View source for Zambia

{{Short description|Country in South-Central Africa}}
{{About|the Southern African nation|the 18th-century BC king of Isin|Zambiya|the part of [[Kaliningrad Oblast]]|Sambia Peninsula|the [[West African]] state|The Gambia|other uses}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}{{Use British English|date=April 2013}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Zambia
| native_name            = {{plainlist|
* {{lang|be|Icalo ca Zambia}} ([[Bemba language|Bemba]])
* {{lang|to|Cisi ca Zambia}} ([[Tonga language (Zambia and Zimbabwe)|Tonga]])
* {{lang|tum|Chalo cha Zambia}} ([[Tumbuka language|Chitumbuka]])
* {{lang|lo|Naha ya Zambia}} ([[Lozi language|Lozi]])
* {{lang|ny|Dziko la Zambia}} ([[Chewa language|Chewa]])
}}
| common_name            = Zambia
| image_flag             = Flag of Zambia.svg
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of Zambia.svg
| other_symbol           = [[File:Public Seal of Zambia.svg|100px]]
| other_symbol_type      = Public Seal
| image_map              = {{Switcher|[[File: Zambia (orthographic projection).svg|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:Location Zambia AU Africa.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Africa|default=1}} 
| image_map2             = 
| national_motto         = <br />"One Zambia, One Nation" <!--speechmarks, as it's a quotation-->
| national_anthem        = "[[Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free]]"<br /><div style="padding-top:0.4em; text-align:center;">{{center|[[File:Zambian national anthem.oga]]}}</div>
| official_languages     = [[English language|English]]
| regional_languages     = {{collapsible list
  |titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;
  |title =
  |liststyle = text-align: left;border-top:1px solid #aaa;
  |  28.5% [[Bemba language|Bemba]]
  |  13.8% [[Nyanja language|Nyanja]]
  |  11.4% [[Tonga language (Zambia and Zimbabwe)|Tonga]]
  |  10.6% [[Tumbuka language|Tumbuka]]
  |  5.5% [[Lozi language|Lozi]]
  |  4.5% [[Chewa language|Chewa]]
  |  3.0% [[Nsenga language|Nsenga]]
  |  1.9% [[Lunda language|Lunda]]
  |  1.9% [[Kaonde language|Kaonde]]
  |  1.8% [[Lala-Bisa language|Lala]]
  |  1.8% [[Lamba language|Lamba]]
  |  1.7% English
  |  1.5% [[Luvale language|Luvale]]
  |  1.3% [[Mambwe language|Mambwe]]
  |  1.2% [[Lenje language|Lenje]]
  |  1.2% [[Namwanga language|Namwanga]]
  |  1.0% [[Lala-Bisa language|Bisa]]
  |  0.9% Ushi
  |  0.7% [[Ila language|Ila]]
  |  0.7% [[Mbunda language|Mbunda]]
  |  0.7% [[Ngoni language|Ngoni]]
  |  0.7% [[Tumbuka-Senga language|Senga]]
  |  0.6% [[Lungu language|Lungu]]
  |  0.5% Toka-Leya
  |  4.7% others
 }}
| demonym                = Zambian
| ethnic_groups          = {{collapsible list
  |titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;
  |title =
  |liststyle = text-align: left;border-top:1px solid #aaa;
  |  19.0% [[Bemba people|Bemba]]
  |  13.6% [[Tonga people of Zambia and Zimbabwe|Tonga]]
  |  7.5% [[Tumbuka people|Tumbuka]]
  |  6.0% [[Chewa people|Chewa]]
  |  5.7% [[Lozi people|Lozi]]
  |  5.3% [[Nsenga people|Nsenga]]
  |  3.0% [[Ngoni people|Ngoni]]
  |  3.1% Lala
  |  3.9% Kaonde
  |  2.8% Namwanga
  |  2.6% [[Lunda people|Lunda (Northern)]]
  |  2.5% [[Mambwe people|Mambwe]]
  |  2.2% Luvale
  |  2.4% [[Lamba people|Lamba]]
  |  1.9% Ushi
  |  1.6% Bisa
  |  1.6% Lenje
  |  1.2% [[Mbunda people|Mbunda]]
  |  0.9% [[Lunda people|Lunda (Luapula)]]
  |  0.9% [[Senga people|Senga]]
  |  0.8% [[Ila people|Ila]]
  |  0.8% [[Lungu people|Lungu]]
  |  0.7% [[Tabwa]]
  |  0.7% Soli
  |  0.7% [[Kunda people|Kunda]]
  |  0.6% Ngumbo
  |  0.5% Chishinga
  |  0.5% [[Chokwe people|Chokwe]]
  |  0.5% [[Nkoya people|Nkoya]]
  |  5.4% other ethnics
  |  0.8% major racial{{efn|Major Racial Groups include Other Africans, Americans, Asian and Europeans}}
  |  0.4% unclassified
 }}
| ethnic_groups_year     = 2010<ref name="ZMBCSO2016">{{cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing National Analytical Report 2010 |url=http://www.zamstats.gov.zm/phocadownload/2010_Census/2010%20Census%20of%20Population%20National%20Analytical%20Report.pdf |publisher=Central Statistical Office, Zambia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114001635/http://www.zamstats.gov.zm/phocadownload/2010_Census/2010%20Census%20of%20Population%20National%20Analytical%20Report.pdf#page=83 |archive-date=14 November 2017 |page=67}}</ref>
| religion               = {{ublist|item_style=white-space:nowrap;
|95.5% [[Christianity]] ([[State religion|official]])
|2.7% [[Islam]]
|1.8% [[Religion in Zambia|other]] / [[Irreligion|none]]
  }}
| religion_year          = 2023
| religion_ref           = <ref>{{cite web |title=2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Zambia |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/zambia/#:~:text=According%20to%20Zambia%20Statistics%20Agency,evangelical%20Christians%2C%20and%20Pentecostal%20groups. |website=US Department Of State |publisher=US Government |access-date=7 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Amended Constitution of Zambia|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/3713564/Constitution-of-Zambia-1991Amended-to-1996|publisher=Government of Zambia|access-date=15 October 2016|archive-date=5 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105055544/http://www.scribd.com/doc/3713564/Constitution-of-Zambia-1991Amended-to-1996|url-status=live}}</ref>
| capital                = [[Lusaka]]
| coordinates            = {{Coord|15|25|S|28|17|E|type:city_region:ZM}}
| largest_city           = capital
| government_type        = Unitary [[Presidential system|presidential republic]]
| leader_title1          = [[President of Zambia|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Hakainde Hichilema]]
| leader_title2          = [[Vice-President of Zambia|Vice-President]]
| leader_name2           = [[Mutale Nalumango]]
| leader_title3          = [[Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia|Speaker]]
| leader_name3           = [[Nelly Mutti]]
| leader_title4          = [[Chief Justice of Zambia|Chief Justice]]
| leader_name4           = [[Mumba Malila]]
| legislature            = [[National Assembly of Zambia]]
| area_km2               = 752,617
| area_sq_mi             = 290,587 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| area_rank              = 38th <!--should be same as listed on [[List of countries and dependencies by area]]-->
| area_footnote          = <ref name="area">{{cite web |url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYB2004/Table03.pdf |title=Population by sex, rate of population increase, surface area and density |author=United Nations Statistics Division |access-date=9 November 2007 |archive-date=31 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031023924/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYB2004/Table03.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| percent_water          = 1
| population_estimate    = 20,216,029<ref name=WorldFactbook2023>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Zambia|year=October 1, 2024}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = 2023
| population_estimate_rank = 64th
| population_density_km2 = 17.2
| population_density_sq_mi = 44.5 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| population_density_rank = 191st
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $83.687 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.ZM">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=754,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Zambia) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |date=10 October 2023 |access-date=15 October 2023 |archive-date=17 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017232244/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=754,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 100th
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2023
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $4,068<ref name="IMFWEO.ZM" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 155th
| GDP_nominal            = {{decrease}} $29.536 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.ZM" />
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 113th
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2023
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{decrease}} $1,435<ref name="IMFWEO.ZM" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 159th
| Gini_year              = 2022
| Gini_change            = decrease <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini                   = 51.5 <!--number only-->
| Gini_ref               = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/gini-index-coefficient-distribution-of-family-income/country-comparison/ |title=Gini Index coefficient|publisher=[[The World Factbook]]|access-date=24 September 2024}}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI_year               = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change             = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI                    = 0.595 <!--number only-->
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="UNHDR">{{Cite web |date=6 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=6 May 2025 |access-date=6 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 154th
| sovereignty_type       = [[History of Zambia|Independence]]
| sovereignty_note       = from the [[United Kingdom]]
| established_event1     = [[North-Western Rhodesia]]
| established_date1      = 27 June 1890
| established_event2     = [[Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia]]
| established_date2      = 28 November 1899
| established_event3     = [[North-Eastern Rhodesia]]
| established_date3      = 29 January 1900
| established_event4     = [[Northern Rhodesia|Amalgamation of Northern Rhodesia]]
| established_date4      = 17 August 1911
| established_event5     = [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland]]
| established_date5      = 1 August 1953
| established_event6     = [[Zambia Independence Act 1964|Republic of Zambia]]
| established_date6      = 24 October 1964
| established_event7     = [[Constitution of Zambia|Current constitution]]
| established_date7      = 5 January 2016
| currency               = [[Zambian kwacha]]
| currency_code          = ZMW
| time_zone              = [[Central Africa Time|CAT]]
| utc_offset             = +2
| date_format            = dd/mm/yyyy
| drives_on              = left
| calling_code           = [[+260]]
| cctld                  = [[.zm]]
| date_start             = 
}}

