanganyika
is the
other major hydrographic feature that
belongs to the Congo basin. Its south-eastern end receives water from
the Kalambo
River
, which forms part of Zambia's border with
Tanzania. This river has Africa's second highest
uninterrupted waterfall, the Kalambo Falls
.
Climate
The climate of Zambia is
tropical modified
by
elevation. In the
Köppen climate
classification, most of the country is classified as humid
subtropical or tropical wet and dry, with small stretches of
semi-arid steppe climate in the south-west and along the Zambezi
valley.
There are two main seasons, the
rainy
season (November to April) corresponding to summer, and the
dry season (May/June to
October/November), corresponding to winter. The dry season is
subdivided into the cool dry season (May/June to August), and the
hot dry season (September to October/November). The modifying
influence of altitude gives the country pleasant
subtropical weather rather than tropical
conditions during the cool season of May to August. However,
average monthly temperatures remain above 20°C over most of the
country for eight or more months of the year.
Economy
About 68% of Zambians live below the recognised national
poverty line, with rural poverty rates standing
at about 78% and urban rates of 53%. Zambia ranked 117th out of 128
countries on the 2007
Global Competitiveness Index,
which looks at factors that affect economic growth. Per capita
annual incomes are currently at about one-half their levels at
independence and, at $395, place the country among the world's
poorest nations. Social indicators continue to decline,
particularly in measurements of life expectancy at birth (about
40.9 years) and maternal mortality (830 per 100,000
pregnancies)
[6082]. The country's rate of economic growth cannot
support rapid population growth or the strain which
HIV/
AIDS related issues place on the
economy.
During the decades of Kaunda's socialist policies, Zambia fell into
poverty, especially after international copper prices declined in
the 1970s.
The socialist regime made up for falling
revenue with several abortive attempts at International Monetary Fund
structural
adjustment programmes (SAPs). After the dictatorship
ended, successive governments have begun limited reforms. The
economy stagnated until late 1990s. In 2007 Zambia recorded ninth
consecutive year of economic growth.
Inflation was 8.9%, down from 30% in 2000.
Zambia is still dealing with economic reform issues such as the
size of the
public sector and
improving Zambia's social sector delivery systems. Economic
regulations and
red tape are extensive, and
corruption is widespread. Zambia's total foreign debt exceeded $6
billion when the country qualified for
Highly Indebted Poor
Country Initiative (HIPC) debt relief in 2000, contingent upon
meeting certain
performance criteria.
Initially, Zambia hoped to reach the HIPC completion point, and
benefit from substantial debt forgiveness, in late 2003.
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 privatisation
of the Zambia National Commercial Bank and the national telephone
and electricity utilities. Although agreements were reached
on these issues, subsequent overspending on civil service wages
delayed Zambia's final HIPC debt forgiveness from late 2003 to
early 2005, at the earliest. In an effort to reach HIPC completion
in 2004, the government drafted an austerity budget for 2004,
freezing civil service salaries and increasing a number of
taxes.
The Zambian economy has historically been based on the
copper mining industry. Output of copper had
fallen, however, to a low of 228,000 metric tons in 1998, after a
30 year decline in output due to lack of investment, low copper
prices, and uncertainty over privatisation. In 2002, following
privatisation 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
miner acquired Konkola Copper
Mines (KCM). Vedanta transformed the company and
continues investing in the Zambian economy. For example, it is
undertaking the largest single investment in the country in early
2006.
The Zambian government is pursuing an economic diversification
programme 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, exports of
nonmetals increased by 25% and accounted for 38%
of all export earnings, previously 35%. The Zambian government has
recently been granting licenses to international resource companies
to prospect for minerals such as nickel, tin, copper and uranium.It
is hoped that nickel will take over from copper as the country's
top metallic export. In 2009, Zambia has been badly hit by the
world economic crisis.
Demographics
Zambia is one of the most highly urbanised countries in sub-Saharan
Africa with 44% of the population concentrated in a few urban areas
along the major transport corridors, while rural areas are sparsely
populated. Unemployment and underemployment in urban areas are
serious problems, while most rural Zambians are
subsistence farmers. The population
comprises approximately 72 ethnic groups, most of which are
Bantu-speaking. Almost 90% of Zambians belong to the nine main
ethnolinguistic groups: the
Nyanja-Chewa,
Bemba,
Tonga,
Tumbuka,
Lunda,
Luvale,
Kaonde,
Nkoya and
Lozi. In
the rural areas, each ethnic group is concentrated in a particular
geographic region of the country and many groups are very small and
not as well known. However, all the ethnic groups can be found in
significant numbers in Lusaka and the Copperbelt.
Zambian children
Expatriates, mostly British or South African, as well as some white
Zambian citizens, live mainly in Lusaka and in the Copperbelt in
northern Zambia, where they are either employed in mines, financial
and related activities or retired. There were 70,000 Europeans in
Zambia in 1964, but many have since left the country. Zambia also
has a small but economically important Asian population, most of
whom are
Indians and
Chinese. An estimated 80,000 Chinese are
resident in Zambia.
