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 Zambia
The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the
1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration.
The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and
1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy.
Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in
1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was
marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition
challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. The
new president launched a far-reaching anti-corruption campaign in 2002, which
resulted in the 2003 arrest of the previous president Frederick CHILUBA and
many of his supporters. Opposition parties currently hold a majority of seats in
the National Assembly.
Population: 10,307,333
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can
result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and
changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)
Location: Southern Africa, east of Angola
Climate: tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)
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
Economy: Despite progress in privatization and budgetary reform, Zambia’s economic growth remains below the
5% to 7% necessary to reduce poverty significantly. 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
of privatizing the mines and have reduced incentives for further private investment in the sector. Cooperation
continues with international bodies on programs to reduce poverty.
HIV/AIDS: Adult prevalence rate: 21.5% (2001 est.) People living with HIV/AIDS: 1.2 million (2001 est.)
Deaths: 120,000 (2001 est.)
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Rafiki Mothers and children 
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