Zambia

Airports

total: 116 usable: 104 with permanent-surface runways: 13 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 22

Highways

36,370 km total; 6,500 km paved, 7,000 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; 22,870 km improved and unimproved earth

Inland waterways

2,250 km, including Zambezi and Luapula Rivers, Lake Tanganyika

Pipelines

crude oil 1,724 km

Ports

Mpulungu (lake port)

Railroads

1,266 km, all 1.067-meter gauge; 13 km double track

Telecommunications

facilities are among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa; high-capacity microwave connects most larger towns and cities; broadcast stations - 11 AM, 5 FM, 9 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

Branches

Army, Air Force, Police, paramilitary

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $45 million, 1% of GDP (1992 est.)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 1,810,442; fit for military service 949,878 (1993 est.)

Agriculture

accounts for 17% of GDP and 85% of labor force; crops - corn (food staple), sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava; cattle, goats, beef, eggs

Budget

revenues $665 million; expenditures $767 million, including capital expenditures of $300 million (1991 est.)

Currency

1 Zambian kwacha (ZK) = 100 ngwee

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-89), $4.8 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $60 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $533 million

Electricity

2,775,000 kW capacity; 12,000 million kWh produced, 1,400 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

Zambian kwacha (ZK) per US$1 - 178.5714 (August 1992), 61.7284 (1991), 28.9855 (1990), 12.9032 (1989), 8.2237 (1988), 8.8889 (1987)

Exports

$1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: copper, zinc, cobalt, lead, tobacco partners: EC countries, Japan, South Africa, US, India

External debt

$7.6 billion (1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Imports

$1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.) commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, foodstuffs, fuels, manufactures partners: EC countries, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, US

Industrial production

growth rate -2% (1991); accounts for 50% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

170% (1992 est.)

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $4.7 billion (1992 est.)

National product per capita

$550 (1992 est.)

National product real growth rate

-3% (1992 est.)

Overview

The economy has been in decline for more than a decade with falling imports and growing foreign debt. Economic difficulties stem from a chronically depressed level of copper production and ineffective economic policies. In 1991 real GDP fell by 2% and in 1992 by 3% more. An annual population growth of more than 3% has brought a decline in per capita GDP of 50% over the past decade. A high inflation rate has also added to Zambia's economic woes in recent years, as well as severe drought in the crop year 1991/92.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 752,610 km2 land area: 740,720 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than Texas

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

deforestation; soil erosion; desertification

International disputes

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

Irrigated land

320 km2 (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 5,664 km, Angola 1,110 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zaire 1,930 km, Zimbabwe 797 km

Land use

arable land: 7% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 47% forest and woodland: 27% other: 19%

Location

Southern Africa, between Zaire and Zimbabwe

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Natural resources

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

Note

landlocked

Terrain

mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Lusaka

Constitution

NA August 1991

Digraph

ZA

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Dunstan KAMONA chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 265-9717 through 9721

Elections

President: last held 31 October 1991 (next to be held mid-1995); results - Frederick CHILUBA 84%, Kenneth KAUNDA 16% National Assembly: last held 31 October 1991 (next to be held mid-1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (150 total) MMD 125, UNIP 25

Executive branch

president, Cabinet

Flag

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

Independence

24 October 1964 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: President Frederick CHILUBA (since 31 October 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

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly

Member of

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-19, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 24 October (1964)

Political parties and leaders

Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), Frederick CHILUBA; United National Independence Party (UNIP), Kebby MUSOKATWANE; United Democratic Party, Enoch KAVINDELE

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Gordon L. STREEB embassy: corner of Independence Avenue and United Nations Avenue, Lusaka mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka telephone: [260-1] 228-595, 228-601, 228-602, 228-603 FAX: [260-1] 251-578

Birth rate

46.53 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

16.88 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic divisions

African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%

Infant mortality rate

83.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force

2.455 million by occupation: agriculture 85%, mining, manufacturing, and construction 6%, transport and services 9%

Languages

English (official) note: about 70 indigenous languages

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 45.56 years male: 44.97 years female: 46.16 years (1993 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 73% male: 81% female: 65%

Nationality

noun: Zambian(s) adjective: Zambian

Net migration rate

-0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population

8,926,099 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate

2.96% (1993 est.)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

6.75 children born/woman (1993 est.)