Zambia

Tourists swimming is a safe pool at Victoria Falls, Zambia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tourists_swimming_at_Victoria_Falls.jpg
Author: Ian Restall


Zambia is a landlocked country in southern Africa. It covers 752,618 sq km (290,587 sq mi) and has a population of 13 million people (2011 estimate). It is bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the northeast, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the southeast, Botswana and Namibia to the south and Angola to the west. Its capital and biggest city is Lusaka.

Zambia is two hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+2). Its currency is known as the Zambian kwacha (ZMK). Traffic is driven on the left here, just as in Britain. The phone IDD code is +260. English is the official language, although vernacular languages such as Bemba, Lunda and Nyanja are commonly spoken as well. More than half of the population consider themselves Christians.

The first European to arrive in Zambia was 18th century Portuguese explorer Francisco de Lacerda. The most prominent European to explore it was David Livingstone. In 1888, the British South Africa Company (BSA Company) was given mining rights in Zambia. The country was eventually named under Cecil Rhodes, leader of the BSA Company, and was known as Rhodesia. The country was administered as North Eastern Rhodesia and North Western Rhodesia, which were eventually merged to form Northern Rhodesia in 1911. Meanwhile Southern Rhodesia remains a separate entity which today becomes Zimbabwe.

Victoria Falls, Zambia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_Falls_from_Zambia%28August_2009%29.jpg
Author: Kounosu


Lusaka, Zambia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lusaka_-_Manda_Hill_Shopping_Centre.JPG
Author: Brian Dell


In 1924, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was created. This semi-autonomous region comprised Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which is today known as Malawi. Northern Rhodesia attained independence on 24 October, 1964, and became known as the Republic of Zambia.

Although mineral rich, post-independence Zambia was plagued with civil wars and conflict with neighboring countries including Zimbabwe, Angola and Mozambique. It was only in the 21st century that Zambia began to stabilize, its high inflation brought under control, and the economy finally began to witness real GDP growth.

The northern vegetable market in Chipata, Zambia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chipata_north_market.JPG
Author: Brian Dell


Zambia is today a presidential representative democratic republic. It is headed by a president who is both head of state and head of government. The country experiences a humid subtropical or tropical wet and dry climate. It has two main seasons, the rainy and the dry. The rainy season is from November to April while the dry season is from May to October.

Planning your visit to Zambia

Most visitors to Zambia will need a visa except for citizens of a number of countries including Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Visitors to Zambia often report that the country is at present not well prepared to receive tourists. There are few tourists coming to Zambia. The main airport, Lusaka International Airport (LUN), receives flights by British Airways from London-Heathrow.

Major Cities in Zambia

Places of Interest in Zambia

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About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.