Zambia

 

Quick Facts

• Continental region – Eastern Africa
• Currency _ Zambian kwacha(ZK)
• Capital City – Lusaka
• Official languages – English
• Population – 17.35 million (2018)
• Country dialling code  –  (+ 260)
• Official website – Zambia
• Top 3 biggest industries  – Copper mining and processing, construction, emerald mining.
• Google Maps link –Zambia
• Where is it? – Zambia, in southern Africa, is a landlocked country of rugged terrain and diverse wildlife, with many parks and safari areas.

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Zambia In Pictures

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Zambia History

• How did the country get its first name? – The territory of what is now Zambia was known as Northern Rhodesia from 1911.
• How did the country get its current name? – The territory of what is now Zambia was known as Northern Rhodesia from 1911. It was renamed Zambia at independence in 1964. The new name of Zambia was derived from the Zambezi river (Zambezi may mean “Grand River”).
• When and by whom the country was first discovered? – The area has been inhabited by multiple people over thousands of years, including the Khoisan and Bantu groups. The first recorded European visitor to Zambia were the Portuguese Manuel Caetano Pereira (a trader of mixed Goines and Portuguese descent) in 1796.
• Who were the first Inhabitants? – The earliest known modern humans to live in the territory of modern-day Zambia were the Khoisan’s. They were bushmen, brown in complexion, hunter-gatherers who lived a nomadic life, with Stone Age technology.
• When it was first recognized as a country? – Zambia gained independence 24 October  1964. 
• Who was the first leader of the country? – Kenneth David Kaunda (born 28 April 1924), also known as KK, is a Zambian former politician who served as the first President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991.

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Five Significant Events 

1. Independence 1964 – Independence, with Kaunda as president. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14113084)
2. One-party state 1972 – Zambia becomes a one-party state, with UNIP as the only legal party. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14113084)
3. Dar es Salaam 1975 – Tan-Zam railway opened, providing a link between the Copperbelt to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, reducing Zambian dependence on Rhodesia and South Africa for its exports. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14113084)
4. Hanging 1999 – A high court sentences 59 soldiers to death after they are found guilty of treason for the failed coup attempt in 1997. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14113084)
5. Migration 2000 December – UN officials estimate that up to 60,000 refugees fleeing fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo move to Zambia in less than a week. (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14113084)

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Five Places to Visit in Zambia

1. Siyabonga: Cascading down to the banks of Lake Kariba in a patchwork of acacia trees, palms, rosewoods and forest figs, the verdant town of Siyabonga has established itself as one of the premier holidaying spots in all of Zambia. (https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-zambia/)
2. Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park: The legendary ‘Smoke which Thunders’, Mosi-oa-Tunya is home to some of the most striking and unforgettable sections of the Victoria Falls. As the second-largest single cataract on the globe, it’s easy to see why that part of Zambia’s mighty river has garnered itself a UNESCO heritage tag. (https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-zambia/)
3. Kasanka National Park: A pint-sized place close to the straight-line border with the DRC in the middle of Zambia, Kasanka offers up a curious cross-section of Central African fauna. Pangolins and mongoose stalk the countryside, while sable antelopes and hartebeest coalesce on the grassy meadows. (https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-zambia/)
4. Kitwe: Kitwe has risen and risen in the last century to become one of Zambia’s most populous towns. Today, more than half a million folk call this one their home; most of whom sweat and toil away in the copper mines that first brought money to this corner of Central Africa.(https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-zambia/)
5. Livingstone: The onetime capital of Zambia now bears the honorific moniker of perhaps the most famous explorer of the African continent who ever lived: David Livingstone. (https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-zambia/)

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References: 

• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14113084
• https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-zambia/