Zambia. Full description of Zambia Zambia country profile

The Kafue River is one of the main tributaries of the Zambezi and plays a large role in the life of the Zambian ecosystem. Kafue is one of the most significant rivers in southern Africa and the largest and longest river, located entirely in Zambia.

The river originates on the border of Zambia and Congo. Throughout its course, the Kafue River changes from fast and bubbling, when the river passes through numerous rapids and waterfalls, to slow and leisurely. On the sandy banks of numerous tributaries you can find hippos, crocodiles and otters. There are flocks of birds - bee-eaters, which equip their nests. in sandy holes on coastal slopes.

The Kafue River, together with another tributary of the Zambezi, Musa, flow into Iteji-Teji Lake, which is 370 square kilometers of calm and clear water. The area where the rivers flow into the lake is great for boating and wildlife watching. The Kafue River is 960 kilometers long. Its water is used by residents of Zambia for irrigation, and hydropower plants provide the local population with electricity. Kafue flows through the national park of the same name, dividing its territory into the northern and southern parts. The river is a source of life for the abundance of living creatures that live on its banks.

Luangwa River

The 770-kilometer Luangwa River originates in the northern part of Lake Nyasa. In the lower reaches of the Luangwa, the border between Zambia and Mozambique runs along the river. The river is fed mainly by heavy rainfall, which is why the water level in the river rises significantly during the rainy season. At this time, the width of the river can reach 10 kilometers.

For the local population, the Luangwa River is a very important source of fresh water, and in some areas it is suitable for regular navigation. The territory in the lower reaches of the river is quite densely populated, while in the upper and middle reaches only small settlements can be found. This favorably affected the wildlife, which has been preserved here almost in its original form. The wildlife of the middle part of the river, where the national parks of North Luangwa and South Luangwa are located, is one of the most interesting concentrations of wildlife in southern Africa.

The waters of the river are rich in fish that are actively used for food by the local population. There are several types of catfish, tilapia. You can also meet bipedal fish protopter. In addition to parks, large hunting reserves are located on the banks of the river. The territory of parks and sanctuaries is inhabited by zebras, antelopes, elephants and buffaloes. Coastal areas are also of interest to ornithologists, since there are more than 400 species of birds.

Zambezi River

The Zambezi River, with a length of more than two and a half thousand kilometers, is the fourth longest river in Africa. The river originates in the territory of Zambia and flows through the territory of several neighboring countries, flowing into the Indian Ocean in Mozambique.

Approaching the ocean, Zambezi is divided into several branches, forming a wide delta. Together with numerous tributaries, the Zambezi forms an extensive water basin with an area of \u200b\u200b1,570,000 square kilometers. Here is Victoria Falls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world. A cascade of hydroelectric power plants was built on the river, providing energy to the basin countries.

The exact location of the middle and lower parts of the Zambezi River was indicated on medieval maps. Of the Europeans, the first to see the upper reaches of the Zambezi was the English traveler and explorer David Livingston, who discovered Victoria Falls several years later. The Zambezi basin is the natural habitat of many species of wildlife and birds. On the shores of the Zambezi and its tributaries are several national parks.

There is no through navigation on the river, however, in some sections, the local population actively uses small boats. When renting a boat or a boat, you can watch bird colonies and herds of large animals - elephants, giraffes and zebras from the water.

Lusaka Attractions

Zambia Square. 752 614 km2.

Zambian population. 9770 thousand people

  Administrative division of Zambia. The state is divided into 9 provinces.

Zambian government. Republic.

Head of State Zambia. President, elected for a term of 5 years.

Supreme Legislature of Zambia. Unicameral Parliament (National Assembly).

The highest executive body of Zambia. Government (Cabinet of Ministers).

Big cities of Zambia. Ndola, Livingston, Cabwe.

The official language of Zambia. English.

Religion of Zambia. 60% are pagans, 30% are Christians.

Ethnic composition of Zambia. 98.7% are Bantu peoples, 1.1% -.

Zambian currency. Kwacha \u003d 100 ngway.

Fauna of zambia. The animal kingdom of Zambia is characterized by an elephant, a lion, a rhinoceros, several species of antelopes, a zebra, a jackal, a hyena, and a crocodile. Lives a large number of snakes and birds. Ostriches are rare. Termites, mosquitoes, tsetse flies are common.

Rivers and Lakes of Zambia. The main rivers are the Zambezi and its tributaries Kafue and Luangwa, as well as Luapula and Chambeshi. The largest lakes are Bangweulu, the southern part of the lake, the eastern part of Yemru and Kariba are the largest.

Sights of Zambia. National parks, as well as the city of Kabwe, near which the remains of a "Rhodesian man" who lived at the same time as the Neanderthal man were found. There is an Anthropological Museum in the capital.

Useful information for tourists

The most common type of housing is round huts with clay or wicker walls and a conical reed roof. Traditions and the consciousness of belonging to one’s clan play an exceptional role in the life of Zambians, determining their daily behavior. Two systems of kinship are widespread: patrilineal - kinship along the male line and matrilineal - along the female line. The first is found in, the second - in Bemba. Zambia attracts foreign tourists with its pristine nature: 19, one of the largest Victoria Falls in the world. Not far from Livingston is the cultural center of Maramba - an ethnographic open-air museum: more than 50 buildings represent typical dwellings of different nations. Near them, folk craftsmen demonstrate their art in traditional crafts.

ZAMBIA (Zambia), Republic of Zambia (Republic of Zambia).

General information

state in southeast Central Africa. It borders in the north with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania, in the east with Malawi, in the southeast with Mozambique, in the south with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, in the west with Angola. Area 752.6 thousand km 2. The population of 11.49 million people (2007). The capital is Lusaka. The official language is English. The monetary unit is kwacha. Administrative division: 9 provinces (tab.).

Zambia is a member of the UN (1964), the Commonwealth (1964), the OAU (1964), the African Union (2002), the Non-Aligned Movement (1964), the IBRD (1965), the WTO (1995), the IMF (1965), and the Southern African Development Community ( 1980), Common Market for East and South Africa (COMESA; 1994).