'''Zambia''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|z|æ|m|b|i|ə|,_|ˈ|z|ɑː|m|-}}}} officially the '''Republic of Zambia''',{{efn|{{langx|bem|Icalo ca Zambia}}; {{langx|toi|Cisi ca Zambia}}; {{langx|tum|Chalo cha Zambia}}; {{langx|loz|Naha ya Zambia}}; {{langx|ny|Dziko la Zambia}}}} is a [[landlocked country]] located in [[Southeast Africa]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Henderson|first=Ian|date=1970|title=The Origins of Nationalism in East and Central Africa: The Zambian Case|journal=The Journal of African History|volume=11|issue=4|pages=591–603|doi=10.1017/S0021853700010471|jstor=180923|s2cid=154296266 |issn=0021-8537}}</ref> It is bordered to the north by the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Tanzania]] to the north-east, [[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 of Zambia is [[Lusaka]], located in the south-central part of Zambia. The population is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the [[Copperbelt Province]] to the north, the core economic hubs of the country.

Originally inhabited by [[Khoisan]] peoples, the region was affected by the [[Bantu expansion]] of the thirteenth century. Following [[European colonization of Africa|European expeditions]] in the eighteenth century, Britain colonised the region, forming the [[British protectorate]]s of [[Barotziland–North-Western Rhodesia]] and [[North-Eastern Rhodesia]] towards the end of the nineteenth 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]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=History {{!}} Zambian High Commission|url=https://www.zambiapretoria.net/history/|website=www.zambiapretoria.net|access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref>

On 24 October 1964, Zambia became independent of the United Kingdom as a republic in [[Commonwealth of Nations|the Commonwealth]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zambia |url=https://commonwealthchamber.com/member-countries/zambia/ |access-date=2025-06-30 |website=Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce |language=en-US}}</ref> and prime minister [[Kenneth Kaunda]] became the inaugural [[president of Zambia|president]]. Kaunda's [[socialism|socialist]] [[United National Independence Party]] (UNIP) maintained power from 1964 until 1991 with him playing a key role in regional diplomacy, cooperating closely with the United States in search of solutions to conflicts in [[Southern Rhodesia]] (Zimbabwe), Angola, and Namibia.<ref>Andy DeRoche, ''Kenneth Kaunda, the United States, and Southern Africa'' (London: Bloomsbury, 2016).</ref> From 1972 to 1991, Zambia was a [[one-party state]] with UNIP 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 democracy|social-democratic]] [[Movement for Multi-Party Democracy]] in 1991, beginning a period of socio-economic development and government decentralisation. Zambia has since become a multi-party state and has experienced several peaceful transitions of power.

Zambia contains abundant natural resources, including minerals, wildlife, forestry, freshwater, and arable land.<ref>{{citation |first=Karlyn |last=Eckman |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] |date=2007 |title=Gender Mainstreaming in Forestry in Africa: Zambia }}</ref> As of the latest estimate in 2018, 47.9 percent of the population is affected by [[Multidimensional Poverty Index|multidimensional poverty]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023: Zambia |url=https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/Country-Profiles/MPI/ZMB.pdf |access-date=29 April 2024 |website=United Nations Development Programme Human Development Reports |archive-date=29 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429110010/https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/Country-Profiles/MPI/ZMB.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa]] (COMESA) is headquartered in Lusaka.
{{TOC limit|3}}

==Etymology==

{{further|Rhodesia (name)}}

The territory of Zambia was known as [[Northern Rhodesia]] from 1911 to 1964. It was renamed Zambia in October 1964 on its independence from British rule. The name Zambia derives from the [[Zambezi]] River (Zambezi may mean "the grand river").<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Everett-Heath|first1=John|title=The Concise Dictionary of World Place Names|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qgJCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT1589|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|date=7 December 2017|isbn=978-0-19-255646-2}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Zambia}}

===Prehistoric era===
Archaeological excavation work on the [[Zambezi Valley]] and [[Kalambo Falls]] shows a succession of human cultures. Ancient camp site tools near the Kalambo Falls have been radiocarbon dated to more than 36,000 years ago.

The fossil skull remains of the [[Homo rhodesiensis|Broken Hill Man]] (also known as Kabwe Man), dated between 300,000 and 125,000 years BC, further shows that the area was inhabited by early humans.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Malcolm Southwood, Bruce Cairncross & Mike S. Rumsey|date=2019|title=Minerals of the Kabwe ("Broken Hill") Mine, Central Province, Zambia, Rocks & Minerals|journal=Rocks & Minerals|volume=94|issue=2 |pages=114–149|doi=10.1080/00357529.2019.1530038|s2cid=135446729 |issn=0035-7529}}</ref> Broken Hill Man was discovered in Zambia in [[Kabwe District]].

=== Khoisan and Batwa ===
[[File:NsaluCave.jpg|thumb|left|Ancient (but graffitied) Rock Art in Nsalu Cave, Kasanka National Park in North-Central Zambia]]
Modern Zambia once was inhabited by the Khoisan and [[Twa|Batwa]] peoples until around AD 300, when migrating [[Bantu peoples|Bantu]] began to settle the areas.<ref>{{cite book|last=Holmes|first=Timothy|title=Cultures of the World: Zambia|publisher=Times Books International|year=1998|isbn=978-0-7614-0694-5|location=Tarrytown, New York|pages=19–20}}</ref> It is believed the Khoisan people originated in East Africa and spread southwards around 150,000 years ago. The Twa people were split into two groups: the [[Kafwe Twa]] lived around the [[Kafue Flats]] and the [[Lukanga Twa]] who lived around the [[Lukanga Swamp]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 March 2020|title=Twa|url=https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/tribes-of-zambia/pre-bantu-invasion/twa/|access-date=27 October 2020|website=Zambia's Traditional History|language=en|archive-date=7 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107062915/https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/tribes-of-zambia/pre-bantu-invasion/twa/|url-status=live}}</ref> Many examples of ancient rock art in Zambia, like the [[Mwela Rock Paintings]], [[Mumbwa Caves]], and Nachikufu Cave, are attributed to these early hunter-gatherers.<ref name="isygi">{{cite journal | last=Musonda | first=Francis B. | title=Late Pleistocene and Holocene Microlithic Industries from the Lunsemfwa Basin, Zambia | journal=The South African Archaeological Bulletin | publisher=JSTOR | volume=39 | issue=139 | year=1984 | pages=24–36 | issn=0038-1969 | doi=10.2307/3888592 | jstor=3888592 }}</ref> The Khoisan and especially the Twa formed a patron-client relationship with farming Bantu peoples across central and southern Africa but were eventually either displaced by or absorbed into the Bantu groups.

