Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a
landlocked country at the crossroads of
Central,
Southern and
East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bordered to the north by the
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Tanzania to the north-east,
Malawi to the east,
Mozambique to the southeast,
Zimbabwe and
Botswana to the south,
Namibia to the southwest, and
Angola to the west. The capital city of Zambia is
Lusaka, located in the south-central part of Zambia. The population is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the
Copperbelt Province to the north, the core economic hubs of the country.
On 24 October 1964, Zambia became independent of the United Kingdom and prime minister
Kenneth Kaunda became the inaugural
president. Kaunda's
socialistUnited National Independence Party (UNIP) maintained power from 1964 until 1991. Kaunda played a key role in regional diplomacy, cooperating closely with the United States in search of solutions to conflicts in
Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Angola, and Namibia. From 1972 to 1991 Zambia was a
one-party state with UNIP as the sole legal political party under the motto "One Zambia, One Nation" coined by Kaunda. Kaunda was succeeded by
Frederick Chiluba of the
social-democraticMovement for Multi-Party Democracy in 1991, beginning a period of socio-economic development and government decentralisation. Zambia has since become a multi-party state and has experienced several peaceful transitions of power.
Image 4GDP per capita (current), compared to neighbouring countries (world average = 100) (from Zambia)
Image 5The Kalonga of the
Chewa today descends from the Kalonga (rulers) of the Maravi Empire. (from History of Zambia)
Image 6A drawing of Lunda houses by a Portuguese. The size of the doorways relative to the building emphasizes the scale of the buildings. (from History of Zambia)
Image 7An 1864 photograph of the Scottish explorer and missionary
David Livingstone. (from Zambia)
Image 8Tribal and linguistic map of Zambia (from Zambia)
Image 10Ancient (but graffitied) Rock Art in Nsalu Cave, Kasanka National Park in North-Central Zambia. (from Zambia)
Image 11The kalonga (ruler) of the
AChewa today descends from the kalonga of the Maravi Empire. (from Zambia)
Image 12Three young
Ngoni chiefs. The Ngoni made their way into
Eastern Zambia from
KwaZulu in South Africa. They eventually assimilated into the local ethnic groups. (from Zambia)
Image 16Lukasa memory board, was used by members of Mbudye (an association of
groits in charge of maintaining Baluba history) (from History of Zambia)
Image 17A drawing of
Lunda houses by a Portuguese visitor. The size of the doorways relative to the building emphasizes the scale of the buildings. (from Zambia)
Image 18Inside the palace of the
Litunga, ruler of the Lozi. Due to the flooding on the Zambezi, the Litunga has two palaces one of which is on higher ground. The movement of Litunga to higher land is celebrated at the
Kuomboka Ceremony (from Zambia)
Image 19Zambia National Assembly building in
Lusaka (from Zambia)
Image 20Batonga fisherwomen in Southern Zambia. Women have and continue to play important roles in many African societies. (from History of Zambia)
Image 21GDP per capita (current), compared to neighbouring countries (world average = 100) (from Zambia)
Image 26A drawing of
Lunda houses by a Portuguese visitor. The size of the doorways relative to the building emphasizes the scale of the buildings. (from Zambia)
Image 27The kalonga (ruler) of the
AChewa today descends from the kalonga of the Maravi Empire. (from Zambia)
Image 28Drawing of the ruler of
Lunda,
Mwata Kazembe, receiving Portuguese in the royal courtyard in the 1800s (from Zambia)
Image 29S.M Chisembele, Cabinet Minister Western Province. (from History of Zambia)
Image 34Seated female Staffs of office (Kibango), were displayed by
Luba kings. In Luba society, women's bodies were considered the ultimate vessels of spiritual power. (from History of Zambia)
Image 35Ancient (but graffitied) Rock Art in Nsalu Cave, Kasanka National Park in North-Central Zambia. (from Zambia)
Image 36Inside the palace of the
Litunga, ruler of the Lozi. Due to the flooding on the Zambezi, the Litunga has two palaces one of which is on higher ground. The movement of Litunga to higher land is celebrated at the
Kuomboka Ceremony (from Zambia)
Image 38Three young
Ngoni chiefs. The Ngoni made their way into
Eastern Zambia from
KwaZulu in South Africa. They eventually assimilated into the local ethnic groups. (from Zambia)
Image 49Batonga fisherwomen in Southern Zambia. Women have played and continue to play pivotal roles in many African societies. (from Zambia)
Image 50Three young
Ngoni chiefs. The Ngoni made their way into
Eastern Zambia from
KwaZulu in South Africa. They eventually assimilated into the local ethic groups. (from History of Zambia)
Image 51Ancient (but graffitied) Rock Art in Nsalu Cave, Kasanka National Park in North-Central Zambia. (from History of Zambia)
Image 54Inside the palace of the
Litunga, ruler of the Lozi. Due to the flooding on the Zambezi, the Litunga has two palaces one of which is on higher ground. The movement of Litunga to higher land is celebrated at the
Kuomboka Ceremony (from History of Zambia)
Image 58Enormous
Ba-Ila settlement. These communities have been of interest to mathematicians due to their
fractal pattern design. (from History of Zambia)
This is a
Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.
A major
strike broke out among African mineworkers in the
Copperbelt Province of
Northern Rhodesia (now
Zambia) on 29 May 1935 in protest against taxes levied by the British colonial administration. The strike involved three of the province's four major
copper mines: those in
Mufulira,
Nkana and
Roan Antelope. Near the latter, six protesters were killed by police and the strike ended. Although it failed, the strike was the first organized industrial agitation in Northern Rhodesia and is viewed by some as the first overt action against colonial rule. It caught the attention of a number of African townsmen, leading to the creation of trade unions and African nationalist politics, and is seen as the birth of African nationalism.
The strike and others in Africa during the period dramatically changed the British government's urban and migration policies. The unrest gave missionaries a chance to respond to the "
Watchtower movement", joining the mining companies to provide a Christian education and create a disciplined workforce. The colonial administration, foreseeing a future drop in copper prices, also created social-service schemes for rural relatives of the urban workers. (Full article...)