N.V. Vinogradova.

Political system

Zambia is a unitary state. The Constitution was adopted on 30.8.1991 (valid as amended on 28.5.1996). The form of government is the presidential republic.

The head of state and executive power is the president, elected by the population for 5 years (with the right of one re-election). A Zambian citizen no younger than 35 years old, having Zambian parents, who has lived in Zambia for at least 20 years, may be elected President.

The supreme legislative body is the unicameral parliament (National Assembly). It consists of 150 deputies elected by the population, and 8 members appointed by the president. The term of office of the parliament is 5 years.

Government - The Cabinet of Ministers, headed by the President, consists of the Vice President and Ministers. Members of the cabinet are appointed by the president from among the members of parliament, are responsible to the National Assembly.

In Zambia there is a multi-party system. The leading parties are the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (DMD), the United National Independence Party (UNIP), the United Party for National Development, and the Forum for Democratic Development.

Nature

Relief. Most of the territory of Zambia is occupied by medium-altitude weak-wavy basement plateaus 1100-1350 m high, slightly inclined to the south and separated by extensive depressions of predominantly tectonic origin (valleys of the upper reaches of the Zambezi river in the west, Luangwa river valley in the east, lake basins of Mveru, Bangweulu, etc.) . Gentle swampy surfaces prevail, complicated by periodically flooded rounded depressions ("dumbo"). Above the general level of the plateau rise island mountains (the so-called spears) and mountain ranges (Muching Mountains, altitude up to 1893 m). The spurs of the Nyika plateau in the extreme north-east of the country (Mwanda peak, 2150 m high, the highest point in Zambia) are distinguished by the most dissected relief.

Geological structure and minerals. The territory of Zambia is located in the southern part of the Precambrian African platform, between the Archean cratons of the Central African, Tanzanian and Zimbabwe. The Bangweulu block in northeastern Zambia is composed of granite gneisses and migmatites of the Lower Proterozoic, granites (1880-1860 million years old) and acidic volcanics, which are overlain by the thickness of sandstones, quartzites and mudstones of the Lower - Middle Proterozoic (accumulated 1800-1250 million years ago). In the north, the Bangweulu block is bounded by the Early Proterozoic folded Ubendi system, composed of metamorphic formations and granites. The Irumidi Middle Proterozoic folded belt (1350-1100 million years) stretches across the entire territory of Zambia from the south-west to the north-east. Metamorphosed sand-clay deposits, as well as Archean gneisses and granites (platform basement rocks) take part in its structure. Granite and charnockite intrusions are developed. Late Proterozoic folded belts are represented by the so-called Lufilian arc (in the north and north-west of Zambia) and the Zambezi and Mozambique belts (in the southeast). The Lufilian arc, which is part of the Damar-Katanga folded belt stretching from the west, and the Zambezi belt are formed by marine terrigenous-carbonate sediments of the Upper Proterozoic and shillings. Known yields of foundation rocks. From the east, the Mozambique granulite-gneiss belt enters the territory of Zambia (the main folding phase is 850-750 million years ago, the final - 690-540 million years ago). Late Proterozoic and Early Cambrian granitoids are widespread in southeastern Zambia. The tombs of the middle course of the Zambezi River, the Luangwa, Lukusashi and Kafue Rivers are filled with conglomerates, sandstones, tillites, coals, siltstones and basalts of the Karu complex (Upper Carboniferous - Jurassic), which are partially overlain by Cretaceous continental rocks. Significant areas in western Zambia are covered by Quaternary aeolian sediments of the Kalahari group. During the Pliocene-Quaternary in the eastern part of Zambia, riftogenic grabens arose, expressed in relief by mountain valleys with steep slopes (the Luangwe River valley and the middle course of the Zambezi River) and the hollows of the lakes (Mveru, Tanganyika).

Zambia is rich in minerals. The most important are copper and cobalt ores. Zambia is one of the ten countries in the world with the largest reserves of copper.

The main deposits belong to the Meddenos belt of Central Africa.

The ores of the stratiform deposits of this belt (Nchanga, Baluba, Mopani, Nkana, Luanshya, etc.) also contain very large reserves of cobalt. Most of the gold reserves are associated with small gold deposits (Chumbwe, Dunrobin, Matala, etc.) and the Kansanshi copper-pyrite deposit. Deposits of coal (in the south and in the center of the country), pyrite (Nampundwe), nickel (Munali), gemstone raw materials (amethyst, emerald, aquamarine, tourmaline, garnets, placer diamonds), limestone, dolomite, gypsum, clay, are of industrial importance. sand and gravel. In Zambia, deposits of ores of iron, manganese, lead, zinc, silver, selenium, tin, tungsten, uranium, and phosphorus are also known.

Climate. Zambia is located within the subequatorial climate zone.

During the year there is a clear change of three seasons: from May to July, the relatively cool and dry season lasts; from August to October - hot and dry; from November to April - warm and humid. The average temperatures of the warmest month (October) range from 23 ° C in the mountains to 27 ° C in the valleys of the Luangwa River and the middle reaches of the Zambezi, the coldest (July) - from 14 to 22 ° C, frosts are possible at night in the mountains. The amount of precipitation as a whole decreases from northwest to southeast from 1250 to 700 mm per year. More than 1,500 mm of precipitation falls annually on the windward slopes of the Muching Mountains. The most arid regions of the country are the valleys of the middle reaches of the Zambezi and Luangwa rivers (600-700 mm of precipitation per year). Over 80-90% of precipitation falls from January to March.

Inland waters.  The river network is dense and branched. Over 4/5 of the country's territory belongs to the Zambezi river basin.