===The Bantu (Abantu)===
The Bantu people or Abantu (meaning people) are an enormous and diverse ethnolinguistic group that comprise the majority of people in much of eastern, southern and central Africa. Due to Zambia's location at the crossroads of Central Africa, Southern Africa, and the [[African Great Lakes]], the history of the people that constitute modern Zambians is a history of these three regions.

Many of the historical events in these three regions happened simultaneously. Thus, Zambia's history, like that of many African nations, cannot be presented perfectly chronologically. The early history of the peoples of modern Zambia is deduced from oral records, archaeology, and written records, mostly from non-Africans.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Taylor|first1=Scott D.|title=Culture and Customs of Zambia|url=http://www.sahistory.org.za/sites/default/files/file%20uploads%20/scott_d._taylor_culture_and_customs_of_zambia_cbook4you.pdf|publisher=Greenwood Press|access-date=25 March 2018|archive-date=29 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329102016/http://www.sahistory.org.za/sites/default/files/file%20uploads%20/scott_d._taylor_culture_and_customs_of_zambia_cbook4you.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Bantu origins====
[[File:Batonga women.png|thumb|[[Tonga people (Zambia and Zimbabwe)|Batonga]] fisherwomen in Southern Zambia. Women have played and continue to play pivotal roles in many African societies]]
The Bantu people originally lived in West and Central Africa around what is today Cameroon and Nigeria.<ref name="unych">{{cite book | last=Flamming | first=D. | title=African Americans in the West | publisher=ABC-CLIO | series=Cultures in the American West | year=2009 | isbn=978-1-59884-003-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rUbyCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA15 | access-date=2023-06-17 | page=15 | archive-date=18 September 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918071953/https://books.google.com/books?id=rUbyCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA15 | url-status=live }}</ref> Approximately 5000 years ago, they began a millennia-long expansion into much of the continent. This event has been called the [[Bantu expansion]];<ref name="qnr0r">{{cite journal | last1=Grollemund | first1=Rebecca | last2=Branford | first2=Simon | last3=Bostoen | first3=Koen | last4=Meade | first4=Andrew | last5=Venditti | first5=Chris | last6=Pagel | first6=Mark | title=Bantu expansion shows that habitat alters the route and pace of human dispersals | journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | volume=112 | issue=43 | date=2015-09-14 | issn=0027-8424 | doi=10.1073/pnas.1503793112 | pages=13296–13301 | pmid=26371302 | pmc=4629331 | bibcode=2015PNAS..11213296G | doi-access=free }}</ref> it was one of the largest human migrations in history. The Bantu are believed to have been the first to have brought iron working technology into large parts of Africa. The Bantu Expansion happened primarily through two routes: a western one via the [[Congo Basin]] and an eastern one via the African Great Lakes.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bostoen|first=Koen|date=26 April 2018|title=The Bantu Expansion|url=https://oxfordre.com/africanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-191|access-date=27 October 2020|website=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History|language=en|doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.191|isbn=978-0-19-027773-4|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807224432/https://oxfordre.com/africanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-191|url-status=live}}</ref>

====First Bantu settlement====
The first Bantu people to arrive in Zambia came through the eastern route via the African Great Lakes. They arrived around the first millennium C.E, and among them were the Tonga, [[Ila people|Ila]] and [[Mwanga people|Namwanga]] people and other related groups, who settled around [[Southern Province, Zambia|Southern Zambia]] near Zimbabwe. The Tonga oral records indicate that they came from the east near the "big sea".

They were later joined by the [[Tumbuka people]] who settled around [[Eastern Province, Zambia|Eastern Zambia]] and Malawi.

These first Bantu people lived in large villages. They lacked an organised unit under a chief or headman and worked as a community and helped each other in times of field preparation for their crops. Villages moved around frequently as the soil became exhausted as a result of the slash-and-burn technique of planting crops. The people also kept large herds of cattle, which formed an important part of their societies.<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 January 2019|title=Ila|url=https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/tribes-of-zambia/early-bantu-settlers/ila/|access-date=27 October 2020|website=Zambia's Traditional History|language=en|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030212745/https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/tribes-of-zambia/early-bantu-settlers/ila/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Great-Zimbabwe-ruins-outer-walls-3-1200.jpg|thumb|left|Ruins of [[Great Zimbabwe]]. [[Kalanga people|Kalanga]]/[[Shona people|Shona]] rulers of this kingdom dominated trade at Ingombe Ilede]]
The first Bantu communities in Zambia were highly self-sufficient. Early [[Missionary|European missionaries]] who settled in Southern Zambia noted the independence of these Bantu societies. One of these missionaries noted:
"[If] weapons for war, hunting, and domestic purposes are needed, the [Tonga] man goes to the hills and digs until he finds the iron ore. He smelts it and with the iron thus obtained makes axes, hoes, and other useful implements. He burns wood and makes charcoal for his forge. His bellows are made from the skins of animals and the pipes are clay tile, and the anvil and hammers are also pieces of the iron he has obtained. He moulds, welds, shapes, and performs all the work of the ordinary blacksmith".<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Project Gutenberg eBook of South and South Central Africa, by H. Frances Davidson.|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37728/37728-h/37728-h.htm#CHAPTER_IXPART2|access-date=29 October 2020|website=www.gutenberg.org}}</ref>

These early Bantu settlers also participated in the trade at the site [[Ingombe Ilede]] (which translates to sleeping cow in Tonga because the fallen baobab tree appears to resemble a cow) in Southern Zambia. At this trading site, they met numerous [[Kalanga people|Kalanga]]/[[Shona people|Shona]] traders from [[Great Zimbabwe]] and [[Swahili people|Swahili]] traders from the East African [[Swahili coast]]. Ingombe Ilede was one of the most important trading posts for rulers of Great Zimbabwe, others being the Swahili port cities such as [[Sofala]].

The goods traded at Ingombe Ilede included fabrics, beads, gold, and bangles. Some of these items came from what is today southern Democratic Republic of Congo and [[Kilwa Kisiwani]] while others came from as far away as India, China and the [[Arab world]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Origins of trade - Zambia Travel Guide|url=http://www.zambia-travel-guide.com/bradt_guide.asp?bradt=1084|access-date=28 October 2020|website=www.zambia-travel-guide.com|archive-date=2 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802161402/http://www.zambia-travel-guide.com/bradt_guide.asp?bradt=1084|url-status=live}}</ref> The African traders were later joined by the Portuguese in the 16th century.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pikirayi|first=Innocent|date=August 2017|title=Ingombe Ilede and the demise of Great Zimbabwe|journal=Antiquity|language=en|volume=91|issue=358|pages=1085–1086|doi=10.15184/aqy.2017.95|s2cid=158120419|issn=0003-598X|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The decline of Great Zimbabwe, due to increasing trade competition from other Kalanga/Shona kingdoms like [[Khami]] and [[Kingdom of Mutapa|Mutapa]], spelt the end of Ingombe Ilede.

