Portal:Zambia
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The Republic of Zambia (IPA: [ˈzæmbɪə]), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is Lusaka, located in the southeast of the country. The population is concentrated mainly around the capital and the Copperbelt to the northwest.
Zambia has been inhabited for thousands of years by hunter-gatherers and migrating tribes. After sporadic visits by European explorers starting in the 18th century, Zambia was gradually claimed and occupied by the British as protectorate of Northern Rhodesia towards the end of the nineteenth century. On 24 October 1964, the protectorate gained independence with a new name derived from the Zambezi river which flows through Zambia. After independence the country moved towards a system of one party rule with Kenneth Kaunda as president. Kaunda dominated Zambian politics until multiparty elections were held in 1991.
Northern Rhodesia in south central Africa was a territory initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia. Although it had features of a charter colony the territory's treaties and charter gave it protectorate status. From 1924 it was administered by the United Kingdom government as an official British protectorate. Northern Rhodesia became independent in 1964 as Zambia.
The geographical, as opposed to political, term "Rhodesia" refers to a region generally comprising the areas that are today Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Kenneth David Kaunda, (born April 28, 1924) was the first President of Zambia, serving from October 24, 1964 to November 2, 1991. Kaunda was the youngest child of the Reverend David Kaunda, an ordained Church of Scotland missionary and teacher. He originally trained as a teacher but gave up teaching 1951 to become the Organising Secretary of the Northern Rhodesian African National Congress for Northern Province, and in 1953 he became the Secretary General of the party. However, after differences with the the party president, Harry Nkumbula, Kaunda left to form the Zambian African National Congress (ZANC) in 1958 but was imprisoned in 1959 after the new party was banned. While Kaunda was in prison, several nationalists broke away from the ANC and formed United National Independence Party as a successor to ZANC. When Kaunda was released from prison in January 1960 he was elected President of UNIP. In July 1961 Kaunda organized a civil disobedience campaign in Northern Province, which consisted of burning schools and blocking roads. Kaunda ran as a UNIP candidate during the 1962 elections, which resulted in a UNIP–ANC Coalition Government, with Kaunda as Minister of Local Government and Social Welfare. UNIP won the 1964 general election under the new Constitution and Kaunda was appointed Prime Minister. On 24 October 1964 he became the first President of independent Zambia. (continued...)
- November 21 - Television company Supersport promises $2.7 million to the Football Association of Zambia in sponsorship. BBC Sport
- October 22 - Patrick Phiri is to be coach for the Zambian football team in the African Cup of Nations. BBC Sport
Kalambo Falls on the Kalambo River is a 772ft (235m) single drop waterfall on the border of Zambia and Tanzania at the southeast end of Lake Tanganyika. The falls are the second-highest uninterrupted falls in Africa (after South Africa's Tugela Falls). Downstream of the falls the Kalambo Gorge which has a width of about 1 km and a depth of up to 300 m runs for about 5 km before opening out into the Lake Tanganyika rift valley.
- The official language of Zambia is English, but between 43 and 70 languages are spoken.
- The Victoria Falls in the south-west corner of Zambia are 100 metres high and 1.6 kilometres wide.
- The highest point in Zambia is found in the Mafinga Hills. The point is at a height of 2,301 metres.
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