From its source in northwestern Zambia, the Zambezi River first extends beyond Zambia, but south of 12 ° 30 ’south latitude flows along the southwestern part of the country and along its southern border, taking the largest tributaries of Kafue and Luangwa. Below the confluence of the Chobe River (Linyanti) on the Zambezi is located Victoria Falls - one of the largest in the world in width. The northeastern part of the country is drained by the rivers of the Congo basin: Luapula with a tributary of the Chambesi and others. The rivers of Zambia have mainly rain nutrition. During the rainy season (January - March), flood waters flood extensive areas in the upper Zambezi valley (from the mouth of the Kabompo River to the Ngonje waterfalls for over 100 km), in the valley of the Kafue River and other rivers of Zambia have high hydropower potential. On the Zambezi River - the Kariba reservoir, one of the largest in the world; on the Kafue River - the Itezhi-Tezhi reservoir.

The main lakes of Zambia (Bangweulu, the southeastern part of Lake Mveru, the southern part of Lake Tanganyika, Mveru-Vantipa) are located in troughs of tectonic origin. The area of \u200b\u200blakes is subject to seasonal fluctuations. Wetlands occupy significant areas (the swamps of Lucang, Bangweulu, Mveru-Vantipa, etc.).

Renewable water resources amount to 105 km 3; water supply 9.7 thousand m 3 / person. in year. For household needs, no more than 2% of water resources are used annually (of which 77% is spent on agricultural needs, 16% on municipal water supply, 7% are consumed by industrial enterprises).

Soil, flora and fauna.  In the soil cover, sand and low-power ferrozems predominate. In more humid areas in the north of the country, red ferrallite soils are common; lateritization processes are typical, leading to the formation of solid lateritic crusts with a thickness of up to 6 m. Dark-colored slitozems are developed in the Luangwa River Valley.

In the flora (over 4700 species of vascular plants), 40% are trees and shrubs. Forests and woodlands occupy 57% of the territory of Zambia (2005). The main type of vegetation is dry myombo forests with sparse forest stand mainly from the genera brachystegia, julbernardia, isoberlinia, sometimes replaced by the derived type of vegetation “chipa” (pterocarpus, parinaria, etc.) and secondary acacia savannas. In the most arid regions (the Luangwa Valley and the middle reaches of the Zambezi) savannah woodlands of mopane prevail. In the north-west of the country, small massifs of evergreen forests from cryptosepalum with dense undergrowth and an abundance of vines (combretum, respect, etc.) have been preserved; in the southwest - plots of deciduous forests of Rhodesian teak. Mountain forests are characterized by a high diversity of orchid (over 360 species). In the limits of the dam and river valleys periodically flooded by flood waters, grasslands with temeda, hyparrhenia, ludes, and others are widespread; vegetation of swamps is represented by reeds and papyrus.

Zambian ecosystems are highly diverse in fauna. More than 250 species of mammals are known, including 11 under threat of extinction. Large herbivores are characteristic of miombo and savannah: African elephant, African buffalo, giraffe, rhinoceros (2 species), zebra; various bovids (over 20 species), including Kafuen lychee (endemic to Zambia), sitatunga, impala, large kudu, jumper antelope, blue wildebeest. The number of large predators (lion, leopard) since the 1970s has a tendency to decrease; genets, mongooses, jackals, etc. are more numerous. On some animals (buffalo, impala, lion) there is a limited licensed hunt. The largest representative of the theriofauna of inland waters is the hippo. As part of the avifauna (over 770 species of birds) there are many endemic species. Reptiles are diverse (over 140 species); among them - a Nile crocodile, several species of turtles, an African python. Venomous snakes (Mozambique and Egyptian cobras, black mamba, several species of African vipers) are found everywhere. Over 400 species of fish; Lake Tanganyika is the most diverse and endemic of the ichthyofauna. Among commercial fish, tilapia is especially famous (several species, including Mozambique). Of the insects, termites and mosquitoes are common. Over 1/2 of the territory of Zambia is infected with a tsetse fly - a vector of pathogens of deadly cattle.

To protect rare and endangered species of animals, 77 protected natural areas have been created, occupying about 30% of the country's territory, including 22 national parks with a total area of \u200b\u200b6.34 million hectares (2006). Kafue National Park (2.24 million ha) is one of the largest in the world. Wetlands of international importance include the territories of Lokinvar and Blue Lagoon National Parks; Bangweulu Swamp. Mosi oa Tunya National Park, which includes Zambia's Victoria Falls, is a World Heritage Site.

Lit .: Fanshawe D. B. The vegetation of Zambia. Lusaka, 1971; Dunhan, K.M., Vegetationenvironment relations of a Middle Zambezi floodplain // Plant Ecology. 1989. Vol. 82. X? 1; Zambia Country report. L., 1999; Zambia: millennium development goals. , 2005.

D.V. Soloviev; N. A. Bozhko (geological structure and minerals).

Population

Bantu peoples make up 89.5% of the population (2007, estimate), of which Bemba - 25.5%, Tonga - 11.4%, Lozi - 5.2%, Tony - 4.8%, Luba - 2.3% , Lunda - 2%, Mbunda - 1.4%, Shona - 0.3%, Tetela - 0.3%, Swahili - 0.2%. Of the Khoisan peoples - san (0.5%). Among the rest - Afrikaners (0.4%), Gujaratis (0.2%), Greeks (0.1%).

The high natural population growth (2.1% in 2006) is due to the high birth rate (41 per 1000 inhabitants), more than twice the mortality rate (19.9%). The fertility rate is 5.4 children per 1 woman. Infant mortality is 87 per 1000 live births. The average age of the population is 16.5 years. Young people (under 15 years old) make up 46.3% of the population, people of working age (15-65 years old) - 51.3%, over 65 years old - 2.4% (2006). The average life expectancy is 40 years (men - 39.8 years, women - 40.3 years). There are 99 men per 100 women. The average population density is 15.3 people / km 2. The most densely populated are the provinces of Lusaka (78.1 people / km 2) and Copperbelt (over 52 people / km 2; especially along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a number of large cities are located). Zambia is one of the most urbanized countries in tropical Africa, with about 50% of the population living in cities. Large cities (thousand people, 2007): Lusaka (1347), Kitwe (416), Idol (402), Kabwe (193), Chingola (148). The economically active population is 4.9 million people (2006). 85% of workers are employed in agriculture, 9% in the service sector, and 6% in industry. The unemployment rate is 50% (2000). About 80% of the population lives below the poverty line.

