Zambia

Overview

Zambia lies in the very heart of Africa. Most of the country is high plateau (1000-1400m locally rising to over 2000m) covered by savannah and forests, straddling the Congo and Zambezi river basins. To the south, this plateau is cut by deep valleys of the Upper Zambezi, Kafui and Luangwa Rivers flowing east into the Indian Ocean. To the north, Lakes Bangweulu, Mweru and Tanganyika drain northwest into the Congo River and the South Atlantic. Lusaka, the capital, is a sprawling unplanned metropolis in the southern part of the country, with the 'Copperbelt' mining towns of Ndola, Kitwe, Chingola and Luanshya, the source of the country's mineral wealth. Further south, the former capital Livingston lies close to the Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world. Famously described by the local Kolola tribe as the 'Smoke that Thunders', the Zambezi river pours over a 2km wide basalt ledge into a deep narrow gorge, flowing east towards Lake Kariba and the Kariba dam. Truly a scene "so lovely it must have been gazed on by angels in their flight" (Livingston 1857). There are more than 19 national parks and 31 game reserves dotted around the country. South Luangwa is considered one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world. The 'walking safari' originated in this park as the best way to see the enormous diversity of animals and birds along the Luangwa River and its ox-bow lagoons. The Lower Zambezi Game Reserve is one of the newest in the...more

History

The indigenous hunter-gatherer occupants of Zambia began to be displaced or absorbed by more advanced migrating tribes about 2 000 years ago. The major waves of Bantu-speaking immigrants began in the 15th century with the greatest influx between the late 17th and early 19th centuries. They came primarily from the Luba and Lunda tribes of southern Zaire and northern Angola but were joined in the 19th century by Ngoni peoples from the south. By the latter part of that century the various peoples of Zambia were largely established in the areas they currently occupy. Except for an occasional Portuguese explorer the area lay untouched by Europeans for centuries. After the mid-19th century it was penetrated by Western explorers missionaries and traders. David Livingstone in 1855 was the first European to see the magnificent falls on the Zambezi River. He named the falls after Queen Victoria and the Zambian town near the falls is named after him. In 1888 Cecil Rhodes spearheading British commercial and political interests in Central Africa obtained a mineral rights concession from local chiefs. In the same year Northern and Southern Rhodesia (now Zambia and Zimbabwe respectively) were proclaimed a British sphere of influence. Southern Rhodesia was annexed formally and granted self-government in 1923 and the administration of Northern Rhodesia was transferred to the British colonial office in 1924 as a protectorate. In 1953 both Rhodesias were joined with Nyasaland (now Malawi) to form the...more