Zambia

Zambia (/ˈzæmbiə, ˈzɑːm-/), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa,[7] and is typically referred to as being in South-Central Africa.[8] Its neighbours are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the northeast, 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 is Lusaka, located in the south-central part. The population of around 20.1 million (2023) is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the north, the core economic hubs of the country.

Republic of Zambia
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  "One Zambia, One Nation"
Anthem: "Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free"
Capital and largest city	Lusaka 15°25′S 28°17′E
Official languages	English
Recognised regional languages	List 28.5% Bemba 13.8% Nyanja 11.4% Tonga 10.6% Tumbuka 5.5% Lozi 4.5% Chewa 3.0% Nsenga 1.9% Lunda 1.9% Kaonde 1.8% Lala 1.8% Lamba 1.7% English 1.5% Luvale 1.3% Mambwe 1.2% Lenje 1.2% Namwanga 1.0% Bisa 0.9% Ushi 0.7% Ila 0.7% Mbunda 0.7% Ngoni 0.7% Senga 0.6% Lungu 0.5% Toka-Leya 4.7% Others
Ethnic groups (2010[1])	List 19.0% Bemba 13.6% Tonga 7.5% Tumbuka 6.0% Chewa 5.7% Lozi 5.3% Nsenga 3.0% Ngoni 3.1% Lala 3.9% Kaonde 2.8% Namwanga 2.6% Lunda (Northern) 2.5% Mambwe 2.2% Luvale 2.4% Lamba 1.9% Ushi 1.6% Bisa 1.6% Lenje 1.2% Mbunda 0.9% Lunda (Luapula) 0.9% Senga 0.8% Ila 0.8% Lungu 0.7% Tabwa 0.7% Soli 0.7% Kunda 0.6% Ngumbo 0.5% Chishinga 0.5% Chokwe 0.5% Nkoya 5.4% Other ethnics 0.8% Major racial 0.4% Unclassified
Religion	Christianity (official)
Demonym(s)	Zambian
Government	Unitary presidential republic
• President	Hakainde Hichilema
• Vice President	Mutale Nalumango
• Speaker	Nelly Mutti
• Chief Justice	Mumba Malila
Legislature	National Assembly
Independence  from the United Kingdom
• North-Western Rhodesia	27 June 1890
• Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia	28 November 1899
• North-Eastern Rhodesia	29 January 1900
• Amalgamation of Northern Rhodesia	17 August 1911
• Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland	1 August 1953
• Republic of Zambia	24 October 1964
Area
• Total	752,617 km2 (290,587 sq mi)[2] (38th)
• Water (%)	1
Population
• 2022 estimate	19,610,769[3] (63rd)
• Density	26.1/km2 (67.6/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$76.325 billion[4] (102nd)
• Per capita	$3,803[4] (158th)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$27.02 billion[4] (112nd)
• Per capita	$1,348[4] (160th)
Gini (2015)	57.1[5] high
HDI (2021)	0.565[6] medium · 154th
Currency	Zambian kwacha (ZMW)
Time zone	UTC+2 (CAT)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+260
ISO 3166 code	ZM
Internet TLD	.zm

The region was affected by the Bantu expansion of the 13th century. Following the arrival of European explorers in the 18th century, the British colonised the region into the British protectorates of Barotseland-North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia comprising 73 tribes, towards the end of the 19th century. These were merged in 1911 to form Northern Rhodesia. For most of the colonial period, Zambia was governed by an administration appointed from London with the advice of the British South Africa Company.[9] On 24 October 1964, Zambia became independent of the United Kingdom and prime minister Kenneth Kaunda became the inaugural president.[10] From 1972 to 1991 Zambia was a one-party state with the United National Independence Party 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-democratic Movement for Multi-Party Democracy in 1991, beginning a period of government decentralisation.

Zambia contains minerals, wildlife, forestry, freshwater and arable land.[11] In 2010, the World Bank named Zambia one of the world's fastest economically reformed countries.[12]