N.V. Vinogradova.

Religion

According to various sources, about 80-85% of the population are Christians (according to other sources, from 50 to 75%), about 10-15% are Muslims and Hindus (according to other sources, from 24 to 49%). Communities of Baha'is and Judaists (Ashkenazi) are not numerous - about 1.5 and less than 1% of the population, respectively (2006-07). Statistics on the number of adherents of local traditional beliefs are not available due to the fact that they are professed by the majority of the population together with other religions (primarily Christianity and Hinduism).

Christians prevail in the north of Zambia in large cities, as well as in the so-called Copper Belt. There are the Zambian diocese (Lusaka chair) of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church, the parishes of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches [Church of the Central African Province (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi)], communities of numerous Protestant denominations. The most influential Protestant organizations: the United Church of Zambia, which includes Reformed, Presbyterian, Congregational and Methodist communities, the Reformed Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Afro-Christian syncretic cults include the Kitavala sect and the Lump Church, whose followers live in the central and northern regions of Zambia (mainly representatives of the Bemba people). In 1992, Zambians were officially proclaimed the “Christian nation”, while maintaining the tradition of religious tolerance.

Sunni Muslims (Hanifites and Shafiites) and Ismailis live in large cities. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, there is a tendency towards the spread of Islam among the poorest rural population.

Historical essay

The oldest monuments of human activity in the territory of Zambia belong to Ashel. The remains of a fossil man (Kabwe and others) were discovered. Later archaeological sites are classified as “sango” cultures, known in much of sub-Saharan Africa; monuments of Nachikuzh culture (polished axes, numerous grater grains, etc.) and, in the south, Wilton traditions are indicative of the Neolithic. In the early Iron Age (no later than the 4th century AD), the culture of Kalambo and others spread to the circle of ceramic cultures “with a grooved (slotted) ornament”. The ethnic composition of the Zambian population was formed as a result of the migrations of the Bantu peoples, who almost completely assimilated the earlier population (Khoisan peoples). With the resettlement of Bantu in Zambia, agriculture, cattle breeding, blacksmithing began to develop, a number of early state associations formed. In the 17-19 centuries, part of modern Zambia was part of the state of Lund. At the end of the 18th century, the Kazembe state formation arose in northeastern Zambia; in the middle of the 18th century, the state of Lozi (Barotse) was formed in the southwestern regions of Zambia, later known as Barotslend.

At the end of the 18th century, the Portuguese began to penetrate Zambia [the expeditions of M. G. Pereira (1796), F. J. di Lacerda i Almeida and F. J. Pinto (1798-99)]. In the mid-19th century, Britain began to show interest in Zambia. In 1890, British South Africa Company (“BSAC”) emissaries imposed a number of agreements on granting concessions for the development of mineral resources to local tribal leaders. In the same year, Great Britain declared this region a sphere of its interests and occupied the eastern regions of the upper Zambezi River, called Southern Rhodesia. In 1891, the colonialists advanced north of the Zambezi River, and Barotseland was declared a protectorate of Great Britain. In 1899, the lands of North-Western Rhodesia passed under the management of BSAC, and in 1900 - the lands of North-Eastern Rhodesia. In 1911, these territories were united and were called Northern Rhodesia. Large copper deposits were discovered here in the early 1920s. In 1923-24, the British government bought administrative functions from BSAC, and then announced a protectorate over Northern Rhodesia. The development of the mining industry contributed to the influx of European settlers. The forcible transfer of Africans to the so-called reserves began, the traditional farming system fell into decay. The otkhodnichestvo spread among the local population (the bulk was occupied on farms and industrial enterprises owned by Europeans).

In the 1940s and 50s, a movement for the country's independence unfolded. In 1946, the first political organization of the indigenous population of Northern Rhodesia was created - the Federation of Welfare Associations. In 1948, a party of Africans was formed on its basis - the Congress of Northern Rhodesia (since 1951 the African National Congress of Northern Rhodesia; ANC), which advocated the mandatory representation of Africans in government, the introduction of universal suffrage on the principle of “one person - one vote”. In 1952, the Congress of African Trade Unions of Northern Rhodesia was created. These political organizations opposed the British plan to unite Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Despite the resistance of the Africans, in 1953, Northern Rhodesia was included in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

In 1958, the National Congress of Zambia headed by K. D. Kaunda (banned by the authorities in 1959) emerged from the ANC. Instead of the National Congress of Zambia, the United National Independence Party (UNIP) was created to lead the national liberation movement, the struggle to eliminate the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. On 29.3.1963, the government of Northern Rhodesia received British official consent to withdraw from the Federation. A constitution was adopted. In January 1964, Northern Rhodesia received self-government. In the same year, general elections to the Legislative Council took place, at which UNIP received a majority of votes. From its representatives, the first African government of Northern Rhodesia was formed, which was headed by Kaunda.

10.24.1964 formed an independent Republic of Zambia (named after the Zambezi River) as part of the British Commonwealth of Nations (see Commonwealth). Kaunda became its president. The constitution came into force, according to which the lands transferred by the colonialists from the Africans became state property, reserves were abolished, a multi-party system was consolidated. In the same year, Zambia became a member of the UN, OAU, Non-Aligned Movement, and established diplomatic relations with the USSR.

In 1967, the UNIP National Council approved the program of the Humanism in Zambia party developed by KD Kaunda, which set the task of building democratic socialism in Zambia based on traditional African institutions of mutual assistance. In 1968, a new economic policy was proclaimed, the priority areas of which were the reduction in the share of foreign investment, the promotion of national entrepreneurship, the nationalization of the copper industry and other sectors of the economy. In December 1972, a one-party management system was introduced in Zambia (the 1973 constitution approved this principle).

