Zambia
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Zambia is a landlocked nation in southern-Africa, surrounded by Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. It is mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains. The Zambezi River forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe which includes the famous Victoria Falls.
Zambia's major environmental issues include: air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; and, the lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks. It is susceptible to periodic drought, and tropical storms from November to April.
The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the [British] South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the United Kingdom 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 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. The new president launched an anticorruption investigation in 2002 to probe high-level corruption during the previous administration. In 2006-07, this task force successfully prosecuted four cases, including a landmark civil case in the UK in which former President Chiluba and numerous others were found liable for USD 41 million. 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 election in October 2008.
Geography
Location: Southern Africa, east of Angola
Geographic Coordinates: 15 00 S, 30 00 E
Area: 752,614 km2 (740,724 km2 land and 11,890 km2 water)
arable land: 6.99%
permanent crops: 0.04%
other: 92.97% (2005)
Land Boundaries: 5,664 km. Border countries: Angola 1,110 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,930 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zimbabwe 797 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime Claims: none (landlocked)
Natural Hazards: periodic drought, tropical storms (November to April)
Terrain: Mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains. Its lowest point is the Zambezi River (329 metres) and its highest point is an unnamed location in the Mafinga Hills (2,301 metres).
Climate: Tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)
Government
Government Type: Republic
Capital: Lusaka
Independence Date: 24 October 1964 (from UK)
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
International Environmental Agreements
Zambia is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, and Wetlands.
People and Society
Population: 11,669,534
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 45.4% (male 2,659,572/female 2,634,379)
15-64 years: 52.3% (male 3,045,536/female 3,053,465)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 115,662/female 160,920) (2008 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 1.654% (2008 est.)
Birth Rate: 40.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death Rate: 21.35 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net Migration Rate: -2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 38.59 years (2008 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 5.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Languages: English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages
Literacy (2003 est.): 80.6% (male: 86.8% - female: 74.8%)
Water
Total Renewable Water Resources: 105.2 cu km (2001)
Freshwater Withdrawal: Total: 1.74 cu km/yr (17% domestic, 7% industrial, 76% agricultural). Per capita: 149 cu m/yr (2000)
Agriculture
Agricultural Products: corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), coffee; cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides
Irrigated Land: 1,560 sq km (2003)
Resources
Natural Resources: copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower.
Energy
| Energy in Zambia | |||||
| Production | Consumption | Exports | Imports | Reserves | |
| Electricity | 8.85 billion kWh (2005) | 8.655 billion kWh (2005) | 243 million kWh (2005) | 465 million kWh (2005) | |
| Oil | 150 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 14,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 169 bbl/day (2004) | 13,370 bbl/day (2004) | NA |
| Natural Gas | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | 0 cu m (2005) | 0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Source: CIA Factbook | |||||
Health
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Adults: 16.5% (2003 est.)
Major Infectious Diseases: Degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2008)
Conflict
International Disputes: in 2004, Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river; 42,250 Congolese refugees in Zambia are offered voluntary repatriation in November 2006, most of whom are expected to return in the next two years; Angolan refugees too have been repatriating but 26,450 still remain with 90,000 others from other neighboring states in 2006
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons: refugees (country of origin): 42,565 (Angola); 60,874 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 4,100 (Rwanda) (2007)
Economy
Zambia's economy has experienced modest growth in recent years, with real GDP growth in 2005-07 between 5-6% per year. Privatization of government-owned copper mines in the 1990s relieved the government from covering mammoth losses generated by the industry and greatly improved the chances for copper mining to return to profitability and spur economic growth. Copper output has increased steadily since 2004, due to higher copper prices and foreign investment. In 2005, Zambia qualified for debt relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative, consisting of approximately USD 6 billion in debt relief. Zambia experienced a bumper harvest in 2007, which helped to boost GDP and agricultural exports and contain inflation. Although poverty continues to be significant problem in Zambia, its economy has strengthened, featuring single-digit inflation, a relatively stable currency, decreasing interest rates, and increasing levels of trade.
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $15.92 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $11.16 billion (2007 est.)
GDP- real growth rate: 5.3% (2007 est.)
GDP- per capita (PPP): $1,300 (2007 est.)
GDP- composition by sector:
agriculture: 17.3%
industry: 26.2%
services: 56.5% (2007 est.)
Population Below Poverty LIne: 86%(1993)
Industries: copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture
Exports: copper/cobalt 64%, cobalt, electricity; tobacco, flowers, cotton
Export Partners: Switzerland 34.1%, South Africa 20.4%, China 8.4%, Tanzania 6%, Italy 5.6%, Thailand 4.7% (2006)
Imports: machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer; foodstuffs, clothing
Import Partners: South Africa 48.2%, UAE 10.3%, Zimbabwe 5.8%, China 5.6% (2006)
Economic Aid Recipient: $504 million (2007)
Currency: Zambian kwacha (ZMK)
Ports and Terminals: Mpulungu
Further Reading