====Second Bantu settlement====
The second mass settlement of Bantu people into Zambia was of people groups that are believed to have taken the western route of the Bantu migration through the Congo Basin. These Bantu people spent the majority of their existence in what is today the Democratic Republic of Congo and are ancestors of the majority of modern Zambians.<ref>{{Cite web|date=8 August 2019|title=Luba|url=https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/tribes-of-zambia/second-bantu-invasion/luba/|access-date=7 November 2020|website=Zambia's Traditional History|language=en|archive-date=3 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103115702/https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/tribes-of-zambia/second-bantu-invasion/luba/|url-status=live}}</ref>

While there is some evidence that the [[Bemba people]] might have an ancient connection to the [[Kingdom of Kongo|Kongo Kingdom]] through [[Kongo people|Kongo]] people ruler, [[Manikongo|Mwene Kongo VIII Mvemba]], this is not well documented.

=====Luba-Lunda states=====
[[File:Mwata.jpg|thumb|Drawing of the ruler of [[Lunda people|Lunda]], [[Kazembe|Mwata Kazembe]], receiving Portuguese in the royal courtyard in the 1800s]]
The Bemba, along with other related groups such as the [[Lamba people (Zambia)|Lamba]], [[Lala-Bisa language|Bisa]], [[Senga people|Senga]], [[Kaonde language|Kaonde]], Swaka, Nkoya and [[Soli language|Soli]], formed integral parts of the [[Kingdom of Luba|Luba Kingdom]] in Upemba part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and have a strong relation to the [[Luba people]]. The area which the Luba Kingdom occupied has been inhabited by early farmers and iron workers since the 300s C.E.

Over time, these communities learned to use nets and harpoons, make dugout canoes, clear canals through swamps and make dams as high as {{convert|2.5|meters}}. As a result, they grew a diverse economy trading fish, copper and iron items and salt for goods from other parts of Africa, like the Swahili coast and, later on, the Portuguese. From these communities arose the Luba Kingdom in the 14th century.<ref name="metmuseum.org">{{Cite web|last=Bortolot|first=Alexander Ives|title=Kingdoms of the Savanna: The Luba and Lunda Empires|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/luba/hd_luba.htm|access-date=7 November 2020|website=[[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]|date=October 2003 |archive-date=6 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106232343/http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/luba/hd_luba.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Luba Kingdom was a large kingdom with a centralised government and smaller independent [[chiefdom]]s. It had large trading networks that linked the forests in the [[Congo Basin]] and the mineral-rich plateaus of what is today [[Copperbelt Province]] and stretched from the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic coast]] to the Indian Ocean coast. The arts were also held in high esteem in the kingdom, and artisans were held in high regard.<ref name="metmuseum.org" />

Literature was well developed in the Luba Kingdom. One renowned [[Luba people|Luba]] genesis story that articulated the distinction between two types of Luba emperors goes as follows:

{{blockquote|[[Kongolo Mwamba|Nkongolo Mwamba]], the red king, and [[Ilunga Mbili|Ilunga Mbidi Kiluwe]], a prince of legendary black complexion. Nkongolo Mwamba is the drunken and cruel despot, Ilunga Mbidi Kiluwe the refined and gentle prince. Nkongolo the Red is a man without manners, a man who eats in public, gets drunk, and cannot control himself, whereas [Ilunga] Mbidi Kiluwe is a man of reservation, obsessed with good manners; he does not eat in public, controls his language and his behaviour, and keeps a distance from the vices and modus vivendi of ordinary people. Nkongolo Mwamba symbolises the embodiment of tyranny, whereas Mbidi Kiluwe remains the admired caring and compassionate kin.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Luba {{!}} people|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Luba-people|access-date=7 November 2020|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=26 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026134446/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Luba-people|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

[[File:Lunda houses-1854.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A drawing of [[Lunda people|Lunda]] houses by a Portuguese visitor. The size of the doorways relative to the building emphasizes the scale of the buildings]]

In the same region of Southern Congo, the [[Lunda people]] were made into a satellite of the Luba empire and adopted forms of Luba culture and governance, thus becoming the Lunda Empire to the south. According to Lunda genesis myths, a Luba hunter named [[Tshibinda Ilunga|Chibinda Ilunga]], son of [[Ilunga Mbili|Ilunga Mbidi Kiluwe]], introduced the Luba model of statecraft to the Lunda sometime around 1600 when he married a local Lunda princess named Lueji and was granted control of her kingdom. Most rulers who claimed descent from Luba ancestors were integrated into the Luba empire. The Lunda kings, however, remained separate and actively expanded their political and economic dominance over the region.<ref name="metmuseum.org" />

The Lunda, like its parent state Luba, also traded with both coasts, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. While ruler [[List of rulers of the Lunda Empire|Mwaant Yaav Naweej]] had established trade routes to the Atlantic coast and initiated direct contact with European traders eager for slaves and forest products and controlling the regional Copper trade, and settlements around [[Lake Mweru]] regulated commerce with the East African coast.<ref name="metmuseum.org" />

The Luba-Lunda states eventually declined as a result of both [[Atlantic slave trade]] in the west and [[Indian Ocean slave trade]] in the east and wars with breakaway factions of the kingdoms. The [[Chokwe people|Chokwe]], a group that is closely related to the [[Luvale people|Luvale]] and formed a Lunda satellite state, initially suffered from the European demand for slaves, but once they broke away from the Lunda state, they themselves became notorious slave traders, exporting slaves to both coasts.

The Chokwe eventually were defeated by the other ethnic groups and the Portuguese.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Azuonye|first=Chukwuma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ejao3vG6nfsC&pg=PA11|title=Chokwe: (Angola, Zambia)|date=15 December 1996|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc|isbn=978-0-8239-1990-1|language=en}}</ref> This instability caused the collapse of the Luba-Lunda states and a dispersal of people into various parts of Zambia from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The majority of Zambians trace their ancestry to the Luba-Lunda and surrounding Central African states.<ref>{{Cite web|date=8 August 2019|title=Luba|url=https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/tribes-of-zambia/second-bantu-invasion/luba/|access-date=30 November 2020|website=Zambia's Traditional History|language=en|archive-date=3 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103115702/https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/tribes-of-zambia/second-bantu-invasion/luba/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=====The Maravi Confederacy=====
In the 1200s, before the founding of the Luba-Lunda states, a group of Bantu people started migrating from the [[Congo Basin]] to [[Lake Mweru]] then finally settled around [[Lake Malawi]]. These migrants are believed to have been one of the inhabitants around the [[Upemba Depression|Upemba]] area in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Democratic Republic of Congo]]. By the 1400s these groups of migrants collectively called the Maravi, and most prominently among them was the [[Chewa people]] who started imitating other Bantu groups like the [[Tumbuka people|Tumbuka]].<ref name="Team">{{Cite web|last=Team|first=Editorial|date=26 December 2018|title=The Maravi Confederacy|url=https://thinkafrica.net/maravi-confederacy/|access-date=13 December 2020|website=Think Africa|language=en-US|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129190111/https://thinkafrica.net/maravi-confederacy/|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Kalonga.jpg|thumb|left|The kalonga (ruler) of the [[Chewa people|Chewa]] today descends from the kalonga of the Maravi Empire]]

In 1480 the [[Maravi]] Empire was founded by the kalonga (paramount chief of the Maravi) from the Phiri clan, one of the main clans, with the others being Banda, Mwale and Nkhoma. The Maravi Empire stretched from the Indian Ocean through what today is [[Mozambique]] to Zambia and central parts of [[Malawi]]. The political organisation of the Maravi resembled that of the Luba and is believed to have originated from there. The primary export of the Maravi was ivory, which was transported to Swahili brokers.<ref name="Team"/>