In the 1970s, as a result of lower world prices for copper, the value of Zambian exports fell sharply, and the country's economy entered into a protracted crisis. Government measures to improve the situation did not bring visible results. Rising prices, unemployment, and interruptions in the supply of basic foodstuffs destabilized the situation in the country. In the late 1980s, mass demonstrations by opponents of Kaunda began in Zambia. 11/30/1990 under pressure from the opposition a law was passed on a multi-party system. In December of the same year, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (DMD) was registered in Zambia, the slogans of which were the democratization of the country, the fight against corruption, and the improvement of living standards. In the following months, 11 more parties were officially recognized. In the elections of October 31, 1991, the DMD won the majority of seats in parliament; the leader of the DMD, F.J.T., became the president of Zambia. Chiluba (born 1943), who for a long time headed the Congress of Trade Unions of the country.

The victory of the opposition did not lead to an improvement in the domestic political situation. In March 1993, the government declared UNIP activities illegal and introduced a 3-month state of emergency. In May 1996, the parliament introduced amendments to the country's constitution (adopted in 1991), according to which only people who had Zambian parents and had lived in Zambia for at least 20 years could run for president. C. D. Kaunda, the main political rival of F.J. T. Chiluba in the upcoming elections, lost the opportunity to run for president (his father was from Malawi). UNIP and 6 other opposition parties boycotted the election. 11/18/1996 Chiluba was re-elected for a second term, and the DMD got 131 out of 150 seats in parliament.

The opposition, dissatisfied with the election results, filed a lawsuit in the supreme court and tried to inspire the mass protests. The culmination of the political struggle was an unsuccessful coup attempt undertaken by the military on 10/28/1997. The government introduced a state of emergency (persisted until February 1998), C. D. Kaunda was arrested. Actions F.J.T. Chiluba were negatively received by the international community, the IMF and the World Bank suspended funding for most of Zambia's assistance programs (except for targeted ones).

On December 27, 2001, the candidate from DMD, L.P. Mwanavas (born 1948), was elected president of the country. He accused Chiluba and his entourage of illegally using public funds. The opposition disputed the results of the 2001 elections, and demanded impeachment of the president. The struggle for parliamentary seats in parliament continued. Gradually, Mwanavasa managed to stabilize the situation, representatives of opposition parties were included in the government. In 2003, as part of the constitutional reform, the rights of the deliberative body, the House of Leaders, were expanded. On September 28, 2006, Mwanawasa was re-elected president of Zambia. In the parliamentary elections, DMD won a landslide victory. The government of Mwanawasa aims to implement programs of socio-economic transformation, the fight against poverty and corruption.

Lit .: The history of Zambia in modern and recent times. M., 1990; Sichone O., Chikulo B. Democracy in Zambia: challenges for the Third Republic. Harare 1996; Chuvaeva M.A., Ksenofontova N.A. Republic of Zambia: Directory. M., 1996; Prokopenko L. Ya. Zambia: features of the formation of a multi-party system (90s). M., 2000; Modern African leaders. Political portraits. M., 2001; Stock R. F. Africa south of the Sahara. L .; N. Y., 2004.

L. Ya. Prokopenko.

Household

Zambia belongs to the group of the least developed countries of the world, it largely depends on foreign aid (mainly from the USA, EU countries, Japan, Canada), as well as from IMF assistance. The economy is export-oriented and depends on world prices for copper (the country's main export product). The government’s policy is aimed at diversifying the economy, manufacturing, agriculture, energy and foreign tourism are declared priority areas (2002) ($ 117 million, about 500 thousand tourists; 2002). Since the end of the 20th century, the privatization of state-owned companies has been ongoing. According to official figures, by the beginning of the 2000s, 257 state and semi-state enterprises were privatized; 56% of privatized companies are acquired by Zambian entrepreneurs.

The volume of GDP is 11.5 billion dollars (purchasing power parity; 2006), per capita - 1000 dollars. Real GDP growth of 6% (2006). Human Development Index 0.394 (2003; 166th place among 177 countries of the world). In the structure of GDP, the service sector accounts for 51.2%, industry - 28.9%, and agriculture - 19.9%.

Industry. The basis of the economy is the extraction and processing of copper ore. The peak of production occurred in 1969 (720 thousand tons of refined copper), but a fall in the world market since the mid-1970s led to a decrease in production volumes (227.4 thousand tons in 2000) and export earnings. The increase in production (336.8 thousand tons in 2002; 600 thousand tons in 2006; the number of jobs in the industry: 35 thousand in 2001; 48 thousand in 2004) and copper exports since the beginning of the 21st century is largely due to a new increase in world metal prices and high and steady demand for it from the PRC. The main developed deposits of copper and copper-nickel ores are concentrated in the central part of Zambia, in the province of Copperbelt (Nchanga, Baluba, Konkola, Mufulira, Luanshya, Nkana, etc.); Kansanshi field is being developed in the eastern part of the country (since 2003); In the north-west, the Australian company Equinox Copper Ventures Ltd. is building (2007; planned for completion in 2009) Africa’s largest Lumwan mine. The leading companies are Konkola Copper Mines (51% of the shares are owned by the British Vedanta Resources, 28.4% by Zambia Copper Investments Ltd. and 20.6% by Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines-IH; over 200 thousand tons copper per year), Mopani Copper Mines (73.1% of the shares are Swiss Giencore International AG, 16.9% are First Quantum Minerals Ltd. and 10% are Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines IH; about 175 thousand tons of copper per year) and Luanshya Copper Mines (85% of the shares in the Swiss J&W Investment Group of Switzerland and 15% in Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines; about 24 thousand tons of copper per year). The largest copper smelter is located in Kitwe (capacity up to 200 thousand tons of copper per year), other plants - in Mufulir, Ndol, Nchang, Luanshye. Copper export over 450 thousand tons (2006). Copper is exported mainly through the ports of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Durban (South Africa). Zambia is the world's second largest producer of cobalt extracted from complex copper-cobalt ores (7.8 thousand tons in 2004; about 20% of world production); factories in Kitwe (over 2 thousand tons per year), Luanshie, Nchang. Pyrite is also mined (Nampundwe; 280 thousand tons in 2004), nickel (Munali), coal (280 thousand tons in 2004), gemstone raw materials (thousand kg, 2004): amethysts 1100, tourmaline 26, aquamarines 8, emeralds 2.1 , garnets, a small amount of diamonds, malachite.

