Zambia

Brief History

Once called Northern Rhodesia, what is now Zambia was run by a British company from 1891 until 1923, when Britain took it over and ran it.

In 1964 the country became a republic independent of Britain. The country's name was changed to Zambia, after the Zambezi River which runs through the country.

The first president was Kenneth David Kaunda, who allowed only one political party, that of his government. In 1991, because of public pressure , other political parties were allowed and there was a multi-party election and a change of government was the result. However there was continued pressure on opposition parties and a great deal of government corruption. The elections in 2006 were declared to be fair and free of corruption.

Language
The official language is English and all business is conducted in that language. There are over 73 African languages spoken in Zambia.

Money
The Zambian currency is the Kwacha (ZMK), divided into 100 ngwee, but the coins now have little value and are not used very much.

Climate
It is warm all year round, but there are three seasons:
December to April the weather is hot and wet;
May to August it is cooler and dry;
September to November it is hot and dry.

Environmental problems
There is air pollution and chemical runoff into water storage areas as a result of mining in some places. Poaching seriously threatens the numbers of rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cats. There is deforestation and soil erosion that threaten some areas with becoming deserts. Inadequate water treatment is causing health risks to humans.

Some geographical features

The Zambezi River is the fourth longest river in Africa, and the largest African river flowing into the Indian Ocean. It is 3540 km long. It starts in Zambia, flows through Angola along the borders of Nambibia and Botswana, into Zambia again, then through Zimbabwe and flows into the Indian Ocean at Mozambique.

The Zambezi's most spectacular feature is the Victoria Falls, but there are other amazing waterfalls such as the Cavuma Falls and the Ngonye Falls.

The river is used to generate hydro-electric power to Zambia and Zimbabwe at the Kariba Dam and to Mozambique and South Africa at the Cahora Bassa Dam.

There are distinct differences along the river, known as Upper Zambezi, Middle Zambezi and Lower Zambezi.
Go here to read more about the Zambezi River: http://www.zambia-the-african-safari.com/zambezi-river.html

Victoria Falls
These spectacular waterfalls of the Zambezi River are on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The huge columns of spray can be seen from many kilometres away as the river pours over a cliff edge about 2 kilometres wide and falls about 100 metres into a gorge and then through a pass to resume its journey.

Zambezi River - Victoria Falls: photograph © [2007] Jupiterimages Corporation

The Victoria Falls are world famous but there are other spectacular waterfalls in Zambia. Go here to read about Victoria Falls and the other waterfalls: http://www.zambiatourism.com/travel/places/waterfal.htm

Lake Tanganyika
The lake is huge, like an inland sea. It is the longest freshwater lake in the world, and the second deepest. It stretches 677 kilometres north-south and is about 50 kilometres wide. Parts of the lake are in the countries of Zambia, Tanzania, Burundi, Congo Democratic Republic.

Lake Tanganyika has over 350 species of fish, most of which are endemic, which means they are found nowhere else. New species (kinds) of fish are still being discovered in the lake.

Go here to read about other special features of Zambia:
http://www.zambiatourism.com/

Wildlife
Zambia is home to many animals, such as zebra, elephants, rhinoceros and big cats. People travel to Zambia to go on safari to see them in the wild and photograph them.

Go here to find out more about Zambia's wildlife and National Parks
http://www.zambiatourism.com/travel/wildlife/wildlife.htm
http://www.lastminutesafari.com/zambia_parks_safari.html

If you use any part of this in your own work, acknowledge the source in your bibliography like this:
Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Zambia [online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2010)