Iron was also manufactured and exported. In the 1590s the Portuguese endeavoured to take monopoly over Maravi export trade. This attempt was met with outrage by the Maravi of Lundu, who unleashed their WaZimba armed force. The WaZimba sacked the Portuguese trade towns of Tete, Sena and various other towns.<ref name="thinkafrica.net">{{Cite web|last=Team|first=Editorial|date=26 December 2018|title=The Maravi Confederacy|url=https://thinkafrica.net/maravi-confederacy/|access-date=14 December 2020|website=Think Africa|language=en-US|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129190111/https://thinkafrica.net/maravi-confederacy/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Maravi are also believed to have brought the traditions that would become [[Nyau]] secret society from [[Upemba Depression|Upemba]]. The Nyau form the cosmology or indigenous religion of the people of Maravi. The [[Nyau]] society consists of ritual dance performances and masks used for the dances; this belief system spread around the region.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Maptia|title=The Secret Cult of Nyau Dancers|url=https://maptia.com/vlad_sokhin/stories/the-secret-cult-of-nyau-dancers|access-date=3 January 2021|website=Maptia|language=en|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108130415/https://maptia.com/vlad_sokhin/stories/the-secret-cult-of-nyau-dancers}}</ref>

The Maravi declined as a result of succession disputes within the confederacy, attack by the [[Ngoni people|Ngoni]] and slave raids from the [[Yao people (East Africa)|Yao]].<ref name="thinkafrica.net"/>

=====Mutapa Empire and Mfecane=====
[[File:Ngoni Chiefs.jpg|thumb|Three young [[Ngoni people|Ngoni]] chiefs. The Ngoni made their way into [[Eastern Province, Zambia|Eastern Zambia]] from [[KwaZulu-Natal|KwaZulu]] in South Africa. They eventually assimilated into the local ethnic groups.]]
As [[Great Zimbabwe]] was in decline, one of its princes, [[Nyatsimba Mutota]], broke away from the state forming a new empire called [[Kingdom of Mutapa|Mutapa]]. The title of Mwene Mutapa, meaning "Ravager of the Lands", was bestowed on him and subsequent rulers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mwene Matapa {{!}} historical dynastic title, southern Africa|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mwene-Matapa|access-date=31 December 2020|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=20 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520141810/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mwene-Matapa|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Mutapa Empire ruled territory between the [[Zambezi]] and [[Limpopo]] rivers, in what is now Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, from the 14th to the 17th century. By its peak, Mutapa had conquered the Dande area of the [[Tonga people (Zambia and Zimbabwe)|Tonga]] and Tavara. The Mutapa Empire predominately engaged in the Indian Ocean transcontinental trade with and via the [[WaSwahili]]. The primary exported gold and ivory for silk and ceramics from Asia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mutapa|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Mutapa/|access-date=31 December 2020|website=World History Encyclopedia|archive-date=18 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418202600/https://www.worldhistory.org/Mutapa/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Like their contemporaries in Maravi, Mutapa had problems with the arriving Portuguese traders. The peak of this uneasy relationship was reached when the Portuguese attempted to influence the kingdoms internal affairs by establishing markets in the kingdom and converting the population to Christianity. This action caused outrage by the Muslim WaSwahili living in the capital, this chaos gave the Portuguese the excuse they were searching for to warrant an attack on the kingdom and try to control its gold mines and ivory routes. This attack failed when the Portuguese succumbed to disease along the Zambezi river.<ref name="Mutapa">{{Cite web|title=Mutapa|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Mutapa/|access-date=1 January 2021|website=World History Encyclopedia|archive-date=18 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418202600/https://www.worldhistory.org/Mutapa/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 1600s internal disputes and civil war began the decline of Mutapa. The weakened kingdom was finally conquered by the Portuguese and was eventually taken over by rival [[Shona people|Shona]] states.<ref name="Mutapa"/>

The Portuguese also had vast estates, known as Prazos, and they used slaves and ex-slaves as security guards and hunters. They trained the men in military tactics and gave them guns. These men became expert elephant hunters and were known as the [[Chikunda]]. After the decline of the Portuguese the Chikunda made their way to Zambia.<ref>{{Cite web|date=11 January 2019|title=Chikunda|url=https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/tribes-of-zambia/mozambique/chikunda/|access-date=12 January 2021|website=Zambia's Traditional History|language=en|archive-date=27 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227184451/https://traditionalzambia.home.blog/tribes-of-zambia/mozambique/chikunda/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Litunga.jpg|thumb|left|Inside the palace of the [[Litunga]], ruler of the Lozi. Due to the flooding on the Zambezi, the Litunga has two palaces one of which is on higher ground. The movement of Litunga to higher land is celebrated at the [[Kuomboka]] Ceremony]]

It is hypothesised by [[Julian Cobbing]] that the presence of early [[Ethnic groups in Europe|Europeans]] [[History of slavery|slave trading]] and attempts to control resources in various parts of [[Bantu languages|Bantu-speaking Africa]] caused the gradual militarisation of the people in the region. This can be observed with the Maravi's WaZimba warrior caste, who, once defeating the Portuguese, remained quite militaristic afterwards.

The Portuguese presence in the region was also a major reason for the founding of the [[Rozvi Empire]], a breakaway state of Mutapa. The ruler of the Rozvi, Changamire Dombo, became one of the most powerful leaders in South-Central Africa's history. Under his leadership, the Rozvi defeated the Portuguese and expelled them from their trading posts along the Zambezi river.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rozwi {{!}} historical state, Africa|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Rozwi-historical-state-Africa|access-date=2 January 2021|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=25 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125203243/https://www.britannica.com/place/Rozwi-historical-state-Africa|url-status=live}}</ref>

But perhaps the most notable instance of this increased militarisation was the rise of the [[Zulu people|Zulu]] under the leadership of [[Shaka]]. Pressures from the English colonialists in the [[Cape of Good Hope|Cape]] and increased militarisation of the Zulu resulted in the [[Mfecane]] (the crushing). The Zulu expanded by assimilating the women and children of tribes they defeated, if the men of these [[Nguni people|Nguni tribes]] escaped slaughter, they used the military tactics of the Zulu to attack other groups.<ref name="Mfecane {{!}} African history">{{Cite web|title=Mfecane {{!}} African history|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Mfecane|access-date=2 January 2021|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112032255/https://www.britannica.com/event/Mfecane|url-status=live}}</ref>

This caused mass displacements, wars and raids throughout Southern, Central and Eastern Africa as Nguni or [[Ngoni people|Ngoni]] tribes made their way throughout the region and is referred to as the Mfecane. The arriving Nguni under the leadership of [[Zwangendaba|Zwagendaba]] crossed the Zambezi river moving northwards. The Ngoni were the final blow to the already weakened [[Maravi]] Empire. Many Nguni eventually settled around what is today Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania and assimilated into neighbouring tribes.<ref name="Mfecane {{!}} African history"/>

In the [[Western Province, Zambia|western part]] of Zambia, another Southern African group of [[Sotho-Tswana peoples|Sotho-Tswana]] heritage called the [[Kololo people|Kololo]] manage to conquer the local inhabitants who were migrants from the fallen Luba and Lunda states called the [[Luyana language|Luyana]] or Aluyi. The Luyana established the [[Barotseland|Barotse Kingdom]] on the [[Barotse Floodplain|floodplains of the Zambezi]] upon their arrival from Katanga. Under the Kololo, the Kololo language was imposed upon the Luyana until the Luyana revolted and overthrew the Kololo by this time the Luyana language was largely forgotten and a new hybrid language emerged, [[Lozi language|SiLozi]] and the Luyana began to refer to themselves as [[Lozi people|Lozi]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lozi {{!}} people|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lozi|access-date=2 January 2021|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=28 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528092724/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lozi|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the end of the 18th century, some of the [[Mbunda people|Mbunda]] migrated to [[Barotseland]], [[Mongu]] upon the migration of among others, the [[Rulers of Mbundaland|Ciyengele]].<ref>'' The elites of Barotseland, 1878–1969: a political history of Zambia's Western Province'': a. Gerald L. Caplan, C. Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 1970, {{ISBN|0-900966-38-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=maniacky |first=jacky |title=bantu zone K |url=http://www.bantu-languages.com/fr/zonek.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411045127/http://www.bantu-languages.com/fr/zonek.html |archive-date=2014-04-11 |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=www.bantu-languages.com}}</ref> The Aluyi and their leader, the Litunga Mulambwa, especially valued the Mbunda for their fighting ability.

