Zambia

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic and linguistic composition
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
  - Agriculture
  - Forestry
  - Fishing
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Trade
- Services
- Labor and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Cultural milieu
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- Archaeology and early history
- External contacts
- Colonial rule
- Independent Zambia
  - Zambia under Kaunda (1964–91)
  - Chiluba presidency (1991–2001)
  - Mwanawasa’s administration (2002–08)
  - Presidencies of Sata and Scott (2008–15)
  - Lungu’s administration (2015–21)
  - Hichilema’s presidency (2021– )
    - Lungu’s death and the dispute between the government and family over funeral arrangements
    - 2026 elections

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images

Map of Zambia and its surrounding countries in southern Africa, showing Zambia's national borders in bold red, major cities such as Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, and Livingstone, and neighboring countries including Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. A small inset map highlights Zambia's location on the African continent.

Victoria Falls Bridge

Map of southern Africa highlighting Zambia in tan, with its capital Lusaka marked. Neighboring countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Angola are labeled in black. Surrounding oceans are also shown.

Physical map of Zambia highlighting major rivers, lakes, swamps, and national parks. Key features include the Zambezi River, Kafue Flats, Bangweulu Swamps, Lake Bangweulu, Lake Mweru, Lake Kariba, Victoria Falls, and national parks such as Kafue, South Luangwa, and North Luangwa. Surrounding countries-Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia-are also labeled.

Map showing the location of Lake Tanganyika in East Africa, bordered by Tanzania to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, Burundi to the north, and Zambia to the south. Surrounding features include national parks, game reserves, and nearby major lakes such as Lake Victoria and Lake Rukwa.

Aerial view of the Zambezi River winding through green and brown landscape in Zambia, Africa, with scattered clouds and distant horizon.

Zambia: Lake Bangweulu

Aerial view of the Zambezi River flowing toward Victoria Falls, with mist rising from the falls and dense forest on both sides, marking the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

At a Glance

Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River as seen from the Zambia side

Zambia: Media

country, Africa

Images

Zambia

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of Zambia and its surrounding countries in southern Africa, showing Zambia's national borders in bold red, major cities such as Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, and Livingstone, and neighboring countries including Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. A small inset map highlights Zambia's location on the African continent.

Zambia

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Victoria Falls Bridge

Victoria Falls Bridge

The Victoria Falls Bridge across the Zambezi River, connecting Zambia and Zimbabwe.

© Brian A. Vikander/West Light

Map of southern Africa highlighting Zambia in tan, with its capital Lusaka marked. Neighboring countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Angola are labeled in black. Surrounding oceans are also shown.

Zambia

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Physical map of Zambia highlighting major rivers, lakes, swamps, and national parks. Key features include the Zambezi River, Kafue Flats, Bangweulu Swamps, Lake Bangweulu, Lake Mweru, Lake Kariba, Victoria Falls, and national parks such as Kafue, South Luangwa, and North Luangwa. Surrounding countries-Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia-are also labeled.

Physical features of Zambia

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Lake Kariba

Lake Kariba

A view of Lake Kariba, located between Zambia and Zimbabwe in Central Africa.

© Adam Ojdahl

Map showing the location of Lake Tanganyika in East Africa, bordered by Tanzania to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, Burundi to the north, and Zambia to the south. Surrounding features include national parks, game reserves, and nearby major lakes such as Lake Victoria and Lake Rukwa.

Lake Tanganyika

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Aerial view of the Zambezi River winding through green and brown landscape in Zambia, Africa, with scattered clouds and distant horizon.

An aerial view of the Zambezi River in Zambia

© Jason_Yu—iStock/Getty Images

Zambia: Lake Bangweulu

Zambia: Lake Bangweulu

Swamps of Lake Bangweulu, Zambia.

Mehmet Karatay

Aerial view of the Zambezi River flowing toward Victoria Falls, with mist rising from the falls and dense forest on both sides, marking the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Victoria Falls

Aerial view of Victoria Falls.

© demerzel21/stock.adobe.com

Map of the Zambezi River basin in southern Africa, showing the river's course, major tributaries, dams, waterfalls, and rapids. The map highlights physical features such as elevation, major cities, and country boundaries, with a locator inset indicating the basin's position on the African continent. Areas subject to flooding and key bridges are also marked.

Zambezi River

The Zambezi River basin and its drainage network.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Crowned cranes (Balearica pavonina [regulorum])

Crowned cranes (Balearica pavonina [regulorum])

© Index Open

Aerial view of Victoria Falls in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, Zambia, showing the wide waterfall with mist rising and a river cutting through a green landscape.

Zambia: Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, Zambia.

© Vadim Petrakov/Shutterstock.com

Lechwe (Kobus leche)

Lechwe (Kobus leche)

PanBK

Sitatunga Tragelaphus spekei

Sitatunga Tragelaphus spekei

Tom McHugh/Photo Researchers

Women and men walk along a road in the village of Mfuwe, Zambia; one woman carries a pot and holds an umbrella, another pushes a bicycle with a child on her back.