In recent years, several hundred
dispossessed white farmers have left Zimbabwe at the invitation of the Zambian government, to
take up farming in the Southern province.
According to the
World Refugee Survey 2008 published by
the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Zambia has a
population of
refugees and asylum seekers
numbering approximately 113,200.
The majority of refugees in the country
came from the Democratic Republic of Congo
(55,400 refugees from the DRC living in Zambia in
2007), Angola (40,800; see
Angolans in Zambia) and Rwanda
(4,000). Beginning in May 2008, the number of
Zimbabweans in Zambia also began to
increase significantly; the influx consisted largely of
Zimbabweans formerly living in South
Africa who were fleeing
xenophobic violence
there. Nearly 60,000 refugees live in camps in Zambia, while
50,000 are mixed in with the local populations. Refugees who wish
to work in Zambia must apply for official permits which can cost up
to $500 per year.
Languages
The official language of Zambia is
English, which is used to conduct official
business and is the medium of instruction in schools. The main
local language, especially in Lusaka, is Nyanja. However,
Bemba and
Nyanja are
spoken in the urban areas in addition to other indigenous languages
which are commonly spoken in Zambia. These are: Ambo, Aushi, Bisa,
Chikunda, Cishinga, Cokwe, Gova, Ila, Inamwanga, Iwa, Kabende,
Kaonde, Kosa, Kunda, Kwandi, Kwandu, Kwangwa, Lala, Lamba, Lenje,
Leya, Lima, Liyuwa, Lozi, Luano, Lucazi, Lumbu, Lunda, Lundwe,
Lungu, Luunda, Luvale, Makoma, Mambwe, Mashasha, Mashi, Mbowe,
Mbukushu, Mbumi, Mbunda, Mbwela, Mukulu, Mulonga, Ndembu, Ng'umbo,
Nkoya, Nsenga, Nyengo, Nyiha, Sala, Seba, Senga, Shanjo, Shila,
Simaa, Soli, Subiya, Swaka, Tabwa, Tambo, Toka, Tonga, Totela,
Tumbuka, Twa, Unga, Wandya and Yombe. Estimates of the total number
of languages spoken in Zambia add up to 72, thirteen (13) dialects
are counted as languages in their own right which brings this
number to 85. The process of urbanisation has had a dramatic effect
on some of the indigenous languages, including the assimilation of
words from other indigenous languages and English. Urban dwellers
sometimes differentiate between urban and rural dialects of the
same language by prefixing the rural languages with 'deep'.Most
will thus speak
Bemba and
Nyanja on the Copperbelt while
Nyanja is dominantly spoken in Lusaka and Eastern
Zambia. English is used in official communications and the chosen
(husbands/wives) language at home if (as is now common) there is an
intertribal family. As a member of the
SADC,
Portuguese was introduced in the nation
as an instruction in its primary school system, especially that
there is a strong
Angolan
population in the nation.Languages like Kaonde, Lunda, Luvale,
and Tonga come from other country explorers.
Religion
Zambia is officially a
Christian nation,
but a wide variety of religious traditions exist. Traditional
religious thoughts blend easily with Christian beliefs in many of
the country's syncretic churches. Christian denominations include:
Roman Catholic,
Anglican,
Pentecostal,
New Apostolic Church,
Lutheran,
Seventh-day Adventist,
Jehovah's Witnesses and a variety of
Evangelical denominations.
These
grew, adjusted and prospered from the original missionary
settlements (Portuguese and
Catholicism in the east from Mozambique) and Anglicanism (English and Scottish influences)
from the south. Except for some technical positions (e.g.
physicians), Western missionary roles have been assumed by native
believers. After
Frederick Chiluba
(a Pentecostal Christian) became President in 1991, Pentecostal
congregations expanded considerably around the country.
Approximately 5% of the population are
Muslims with most living in urban areas.
There is also a small
Jewish community,
composed mostly of
Ashkenazis.
Notable Jewish Zambians have included
Simon
Zukas, retired Minister, MP and a member of
Forum for Democracy and
Development and earlier on the
MMD and
United National Independence
Party.
Additionally, the economist Stanley Fischer, currently the governor of
the Bank of Israel and formerly head
of the IMF also was born and partially raised in Zambia's
Jewish community. The
Baha'i population of Zambia is over
160,000, or 1.5% of the population. The William Mmutle Masetlha
Foundation run by the Baha'i community is particularly active in
areas such as literacy and primary health care.
Health
HIV prevalence exceeds 10 %.Public expenditure
on health was at 3.4 of the GDP in 2004. Private expenditure on
health was at 2.9 % in the same year. Health expenditure was at US$
63 (PPP) in 2004.
Infant mortality
was at 102 per 1,000 in 2005.
