NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Republic of Zambia
former: Northern Rhodesia
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the 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 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 a far-reaching anti-corruption campaign in 2002, which resulted in the 2003 arrest of the previous president Frederick CHILUBA and many of his supporters. Opposition parties currently hold a majority of seats in the National Assembly. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Southern Africa, east of Angola |
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Geographic coordinates:
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15 00 S, 30 00 E |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 752,614 sq km
water: 11,890 sq km land: 740,724 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than Texas |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 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 |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April) |
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Terrain:
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mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m
highest point: unnamed location in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m |
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Natural resources:
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copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 7.08%
permanent crops: 0.03% other: 92.89% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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460 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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periodic drought, tropical storms (November to April) |
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Environment - current issues:
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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; lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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10,307,333
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 46.3% (male 2,396,313; female 2,378,567)
15-64 years: 50.9% (male 2,626,961; female 2,621,818) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 131,196; female 152,478) (2003 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 16.5 years
male: 16.4 years female: 16.6 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.52% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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39.53 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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24.3 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 99.29 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 91.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 106.58 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 35.25 years
male: 35.25 years female: 35.25 years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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5.25 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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21.5% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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1.2 million (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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120,000 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Zambian(s)
adjective: Zambian |
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Ethnic groups:
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African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2% |
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Religions:
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Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1% |
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Languages:
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English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 80.6% male: 86.8% female: 74.8% (2003 est.) |