Zambia Overview

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 country but is already famous for its canoeing safaris with spectacular wildlife hemmed in along the river valley by steep escarpments. Further north, the Bangweulu flood plains are home to a magnificent variety of both indigenous and migratory birds. Shiwa Ng'andu and Gore-Brown's famous English mansion lies to the east, with the Kalambo Falls and the Nsumba National Park to the north along the shores of Lake Tanganyika and the Great African Rift Valley.