By the late 18th century, most of the various peoples of Zambia were established in their current areas.

===Colonial period===
====Europeans====
[[File:David Livingstone -1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|An 1864 photograph of the Scottish explorer and missionary [[David Livingstone]]]]
One of the earliest recorded Europeans to visit the area was the Portuguese explorer [[Francisco de Lacerda]] in the late 18th century. Lacerda led an expedition from Mozambique to the Kazembe region in Zambia (with the goal of exploring and to crossing Southern Africa from coast to coast for the first time),<ref>{{cite web|title = Instructions and Travel Diary that Governor Francisco Joze de Lacerda e Almeida Wrote about His Travel to the Center of Africa, Going to the River of Sena, in the Year of 1798|year = 1798|url = http://www.wdl.org/en/item/234/|access-date = 3 September 2015|website = Library of Congress|archive-date = 5 September 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150905135844/http://www.wdl.org/en/item/234/|url-status = live}}</ref> and died during the expedition in 1798. The expedition was from then on led by his friend Francisco Pinto.<ref>{{cite web|title = Portuguese Expedition to Northern Rhodesia, 1798–99 |url = http://www.greatnorthroad.org/maps/european_travellers/portuguese_expedition.php|website = Great North Road (GNR, Northern Rhodesia, Zambia) |access-date = 3 September 2015|first = Craig |last = Hartnett |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924023553/http://www.greatnorthroad.org/maps/european_travellers/portuguese_expedition.php|archive-date = 24 September 2015|df = dmy-all}}</ref> This territory, located between [[Portuguese Mozambique]] and [[Portuguese Angola]], was claimed and explored by Portugal in that period.

Other European visitors followed in the 19th century. The most prominent of these was [[David Livingstone]], who had a vision of ending the slave trade through the "3 Cs": Christianity, Commerce, and Civilisation. He was the first European to see the magnificent waterfalls on the [[Zambezi River]] in 1855, naming them the [[Victoria Falls]] after [[Queen Victoria]] of the United Kingdom. He described them thus: "Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Livingstone Discovers Victoria Falls, 1855|url=http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/livingstone.htm|website=EyeWitness to History|access-date=28 May 2020|archive-date=22 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522092057/http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/livingstone.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Locally the falls are known as [[Mosi-oa-Tunya|"Mosi-o-Tunya"]] or "thundering smoke" in the Lozi or Kololo dialect. The town of [[Livingstone, Zambia|Livingstone]], near the Falls, is named after him. Highly publicised accounts of his journeys motivated a wave of European visitors, missionaries and traders after his death in 1873.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History |url=https://www.cbt.gov.zm/?page_id=4385|website=The Provincial Administration Website|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627015544/https://www.cbt.gov.zm/?page_id=4385|archive-date=27 June 2020}}</ref>

'''British South Africa Company'''

In 1888, the [[British South Africa Company]] (BSA Company), led by [[Cecil Rhodes]], obtained mineral rights from the [[Litunga]] of the Lozi people, the Paramount Chief of the [[Lozi people|Lozi (Ba-rotse)]] for the area which later became [[Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia]].<ref name="livingstone">{{cite web
| title=Destination:Zambia&nbsp;– History and Culture
| url=http://www.livingstonetourism.com/pages/history.htm
| author=Livingstone Tourism Association | access-date=29 October 2007
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071012153527/http://livingstonetourism.com/pages/history.htm |archive-date = 12 October 2007}}</ref>

To the east, in December 1897 a group of the [[Ngoni people|Angoni or Ngoni]] (originally from Zululand) rebelled under Tsinco, son of King [[Mpezeni]], but the rebellion was put down,<ref name="unam">{{cite web
| title=Zambia: Historical Background |author1=Human Rights  |author2=Documentation Centre  |name-list-style=amp | url=http://www.hrdc.unam.na/zm_history.htm
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070311093653/http://www.hrdc.unam.na/zm_history.htm
| archive-date=11 March 2007 | access-date=14 January 2011
}}</ref> and Mpezeni accepted the [[Pax Britannica]]. That part of the country then came to be known as [[North-Eastern Rhodesia]]. In 1895, Rhodes asked his American scout [[Frederick Russell Burnham]] to look for minerals and ways to improve river navigation in the region, and it was during this trek that Burnham discovered major copper deposits along the [[Kafue River]].<ref name="burnham1899">{{cite book |last=Burnham |first=Frederick Russell |author-link=Frederick Russell Burnham |editor-first=Walter H. |editor-last=Wills |title=Bulawayo Up-to-date; Being a General Sketch of Rhodesia |publisher=Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. |year=1899 |pages=177–180 |chapter=Northern Rhodesia|title-link=s:Northern Rhodesia }}</ref>

North-Eastern Rhodesia and Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia were administered as separate units until 1911 when they were merged to form Northern Rhodesia, a British protectorate. In 1923, the BSA Company ceded control of Northern Rhodesia to the British Government after the government decided not to renew the company's charter.

====British colonisation====

In 1923, [[Southern Rhodesia]] (now Zimbabwe), a conquered territory which was also administered by the BSA Company, became a self-governing British colony. In 1924, after negotiations, the administration of Northern Rhodesia transferred to the British [[Secretary of State for the Colonies|Colonial Office]].

;Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland{{clear}}
In 1953, the creation of the [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland]] grouped together Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, and [[Nyasaland Protectorate|Nyasaland]] (now Malawi) as a single semi-autonomous region. This was undertaken despite opposition from a sizeable minority of the population, who demonstrated against it in 1960–61.<ref name="infoplease">{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0841738.html|title=Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of|author=Pearson Education|access-date=29 October 2007|archive-date=12 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012231959/http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0841738.html}}</ref> Northern Rhodesia was the centre of much of the turmoil and crisis characterising the federation in its last years. Initially, [[Harry Nkumbula]]'s [[Zambian African National Congress|African National Congress]] (ANC) led the campaign, which [[Kenneth Kaunda]]'s United National Independence Party (UNIP) subsequently took up.

===Independence===

[[File:Zambia123f.jpg|thumb|[[Kenneth David Kaunda|Kenneth Kaunda]], first president, on a state visit to [[Socialist Republic of Romania|Romania]] in 1970]]

A two-stage election held in October and December 1962 resulted in an African majority in the legislative council and an uneasy coalition between the two African nationalist parties. The council passed resolutions calling for Northern Rhodesia's secession from the federation and demanding full internal self-government under a new constitution and a new [[National Assembly of Zambia|National Assembly]] based on a broader, more democratic franchise.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

