Zambia
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry name - conventional long form : Republic of Zambia
Country name - conventional short form : Zambia
Country name - former : Northern Rhodesia
Government type : republic
Capital - name : Lusaka
Capital - time difference : UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day, 24 October (1964)
Nationality - noun : Zambian(s)
Nationality - adjective : Zambian
Languages : English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages
Currency (code) : Zambian kwacha (ZMK)
Currency code : ZMK
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk : very high
Zambia is located Southern Africa, east of Angola. The climate is tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April). The terrain is mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.Background : The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the [British] South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. The new president launched an anticorruption investigation in 2002 to probe high-level corruption during the previous administration. In 2006-07, this task force successfully prosecuted four cases, including a landmark civil case in the UK in which former President CHILUBA and numerous others were found liable for USD 41 million. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair.
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