Culture
The
culture of Zambia is mainly
indigenous
Bantu culture mixed with
European influences. Prior to the establishment of modern Zambia,
the indigenous people lived in independent tribes, each with their
own ways of life. One of the results of the colonial era was the
growth of urbanization. Different ethnic groups started living
together in towns and cities, influencing each other as well as
adopting a lot of the
European
culture. The original cultures have largely survived in the
rural areas. In the urban setting there is a continuous integration
and evolution of these cultures to produce what is now called
"Zambian culture".
Traditional culture is very visible through colourful annual
Zambian traditional
ceremonies. Some of the more prominent are:
Kuomboka and
Kathanga
(Western Province),
Mutomboko (Luapula Province),
Ncwala (Eastern Province),
Lwiindi and
Shimunenga
(Southern Province),
Likumbi Lyamize
(North Western),
Chibwela Kumushi
(Central Province),
Ukusefya
Pa Ng’wena (Northern Province).
Popular traditional arts are mainly in pottery, basketry (such as
Tonga baskets), stools, fabrics, mats,
wooden carvings, ivory carvings, wire craft and copper crafts. Most
Zambian traditional music is based
on drums (and other percussion instruments) with a lot of singing
and dancing. In the urban areas foreign genres of music are
popular, in particular Congolese
rumba,
African-American music and Jamaican reggae.
The Zambian staple diet is based on
maize. It
is normally eaten as a thick porridge, called
Nshima (Nyanja Word), prepared from maize flour
commonly known as mealie meal. This may be eaten with a variety of
vegetables, beans, meat, fish or sour milk depending on
geographical location/origin.
Nshima is also
prepared from
cassava, a staple food in some
parts of the country.
Sports
Zambia declared its independence on the day of the closing ceremony
of the
1964 Summer Olympics,
thereby becoming the first country ever to have entered an Olympic
games as one country, and left it as another.
Today, the most popular sport in Zambia is
football (
soccer)
and the
Zambia national
football team has had its triumphant moments in football
history. At the Seoul Olympics of 1988, the National Team defeated
the Italian National team by a score of 4–0.
Kalusha Bwalya, Zambia's most celebrated
football player and one of Africa's greatest football talents had a
hat trick in that match. However to this day, many pundits say the
greatest team Zambia has ever assembled was the one that perished
on 28 April 1993 in a plane crash at Libreville, Gabon. Despite
this, in 1996, Zambia was ranked 15th on the official FIFA world
football/soccer team rankings, the highest attained by any southern
African team. Zambia also produced the first black African
(Madalitso Muthiya) to play in the United States Golf Open, one of
the four major golf tournaments. Rugby, boxing and cricket are also
popular sports in Zambia. Notably, at one time in the early 2000s,
the
Australia
and
South
Africa national rugby teams were captained by players born in
the same Lusaka hospital, respectively
George Gregan and
Corné Krige. Zambia boasts having the
highest rugby poles in the world, located at Luanshya Sports
Complex in Luanshya.
Rugby union
in Zambia is a minor but growing sport. They are currently
ranked 73rd by the
IRB and
have 3,650 registered plays and 3
formally organised
clubs. Zambia used to play cricket as part of
Rhodesia. Zambia has also strangely provided a
shinty international, Zambian-born
Eddie Tembo representing Scotland in the
compromise rules
Shinty/Hurling game against
Ireland in
2008.
In 2011,
Zambia is due to host the tenth
All-Africa Games, for which three stadiums will be built in
Lusaka, Ndola, and
Livingstone. The Lusaka stadium will have a capacity of
70,000 spectators while the other two stadiums will hold 50,000
people each. The government is encouraging the private sector to
get involved in the construction of the sports facilities because
of a shortage of public funds for the project. Zambia has since
revoked its bid to host the 2011 All-Africa Games, citing a lack of
funds. Instead, Mozambique will be hosting.
Zambia took part in the
2008 Summer
Olympics in
Beijing.
See also
References
- UNDP: Human development indices - Table 3: Human
and income poverty (Population living below national poverty line
(2000-2007))
- 1964: President Kaunda takes power in Zambia.
BBC On This Day.
- Kaunda and Southern Africa by Stephen Chan
- Richard Beilfuss & David dos Santos: Patterns
of Hydrological Change in the Zambezi Delta, Mozambique.
Working Paper No 2 Program for the Sustainable Management of Cahora
Bassa Dam and The Lower Zambezi Valley (2001).
- Camerapix: "Spectrum Guide to Zambia." Camerapix International
Publishing, Nairobi, 1996.
- Chinese keep low profile to cash in on the slump in
Zambia. The Times. January 24, 2009.
- Zambians wary of "exploitative" Chinese
employers. Irinnews.org. November 23, 2006.
- Zambia to introduce Portuguese into school
curriculum
-
http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_ZMB.html
-
http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_ZMB.html
-
http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_ZMB.html
-
http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_ZMB.html
-
http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_ZMB.html
- IRB Zambia page retrieved 5th July, 2009
- Tembo's return is boost for Glen
Bibliography
- James Ferguson, Expectations
of Modernity: Myths and Meanings of Urban Life in the Zambian
Copperbelt. University of California Press 1999.
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