The federation was dissolved on 31 December 1963, and in January 1964, Kaunda won the only election for Prime Minister of Northern Rhodesia. The [[Governor of Northern Rhodesia|Colonial Governor]], Sir [[Evelyn Dennison Hone|Evelyn Hone]], was very close to Kaunda and urged him to stand for the post. Soon after, there was an uprising in the north of the country known as the [[Lumpa Church|Lumpa Uprising]] led by [[Alice Lenshina]]&nbsp;– Kaunda's first internal conflict as leader of the nation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alice Lenshina|url=https://www.britishempire.co.uk/article/alicelenshinalumpa.htm|date=26 May 2020|website=The British Empire|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-date=28 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228081501/https://www.britishempire.co.uk/article/alicelenshinalumpa.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Northern Rhodesia became the Republic of Zambia on 24 October 1964, with [[Kenneth Kaunda]] as the first president. At independence, despite its considerable mineral wealth, Zambia faced major challenges. Domestically, there were few trained and educated Zambians capable of running the government, and the economy was largely dependent on foreign expertise. This expertise was provided in part by British diplomat [[John Willson (diplomat)|John Willson]].<ref>[http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/archives/collections/BDOHP/Willson.pdf WILLSON, John Michael (born 15 July 1931)]{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. BDOHP Biographical Details and Interview Index. chu.cam.ac.uk</ref> There were over 70,000 Europeans resident in Zambia in 1964, and they remained of disproportionate economic significance.<ref name="Zambia">{{Cite news |date=1964-10-25 |title=1964: President Kaunda takes power in Zambia |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/25/newsid_2658000/2658325.stm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605125604/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/25/newsid_2658000/2658325.stm |archive-date=5 June 2013 |access-date=2025-09-13 |url-status=live |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Post Independence ===
Kaunda's endorsement of [[Patriotic Front (Zimbabwe)|Patriotic Front]] guerrillas conducting raids into neighbouring [[Rhodesia|(Southern) Rhodesia]] resulted in political tension and a militarisation of the border, leading to its closure in 1973.<ref name="blackfire">{{cite book|last=Raeburn|first=Michael|title=We are everywhere: Narratives from Rhodesian guerillas|pages=[https://archive.org/details/weareeverywheren00raeb/page/1 1–209]|year=1978|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-0-394-50530-5|url=https://archive.org/details/weareeverywheren00raeb/page/1}}</ref> The [[Kariba Dam|Kariba hydroelectric]] station on the Zambezi River provided sufficient capacity to satisfy the country's requirements for electricity, despite Rhodesian management.

[[File:RhodesiaAllies1965.png|thumb|The geopolitical situation during the [[Rhodesian Bush War]] in 1965 – countries friendly to the nationalists are coloured orange]]

On 3 September 1978, civilian airliner, [[Air Rhodesia Flight 825]], was shot down near Kariba by the [[Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army]] (ZIPRA). 18 people, including children, survived the crash only for most of them to be shot by militants of the [[Zimbabwe African People's Union]] (ZAPU) led by [[Joshua Nkomo]]. Rhodesia responded with [[Operation Gatling]], an attack on Nkomo's guerilla bases in Zambia, in particular, his military headquarters just outside Lusaka; this raid became known as the Green Leader Raid. On the same day, two more bases in Zambia were attacked using air power and elite paratroops and helicopter-borne troops.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.helion.co.uk/new-and-forthcoming-titles/green-leader-operation-gatling-the-rhodesian-military-s-response-to-the-viscount-tragedy.html|title=GREEN LEADER. OPERATION GATLING, THE RHODESIAN MILITARY'S RESPONSE TO THE VISCOUNT TRAGEDY|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125155440/http://www.helion.co.uk/new-and-forthcoming-titles/green-leader-operation-gatling-the-rhodesian-military-s-response-to-the-viscount-tragedy.html|archive-date=25 January 2017|access-date=22 April 2017}}</ref>

A railway ([[TAZARA Railway|TAZARA]] – Tanzania Zambia Railways) to the Tanzanian port of [[Dar es Salaam]], completed in 1975 with Chinese assistance, reduced Zambian dependence on railway lines south to South Africa and west through an increasingly troubled [[Portuguese Angola]]. Until the completion of the railway, Zambia's major artery for imports and the critical export of copper was along the [[Tanzam Highway|TanZam Road]], running from Zambia to the port cities in Tanzania. The [[Tazama Pipeline|Tazama oil pipeline]] was also built from Dar es Salaam to [[Ndola]] in Zambia.

By the late 1970s, Mozambique and Angola had attained independence from Portugal. Rhodesia's predominantly white government, which issued a [[Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence|Unilateral Declaration of Independence]] in 1965, accepted majority rule under the [[Lancaster House Agreement]] in 1979.<ref name="zimstudy">{{cite book|last=Nelson|first=Harold|title=Zimbabwe: A Country Study|pages=54–137|year=1983|isbn=978-0-16-001598-4|publisher=Claitors Publishing Division}}</ref>

Civil strife in both Portuguese colonies and a mounting [[Namibian War of Independence]] resulted in an influx of refugees<ref name="zastudy">{{cite book|last=Kaplan|first=Irving|title=Area Handbook for the Republic of South Africa|url=https://archive.org/details/areahandbookforr00kapl|url-access=registration|pages=[https://archive.org/details/areahandbookforr00kapl/page/n425 404]–405|year=1971|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office}}</ref> and compounded transportation issues. The [[Benguela railway]], which extended west through Angola, was essentially closed to Zambian traffic by the late 1970s. Zambia's support for [[Internal resistance to South African apartheid|anti-apartheid]] movements such as the [[African National Congress]] (ANC) also created security problems as the [[South African Defence Force]] struck at dissident targets during external raids.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Evans, M. |title=The Front-Line States, South Africa and Southern African Security: Military Prospects and Perspectives |url=http://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/African%20Journals/pdfs/Journal%20of%20the%20University%20of%20Zimbabwe/vol12n1/juz012001002.pdf |page=1 |journal=Zambezia |year=1984 |volume=12}}</ref>

In 1989, two of Zambia's natural sites, [[Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park]] and [[Victoria Falls]] were inscribed on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]].

====Economic troubles====

In the mid-1970s, the price of copper, Zambia's principal export, suffered a severe decline worldwide. In Zambia's situation, the cost of transporting the copper great distances to the market was an additional strain. Zambia turned to foreign and international lenders for relief, but, as copper prices remained depressed, it became increasingly difficult to service its growing debt. By the mid-1990s, despite limited debt relief, Zambia's per capita foreign debt remained among the highest in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zambia (12/08)|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/zambia/102331.htm|website=U.S. Department of State|access-date=27 May 2020|archive-date=25 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625080205/https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/zambia/102331.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Democratisation====

In June 1990, [[1990 Zambia riots|riots against Kaunda]] accelerated and many protesters were killed by the regime.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Zambia|url=http://www.psp-ltd.com/zam_stat_eng.htm|date=20 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509233410/http://psp-ltd.com/zam_stat_eng.htm|archive-date=9 May 2016|access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bartlett|first=David M. C.|date=2000|title=Civil Society and Democracy: A Zambian Case Study|journal=Journal of Southern African Studies|volume=26|issue=3|pages=429–446|doi=10.1080/030570700750019655|jstor=2637411|s2cid=143480603|issn=0305-7070}}</ref> In 1990, Kaunda survived an [[1990 Zambian coup d'état attempt|attempted coup]], and in 1991, he agreed to reinstate multiparty democracy, having instituted one-party rule under the Choma Commission of 1972. Following multiparty elections, Kaunda was removed from office.

In the 2000s, the economy stabilised, attaining single-digit inflation in 2006–2007, real GDP growth, decreasing interest rates, and increasing levels of trade. Much of its growth is due to foreign investment in mining and to higher world copper prices. All this led to Zambia being courted enthusiastically by aid donors and saw a surge in investor confidence in the country.

==Politics==
{{Main|Politics of Zambia}}

[[File:Zambia National Assembly Building.jpg|thumb|Zambia National Assembly building in [[Lusaka]]]]

Politics in Zambia takes place in a framework of a [[presidential system|presidential]] [[representative democracy|representative democratic]] republic, whereby the [[president of Zambia]] is both head of state and head of government in a pluriform<!--Does this add anything to multi-party system?--> [[multi-party system]]. The government exercises executive power, while legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament.