Zambia fully covers electricity needs from its own resources. Electricity production 9.96 billion kWh, consumption 6.69 billion kWh, export 2.98 billion kWh (mainly to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe; 2004). Most of the electricity is generated at the Kafue Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station on the Kafue River, Kariba North and Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River.

There is an oil refinery in Ndola (6.2 thousand tons of oil products in 2004; oil comes from the Tanzania pipeline). Chemical enterprises (factories in Lusaka, Kitwe; production of explosives in Mufulir, fertilizers and sulfuric acid in Kafue, Kitwe, glycerol in Ndola), metal processing (Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola, Mufulira, Luanshya), textile (Lusaka, Kafue), food , woodworking (Mulobesi), paper industry. On the basis of local raw materials (dolomite, limestone, gypsum, feldspar) glass (Kapiri-Mposhi) and cement (Chilanga, Ndola) plants operate. Auto assembly in Ndola (trucks of the Toyota, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen brands), Lusaka, Livingston (cars). Tractor production in Livingston, bicycle factory in Mufulir.

Agriculture.  Agriculture is inefficient, most of the food is imported. Subsistence farms prevail; there are few large plantation farms (mainly owned by Europeans). A small part (about 7%) of arable land is cultivated. In order to increase agricultural production and increase food self-sufficiency, measures are being taken to increase the diversity of farmed crops, create new agricultural zones, and combat drought. In 2003-05, the harvest of corn, the main food crop, increased by 92.5% and amounted to 1161 thousand tons. Horticulture is developing rapidly (fruit collection of 74 thousand tons in 2005). They also grow (harvest, thousand tons; 2005): sugar cane 1800, cassava 950, wheat 135, yam 53, peanuts 42, millet 35, coffee 6.9, tobacco 4.8. Since the early 2000s, Zambia began exporting tobacco, corn, cotton fiber, and fruit. Cattle breeding is limited due to the widespread occurrence of tropical diseases, in particular trypanosomiasis transmitted through tsetse fly bites. Measures are being taken to reduce livestock mortality; serious attention is being paid to vaccination. Fishing (annual catch is about 70 thousand tons).

Transport. The length of roads is 91.4 thousand km, of which 20.1 thousand km are paved (2001). The length of railways is 2173 km. Main railway lines: Ndola-Kabwe-Lusaka-Livingston and further to Zimbabwe and Ndola-Kapiri-Mposhi-Mpika-Nakonda and further to Tanzania. 10 airports have a paved runway. International airports in Lusaka (strip length over 3 thousand m), Ndola, Livingston. The length of the waterways is 2250 km (including Lake Tanganyika, the Zambezi and Luapulu rivers). The main port is Mpulungu (on the southern shore of Lake Tanganyika; cargo turnover is about 50 thousand tons per year). The length of the oil pipelines is 771 km (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Idol, the total length of 1700 km; 2006).

Foreign economic relations.  The value of merchandise exports is $ 3.9 billion, imports are $ 3.1 billion (2006). The main export items: copper (64% of the value), cobalt, electricity. Main trading partners: China, Japan, countries of Southeast Asia, the Near and Middle East, Switzerland, South Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zimbabwe. Imported machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizers, food, clothing mainly from South Africa, the UK, Zimbabwe.

Lit.: Aleksandrov Yu.A., Lipets Yu. G. Zambia. M., 1973; Chuvaeva M.A., Ksenofontova N.A. Zambia: Directory. M., 1996; Business Zambia: Economics and Relations with Russia. 1999-2002. M., 2003; Zambia - Malawi - Mozambique. Growth triangle. Nairobi, 2003.

N.V. Vinogradova.

Military establishment

The Zambian Armed Forces comprise 15.1 thousand people (2006), and consists of the Ground Forces (SV) and the Air Force. There are also paramilitary groups (1.4 thousand people). The military annual budget is $ 48.1 million (2005). The commander in chief of the armed forces is the president of the country. The direct leadership of the Armed Forces is carried out by the Minister of Defense.

SV (13.5 thousand people) include 3 brigades, 3 regiments (tank, artillery, engineering) and 9 infantry battalions. The SV is armed with 60 tanks, 90 armored personnel carriers, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, about 240 field artillery guns, MLRS and mortars, 200 air defense systems and MANPADS. The Air Force (1.6 thousand people) incorporate air squadrons and air defense units. The Air Force has about 100 aircraft and about 10 helicopters of various types. Armament and military equipment produced by China, USSR, Great Britain and France. Acquisition for hire (men and women aged 18-25 years). The duration of the contract is 7 years. Training of command personnel and military specialists is carried out in the military educational institutions of the country and abroad. Mobilization resources amount to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million people fit for military service.

Healthcare Sport

In Zambia, there are 12 doctors, 174 paramedical personnel, 4 dentists, 10 pharmacists, 27 midwives per 100,000 inhabitants (2004). Total health expenditures account for 5.4% of GDP (budget financing - 51.4%, private sector - 48.6%). The legal regulation of the health system is carried out by the constitution; laws on the protection of the external and aquatic environment (1993-2002), the National AIDS Policy (2002). The main causes of death are AIDS, cardiovascular disease, cancer, tuberculosis (2004).

The National Olympic Committee was created and recognized by the IOC in 1964. Zambian athletes have been participating in the Olympic Games since 1964. The most popular sports are football, athletics, weightlifting, basketball, wrestling, field hockey and others. The Zambian national football team played twice in the Africa Cup finals (1972 and 1994).

V.S. Nechaev (healthcare).