People walking on a road in the village of Mfuwe, Zambia

© Bob Suir/Dreamstime.com

People walk and shop at an outdoor market in Chipata, Zambia, with stalls displaying tomatoes, potatoes, and other produce in front of a tan building.

People shopping at an outdoor market in Chipata, Zambia

© Luca Roggero/Dreamstime.com

Worker pushes a cart loaded with white roses through rows of rose plants in a commercial greenhouse in Lusaka, Zambia.

A worker holds a cluster of roses in a commercial growers greenhouse, Lusaka, Zambia

© africa924/Shutterstock.com

Large open-pit copper mine in Zambia with conveyor belts, industrial equipment, and piles of excavated earth and rock spread across a dusty landscape.

An open-pit copper mine in Zambia

© mabus13—iStock/Getty Images

The curved concrete wall of the Kariba Dam spans a wide river, with water held on one side and rocky, green hills surrounding the structure between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Kariba Dam

The Kariba Dam forms a bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

© Portcent/Dreamstime.com

Aerial view of Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River, with water cascading over a wide cliff and mist rising above dense green forest on the riverbanks.

Victoria Falls, on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border

© Pichugin Dmitry/Shutterstock.com

Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River as seen from the Zambia side

Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River as seen from the Zambia side

G. Holton/Photo Researchers

Lusaka: Supreme Court of Zambia

Lusaka: Supreme Court of Zambia

The Supreme Court of Zambia, Lusaka.

Brian Dell

The Freedom Monument in Lusaka, Zambia, shows a bronze sculpture of a man breaking chains above his head, with buildings and trees in the background.

The Freedom Monument, a sculpture of a man breaking the chains of slavery, in Lusaka, Zambia

© Tatsiana Hendzel/Shutterstock.com

Kabwe cranium

Kabwe cranium

The Kabwe cranium, found in 1921 at Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia (now Kabwe, Zambia),...

© Günter Bräuer

Map of Southern Africa highlighting the principal peoples present from the 17th to mid-19th century, with names of groups such as San, Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Herero, and others labeled across the region. Major rivers, lakes, plateaus, and select towns are shown, along with some physical features and archaeological sites. Modern political boundaries are outlined for reference.

Principal peoples of Southern Africa, 17th to mid-19th century

Map showing the approximate locations of the principal peoples of Southern Africa...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of colonial southern Africa from 1884 to 1905, using color codes to show territories controlled by Britain, Portugal, and Germany at different times. The map highlights British-controlled areas in orange, Portuguese-controlled areas in purple, German-controlled areas in green, and disputed regions in red, with boundaries and key colonial regions labeled. Major features include German South West Africa, German East Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Colony, and the Orange Free State.

Colonial Southern Africa, 1884–1905

European penetration into Southern Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Stone ruins of Niamkolo Church in Mpulungu, Zambia, showing roofless walls and a tall front facade with two rectangular openings.

The ruins of Niamkolo Church, an early British missionary church in Mpulungu, Zambia

© Fabian Plock—EyeEm/Getty Images

Antique map from 1902 showing central Africa with colonial territories labeled as Kamerun, French Kongo, Kongo Free State, Portuguese West Africa, British East Africa, German East Africa, East Africa, and Rhodesia. The map details rivers, cities, and borders of the era, with an inset map of Madagascar in the lower right corner.

Central Africa, c. 1902

Map of Central Africa from the 10th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica,...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of Africa showing the territorial divisions and colonial possessions by European powers from the late 19th to early 20th century. Countries and regions are color-coded to indicate British, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Belgian, and German control, with independent countries and British-Egyptian condominium also marked. The map highlights the extent and timing of colonization, with most of the continent under European rule except for Ethiopia and Liberia.

Colonization of Africa by European countries

Map showing the colonization of Africa by European countries in the 19th and early...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of Africa in 1960 showing the political status of each territory or country. Many countries gained independence that year, including Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Chad, and the Central African Republic. Countries already independent at that time included Ethiopia, Liberia, Ghana, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan, and South Africa. More than 20 territories remained under colonial rule.

Africa: Political status in 1960

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Zambia's first president

Zambia's first president

Kenneth Kaunda, who served as president of Zambia during 1964–91, shown here c. 1970.

Evening Standard—Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Kariba Dam

Kariba Dam

View of Kariba Dam, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, from upriver.

De Wys Inc.

A Zambian woman places her ballot into a red-lidded box at a polling station, assisted by an election official wearing an orange vest; another voter stands at a booth in the background.

A Zambian woman casts her vote at a polling station during general elections, September 20, 2011

© Smandy/Dreamstime.com

Zambia

Zambia

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Interactives

Zambia: Ethnic composition

Zambia: Ethnic composition

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Zambia: Religious affiliation

Zambia: Religious affiliation

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Zambia: Urban-rural

Zambia: Urban-rural

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Zambia: Age breakdown

Zambia: Age breakdown

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Zambia: Major import sources

Zambia: Major import sources

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Zambia: Major export destinations

Zambia: Major export destinations

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Colonization of Africa: Maps, Timeline, Decolonization, & Independence

Colonization of Africa: Maps, Timeline, Decolonization, & Independence

Learn about the colonization of Africa, the process of decolonization that led to...

© Encyclopaedia Britannica

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