Location: Southern Africa, east of Angola

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 752,610 sq km
land: 740,720 sq km
water: 11,890 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 5,664 km
border countries: Angola 1,110 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,930 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zimbabwe 797 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)

Terrain: mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m
highest point: in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m

Natural resources: copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower potential

Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops : 0%
permanent pastures: 40%
forests and woodland: 39%
other: 14% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 460 sq km (1998est.)

Natural hazards: tropical storms (November to April)

Environment - current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros and elephant populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks

Environment - international agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: landlocked

Population: 9,959,037 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years:47.1% (male 2,357,581; female 2,335,644)
15-64 years: 50.4% (male 2,497,360; female 2,519,227)
65 years and over :2.5% (male 106,160; female 143,065) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate:1.9% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 41.01 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate:21.89 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population:0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 89.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 37.35 years
male : 37.05 years
female:37.66 years (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate:5.43 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Zambian(s)
adjective: Zambian

Ethnic groups: African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%

Religions: Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1%

Languages: English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write in English
total population: 78.2%
male: 85.6%
female: 71.3% (1995 est.)

Country name:
conventional long form : Republic of Zambia
conventional short form: Zambia
former: Northern Rhodesia

Data code: ZA

Government type: republic

National capital: Lusaka

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western

Independence: 24 October 1964 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 24 October (1964)

Constitution: 2 August 1991

Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002); Vice President Enoch KAVINDELE (since 4 May 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002); Vice President Enoch KAVINDELE (since 4 May 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 27 December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Levy MWANAWASA elected president; percent of vote - Levy MWANAWASA 29%, Anderson MAZOKA 27%, Christon TEMBO 13%, Tilyenji KAUNDA 10%, Godfrey MIYANDA 8%, Benjamin MWILA 5%, Michael SATA 3%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections:last held 27 December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results :percent of vote by party - MMD 45.9%, UPND 32.4%, UNIP 8.8%, FDD 8.1%, HP 2.7%, PF 0.7%, ZRP 0.7%, independents 0.7%; seats by party - MMD 68, UPND 48, UNIP 13, FDD 12, HP 4, PF 1, ZRP 1, independents 1; seats not determined 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the final court of appeal; justices are appointed by the president); High Court (has unlimited jurisdiction to hear civil and criminal cases)

Political parties and leaders: Agenda for Zambia or AZ [Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA]; Forum for Democracy and Development or FDD [Christon TEMBO]; Heritage Party or HP [Godfrey MIYANDA]; Liberal Progressive Front or LPF [Roger CHONGWE, president]; Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [Frederick CHILUBA, president]; National Citizens Coalition or NCC [Nevers MUMBA, president]; National Leadership for Development or NLD [Yobert SHAMAPANDE]; National Party or NP [Dr. Sam CHIPUNGU]; Patriotic Front or PF [Michael SATA]; Zambian Republican Party or ZRP [Benjamin MWILA]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Gwendoline Konie]; United National Independence Party or UNIP [Francis NKHOMA, president]; United Party for National Development or UPND [Anderson MAZOKA]

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, SADC, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Atan SHANSONGA
chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719
FAX : [1] (202) 332-0826

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David B. DUNN
embassy: corner of Independence Avenue and United Nations Avenue, Lusaka
mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka
telephone: [260] (1) 250-955, 252-230
FAX: [260] (1) 252-225

Flag description: green with a panel of three vertical bands of red (hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the outer edge of the flag

Economy - overview: Despite progress in privatization and budgetary reform, Zambia's economy has a long way to go. Privatization of government-owned copper mines relieved the government from covering mammoth losses generated by the industry and greatly improved the chances for copper mining to return to profitability and spur economic growth. However, low mineral prices have slowed the benefits from privatizing the mines and reduced incentives for further private investment in the sector. In late 2000, Zambia was determined to be eligible for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, but Zambia has not yet finalized its Poverty Reduction Strategy paper. Unemployment rates remain high, but GDP growth should continue at about 4%. Inflation should remain close to 20%.

GDP: purchasing power parity -$8.5 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 3.9% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $870 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 24%
industry : 25%
services: 51% (2000)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 21.5% (2001)

Labor force:
total: 3.4 million
by occupation: agriculture 85%, industry 6%, services 9%

Unemployment rate:50% (2000 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.2 billion
expenditures: $1.25 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Industries: copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer

Industrial production growth rate: 5.1% (2001 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 2.44 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 7.822 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 5.838 billion kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca); cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, beef, pork, poultry meat, milk, eggs, hides

Exports:
total value :$876 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
commodities: copper, zinc, cobalt, lead, tobacco
partners: UK 25.2%, South Africa 24.5%, Switzerland 9.4%, Malawi 7.5% (2000)

Imports:
total value: $12.05 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, foodstuffs, fuels, petroleum products, electricity, miscellaneous manufactured goods
partners: South Africa 67.1%, UK 9.8%, Zimbabwe 7.5%, US 5.9% (2000)

Debt - external: $5.8 billion (2001)

Economic aid:
recipient:$651 million (2000 est.)

Currency: 1 Zambian kwacha (ZMK) = 100 ngwee

Exchange rates: Zambian kwacha per US dollar - 3,848.65 (January 2002), 3,610.94 (2001), 3,110.84 (2000), 2,388.02 (1999), 1,862.07 (1998), 1,314.50 (1997)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Telephones: 130,000 (including more than 40,000 fixed telephones in wireless local loop connections) (1997)

Telephone system:facilities are aging but still among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa
domestic :high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation; Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated by private firms
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 19, FM 5, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios: 1.2 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations: 9

Televisions: 277,000 (1997)

Railways:
total: 2,157 km
narrow gauge:2,157 km 1.067-m gauge (13 km double-track)
note: tthe total includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi where it connects to the Zambia Railways system; TAZARA is not a part of the Zambia Railways system; Zambia Railways assets are scheduled for concessioning (2002)

Highways:
total: 66,781 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1997 est.)

Waterways: 2,250 km, including Zambezi and Luapula rivers, Lake Tanganyika

Pipelines: crude oil 1,724 km

Ports and harbors: Mpulungu

Airports:111 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m : 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m:1 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 100
2,438 to 3,047 m : 1
1,524 to 2,437 m:3
914 to 1,523 m: 66
under 914 m:30 (2001)

Military branches: Army, Air Force, paramilitary forces, Police

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 2,313,567 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 1,228,385 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $32.5 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY01)

Disputes - international: quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement; Democratic Republic of the Congo-Tanzania-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be indefinite since it has been informally reported that the indefinite section of the Democratic Republic of the Congo-Zambia boundary has been settled

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for methaqualone, heroin, and cocaine bound for Southern Africa and Europe; regional money-laundering center