Education. Institutions of science and culture

The education system includes preschool education for children 3-6 years old; compulsory free primary education - junior (grades 1-4) and senior (grades 5-7). In urban schools, everyone who has completed the junior level can continue to study at the senior level; in rural schools, exams are held for such a transition. The term of study in high school is 5 years: 2 years in the youngest and 3 years in high school. Vocational education is carried out for 2-5 years on the basis of elementary schools and junior secondary schools in lower vocational schools and vocational schools. In 2004, 80% of students were enrolled in primary school, 24% in secondary school. The literacy rate of the population over the age of 15 years was 68%. Higher education is given by the University of Zambia (1965), the National Institute of Public Administration (1963) and colleges - applied arts and commerce (1963), on the development of national resources (1964) - all in Lusaka; Copperbelt University (until 1987 a branch of the University of Zambia); Northern Technical College (1960) in Ndola; Zambian College of Agriculture (1947) in Mans; teacher training colleges in Kabwa, Kasama, Livingston and other cities. Among the scientific institutions: Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (1926), Engineering Institute (1955), National Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (1967) - all in Lusaka; Central Institute of Fisheries (1965) in Chilang; Inter-African Development Institute of East and South Africa (1979) in Kabwa; Tropical Disease Research Center (1976) in Ndola. Public Library in Ndola (1934), City Library in Lusaka (1943), etc. National Museums: in Livingston (1934; natural history, archeology, ethnography, history of Zambia, African art, collection of personal items of D. Livingstone) and Lusaka (1964 ); Railway Museum in Livingston (1972), the Moto-Moto Museum in Mbale, the Copperbelt Provincial Museum in Ndole (1962). Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Chingola (1983), etc.

Lit .: Educating our future: national policy on education. Lusaka, 1996; Kelly M. J. The origins and development of education in Zambia: from pre-colonial times of 1996. Lusaka, 1999.

Mass media

Daily newspapers are published in English: government - Zambia Daily Mail (since 1960), Times of Zambia (since 1943), Zambia Government Gazette; independent "Post". The position of the church reflects "National Mirror" (published 2 times a week). Monthly newspapers in African languages: Imbila (since 1953, on Bemba), Intanda (since 1958, on Tonga), Tsopano (since 1958, on Tonga), Liseli (on Lozi). Government News Agency - Zambia News Agency (ZANA; since 1969). Radio broadcasting since 1939, television since 1961. The Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (since 1958, modern name since 1988) broadcasts television (in English) and radio programs (in English and African languages).

L. Ya. Prokopenko.

Literature

Zambian literature has evolved from the 2nd half of the 20th century on the basis of folklore traditions. It is developed primarily in English, as well as in local languages. The first literary works in Bemba and Luba languages \u200b\u200bwere published in 1962 (a collection of laudatory songs by J. Chilei Civale, a collection of poems by J. Musapu Alamango). At the end of the 1960s, literary associations were created (the “Group of New Writers”, “Mfala Creative Society”, etc.), which published journals in local languages \u200b\u200bwith parallel text in English; in 1978 - Zambian National Writers Association. Since the 1970s, works in English have appeared, including the first novels: “Before Dawn” by A. Masiye (1970) - a chronicle of the life of a tribal village in the 1930s and 40s; “The Language of the Fool” by D. Mulaisio (1971) on the confrontation between the leader of the tribe and the young fighter for independence; historical "Between Two Worlds" G. Sibale (1979). The novels of the 1970s, describing the traditional way of life of the African community, are characterized by an educational orientation. The Zambian Association of Women Writers (ZAWWA) was founded in the 1980s; feminist themes are being developed in the literature. Literature of the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries raises the problem of the coexistence of traditional and new ways of life in African society, describes the complex socio-political processes taking place in Zambia (novels “Behind the closed door” S. Chitabanta, 1992; “Arrows of desire” B. Sinyangwe, 1993 , and etc.).

N. S. Frolova.

Fine Arts and Architecture

Rock paintings and petroglyphs were discovered in the northern and eastern regions of Zambia, the earliest of which date back to the 4th millennium BC. Murals made with mineral paints (most often red, yellow, white, black) are schematic images of animals (elephants, antelopes, ostriches), people, hunting scenes, or simply colorful combinations of straight and curved lines. The most common type of public dwelling is round huts with clay or wattle walls, with a conical reed roof, the overhang of which forms a veranda. Walls covered with clay are decorated with multicolored painted stylized drawing. In the north (near the Luapula River), huts are tightly grouped around the square with the leader’s house. Several villages share a common picket fence. In the south (Tonga Plateau), manor houses of 2-3 huts surrounded by a fence are freely scattered around the leader’s manor, consisting of 10-15 huts. From the end of the 20th century, fences began to disappear gradually, villages received a regular layout, rectangular houses in raw plan were placed along the streets under a 4-pitched reed roof, with a veranda and glazed windows. The cities of Zambia (Lusaka, Livingston, Ndola, etc.) that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century are relatively small, have wide streets and free low-rise buildings made of reinforced concrete and raw brick. A tourist complex was created near Victoria Falls, the constructions of which are stylized as a folk dwelling (1975).

The traditional fine art is dominated by a wooden round sculpture: mainly figures of people of very elongated and distorted proportions, supporting the seats of chairs, benches, thrones; sometimes they are combined into dynamic compositions. Various household objects are also decorated with carvings of people and animals - spoons, headrests, combs, pestles for grinding tobacco, lids of oval bowls. Pottery is also widespread: molded clay vessels with scratched geometric ornaments, clay smoking pipes decorated with figures of people or animals (hippos, buffalos, antelopes). From palm leaves and reeds, mats, baskets with colored geometric ornaments are woven into which schematized images of animals and birds are woven. Jewelry is made from silver, copper, malachite, soapstone. Zambian professional art arose in the 20th century; among the artists are the monumental painter R. Sililo, the painters G. Tayali, R. Sichalve, B. Kabamba, the sculptors P. Lombe, R. Kausu, B. Kalulu and others.

Lit .: Lusaka and its environs; a geographical study of a planned capital city in tropical Africa / Ed. G. J. Williams. Lusaka, 1986; Lorenz B., Plesner M. Traditional Zambian pottery. L., 1989.

V.L. Voronin.

Music

The earliest monuments of musical culture in the territory of Zambia are iron bells of the 5-7th centuries. A significant layer of professional oral culture is made up of ritual and various ceremonial songs and dances by Bemba, Tonga, Lozi (royal drums are preserved), Lunda, and among the Malawi peoples - Cheva (singing and dancing in zoo- and anthropomorphic masks) and Nsenga. In the 18-19 centuries, the music of the Western Christian church spread; song styles were formed in which local and European elements were mixed. In the 1950s and 1980s, new musical and dance genres such as jive, macwaya, and many others penetrated into Zambia from neighboring Central and South African countries, and American film music, jazz, soul, reggae, disco, and other popular Western styles spread. After independence, many bands were organized in the country, performing traditional and modern Zambian music. A regular study of traditional music has been conducted since the beginning of the 20th century, the activities of the Department of Arts and Culture and the Institute for African Studies (founded in 1937) at the University of Zambia in Lusaka are aimed at its preservation and development.

Zambia  - a state in the south of Central Africa. In the north it borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania, in the east with Malawi, in the southeast with Mozambique, in the south with Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia, in the west with Angola.

The name comes from the name of the Zambezi River.

Capital

Area

Population

9770 thousand people

Administrative division

The state is divided into 9 provinces.

Form of government

Republic.

Head of state

President, elected for a term of 5 years.

Supreme legislative body

Unicameral Parliament (National Assembly).

Supreme executive body

Government (Cabinet of Ministers).

Big cities

Ndola, Livingston, Cabwe.

Official language

English.

Religion

60% are pagans, 30% are Christians.

Ethnic composition

98.7% are Bantu peoples, 1.1% are Europeans.

Currency

Kwacha \u003d 100 ngway.

Climate

Despite the fact that Zambia is located in the tropical zone, the climate in the country is mild subtropical. The average annual temperature is + 19 ° C. The rainy season lasts from November to March. Annual precipitation ranges from 700 mm in the south to 1,500 mm in the north.

Flora

Almost the entire territory of the state is occupied by the savannah, where a large number of baobabs and acacias are found, teak forests grow in the southwest. In the valleys, tropical rainforests are common.

Fauna

The animal kingdom of Zambia is characterized by an elephant, a lion, a rhinoceros, several species of antelopes, a zebra, a jackal, a hyena, and a crocodile. Lives a large number of snakes and birds. Ostriches are rare. Termites, mosquitoes, tsetse flies are common.

Rivers and lakes

The main rivers are the Zambezi and its tributaries Kafue and Luangwa, as well as Luapula and Chambeshi. The largest lakes are Bangweulu, the southern part of Lake Tanganyika, the eastern part of Yemru and Kariba - the largest reservoir.

sights

National parks, Victoria Falls, as well as the city of Kabwe, near which the remains of a "Rhodesian man" who lived at the same time as a Neanderthal were found. There is an Anthropological Museum in the capital.

Useful information for tourists

The most common type of housing is round huts with clay or wicker walls and a conical reed roof. Traditions and the consciousness of belonging to one’s clan play an exceptional role in the life of Zambians, determining their daily behavior. Two systems of kinship are common: patri-linear - kinship along the male line and matrilineal - along the female line. The first is found in Tonga, the second - in Bemba. Zambia attracts foreign tourists with its pristine nature: 19 national parks, one of the largest Victoria Falls in the world. Not far from Livingston is the cultural center of Maramba - an ethnographic open-air museum: more than 50 buildings represent typical dwellings of different nations. Near them, folk craftsmen demonstrate their art in traditional crafts.

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• Zambezi
  The fourth longest river in Africa. The basin area is 1,570,000 km² and its length is 2,574 km. The source of the river is in Zambia, the river flows through Angola, along the border of Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, to Mozambique, where it flows into the Indian Ocean. The most important attraction of the Zambezi is Victoria Falls, one of the greatest waterfalls in the world.
• Kalungwy
  River in Zambia. It flows through the north-eastern part of the country, in the provinces of North and Luapula. At first it flows about 150 km to the west, and then another 70 km to the north-west. It falls into the large lake Mveru, located on the border of Zambia with the DRC. The length is 220 km, the basin area is 45,000 km². Non-navigable.
• Kafue
  A river in Africa flows through the territory of Zambia. It is a left tributary of the Zambezi River. The length of the river is from 960 km to 1577 km, its catchment area is 154 829 km². Average water consumption - 314 m³ / s. On the Kafue River, in the period from 1974 to 1977, the Iteji-Teji Dam was built. The dam has a height of 62 m, a length of 1800 m and a reservoir area of \u200b\u200b390 km².
• Luangwa
  River in Africa, left tributary of the Zambezi. It is about 770 km long and has a basin area of \u200b\u200b145,700 km². It originates west of the northern tip of Lake Nyasa, flows into the Zambezi River near the city of Luangwa. It flows through the territory of Zambia, in the lower reaches it is a border river between Zambia and Mozambique. It is one of the largest rivers in South Africa and one of the main tributaries of the Zambezi.
• Luapula
  The river in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, almost along its entire length, makes up the border between these states. Connects Lake Bangweulu and Lake Mveru. It is considered one of the upper reaches of the Congo River. The river gave the name of one of the provinces of Zambia - Luapula. Before flowing into Lake Mveru (the last 100 km), Luapula is divided into several branches, forming a delta, which is most often called Luapula swamps.
• Lungwebungu
  River in Angola and Zambia. The inflow of the Zambezi. The origins are in central Angola at an altitude of about 1400 m, flowing in the direction to the southeast. It has a floodplain from 3 to 5 km wide, poured during the rainy season. Length - 645 kilometers. The river is extremely winding. It flows into the Zambezi 105 km north of Mongu, being its largest tributary in the upper reaches. This river, like many other rivers in south-central Africa, has high seasonal fluctuations, they are crowded during the rainy season and extremely dry in the dry season.
• Chambeshi
  River in Zambia. The source is located in the mountains in the north-east of Zambia, not far from Lake Tanganyika, at an altitude of 1760 m above sea level. It flows in a southerly direction, after 480 km it flows into the Luapula River. At the end of the rainy season in May, the river brings large bodies of water that replenish the swamps and flood the vast floodplain in the southeast, supporting the Bangweulu wetland ecosystem. Then the water from the swamps flows through the Luapula River.