Zambia became a republic immediately upon attaining independence in October 1964. From 2011 to 2014, Zambia's president had been Michael Sata, until Sata died on 28 October 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Zambian President Michael Sata dies in London - BBC News |url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29813612 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705073526/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29813612 |archive-date=2017-07-05 |access-date=2025-09-13 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> After Sata's death, Vice President [[Guy Scott]], a Zambian of Scottish descent, became acting president. Presidential elections were held on 22 January 2015. A total number of 11 presidential candidates contested in the election and On 24 January 2015, it was announced that [[Edgar Lungu|Edgar Chagwa Lungu]] had won the election to become the 6th President in a tightly contested race. He won 48.33% of the vote, a lead of 1.66% over his closest rival, [[Hakainde Hichilema]], with 46.67%.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Defence Minister Lungu wins Zambia's disputed presidential race |url=http://news.yahoo.com/defence-minister-edgar-lungu-wins-zambia-vote-203552285.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305065726/http://news.yahoo.com/defence-minister-edgar-lungu-wins-zambia-vote-203552285.html |archive-date=2016-03-05 |access-date=2025-09-13 |work=Yahoo News |language=en-US}}</ref> Nine other candidates all got less than 1% each. In August [[2016 Zambian general election]] president Edgar Lungu won re-election narrowly in the first round of the election. The opposition had allegations of fraud and the governing [[Patriotic Front (Zambia)|Patriotic Front]] (PF) rejected the allegations made by opposition UPND party.<ref name="bbc-15aug2016">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37086365|title=Zambia's President Edgar Lungu declared election winner|work=BBC News|date=15 August 2016|access-date=17 May 2021|archive-date=26 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026223033/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37086365|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[2021 Zambian general election|2021 general elections]], characterised by a 70% voter turnout, [[Hakainde Hichilema]] won 59% of the vote, with his closest rival, incumbent president Edgar Chagwa Lungu, receiving 39% of the vote.<ref name="zm-elec-39">{{Cite news|url=https://zambiaelections2021.org.zm|title=Presidential Election Results|work=Electoral Commission of Zambia|date=16 August 2021|access-date=27 December 2021|archive-date=2 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102194510/https://zambiaelections2021.org.zm/}}</ref> On 16 August Edgar Lungu conceded in a TV statement, sending a letter and congratulating president-elect Hakainde Hichilema.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-08-16|title=Zambia election: Hakainde Hichilema beats President Edgar Lungu|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58226695|access-date=2021-08-16|archive-date=24 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824152003/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58226695|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |last=Kabwe |first=Zitto |author-link=Zitto Kabwe |user=zittokabwe |number=1426967254986629126 |date=15 August 2021 |title=#Zambia President @EdgarCLungu has conceded in a letter sent to now president elect @HHichilema of @UPNDZM. Once again Zambia has shown the world the level of its democratic maturity. Peaceful transfer of power is happening for third time in history. Congratulations Zambians |language=en |access-date=30 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827180204/https://twitter.com/zittokabwe/status/1426967254986629126 |archive-date=27 August 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 24 August 2021, Hakainde Hichilema was sworn in as the new president of Zambia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/24/africa/zambia-president-hichilema-inauguration-intl/index.html|title=Zambia's Hakainde Hichilema sworn in as President in rare victory for an African opposition leader|date=24 August 2021|access-date=16 November 2021|archive-date=16 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116213703/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/24/africa/zambia-president-hichilema-inauguration-intl/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Foreign relations===
{{Further|Foreign relations of Zambia}}
[[File:Vladimir Putin and Edgar Lungu, 26 july 2018 (2).jpg|thumb|President [[Edgar Lungu]] with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]], 26 July 2018]]
After independence in 1964, the foreign relations of Zambia were mostly focused on supporting liberation movements in other countries in Southern Africa, such as the [[African National Congress]] and [[SWAPO]]. During the [[Cold War]], Zambia was a member of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]].

===Military===
{{main|Zambian Defence Force}}

The Zambian Defence Force (ZDF) consists of the Zambia Army (ZA), the Zambia Air Force (ZAF), and the Zambian National Service (ZNS). The ZDF is designed primarily against external threats.

In 2019, Zambia signed the UN [[treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |title=Chapter XXVI: Disarmament&nbsp;– No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons |publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection |date=7 July 2017 |access-date=18 October 2019 |archive-date=6 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806220546/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
{{Further|Provinces of Zambia}}

{{Regions of Zambia Labelled Map}}

Zambia is administratively divided into ten [[Provinces of Zambia|provinces]] subdivided into 117 [[Districts of Zambia|districts]], and electorally into 156 constituencies and 1,281 wards.

;Provinces
# [[Central Province, Zambia|Central Province]]
# [[Copperbelt Province|Copperbelt]]
# [[Eastern Province, Zambia|Eastern Province]]
# [[Luapula Province|Luapula]]
# [[Lusaka Province|Lusaka]]
# [[Muchinga Province, Zambia|Muchinga]]
# [[North-Western Province, Zambia|North-Western Province]]
# [[Northern Province, Zambia|Northern Province]]
# [[Southern Province, Zambia|Southern Province]]
# [[Western Province, Zambia|Western Province]]

===Human rights===
{{See also|Human rights in Zambia|LGBT rights in Zambia}}
The government is sensitive to any opposition and criticism and has been quick to prosecute critics using the legal pretext that they had incited [[public disorder]]. [[Libel law]]s are used to suppress free speech and the press.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015 |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204181 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225030706/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204181 |archive-date=2021-02-25 |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=2009-2017.state.gov}}</ref>

Same-sex sexual activity is illegal for both males and females in Zambia.<ref>{{cite web|title=State Sponsored Homophobia 2016: A world survey of sexual orientation laws: criminalisation, protection and recognition|url=http://ilga.org/downloads/02_ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2016_ENG_WEB_150516.pdf|website=[[International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association]]|date=17 May 2016|access-date=29 July 2017|archive-date=2 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902183618/http://ilga.org/downloads/02_ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2016_ENG_WEB_150516.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Daniel |last=Avery |title=71 Countries Where Homosexuality is Illegal |url=https://www.newsweek.com/73-countries-where-its-illegal-be-gay-1385974 |work=Newsweek |date=4 April 2019 |access-date=18 August 2019 |archive-date=11 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211204842/https://www.newsweek.com/73-countries-where-its-illegal-be-gay-1385974 |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2010 survey revealed that only 2% of Zambians find homosexuality to be morally acceptable.<ref>{{cite journal |title=What Is Religion in Africa? Relational Dynamics in an Entangled World |date=2021 |publisher=Brill |doi=10.1163/15700666-12340184 |last1=Meyer |first1=Birgit |journal=Journal of Religion in Africa |volume=50 |issue=1–2 |pages=156–181 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

In December 2019, it was reported that United States Ambassador to Zambia [[Daniel Lewis Foote]] was "horrified" by Zambia's jailing of same-sex couple Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba. After an appeal failed and the couple was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Foote asked the Zambian government to review both the case and the country's anti-homosexuality laws. Foote faced a backlash and cancelled public appearances after he was threatened on social media, and was subsequently recalled after Lungu declared him ''[[persona non grata]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50901537|title=US recalls ambassador to Zambia after gay rights row|website=BBC News|date=24 December 2019|access-date=12 January 2020|archive-date=31 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231195603/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50901537|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Zambia|Geology of Zambia}}

[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map ZMB present.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|Zambia map of Köppen climate classification]]
Zambia is a [[landlocked country]] in southern Africa, with a tropical climate, and consists mostly of high plateaus with some hills and mountains, dissected by river valleys. At {{convert|752614|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} it is the 39th-largest country in the world, slightly smaller than [[Chile]]. The country lies mostly between latitudes 8° and 18°S, and longitudes 22° and 34°E.

Zambia is drained by two major river basins: the [[Zambezi River|Zambezi]]/Kafue basin in the centre, west, and south covering about three-quarters of the country; and the [[Congo River|Congo]] basin in the north covering about one-quarter of the country. A very small area in the northeast forms part of the internal [[drainage basin]] of [[Lake Rukwa]] in Tanzania.

In the Zambezi basin, there are a number of major rivers flowing wholly or partially through Zambia: the [[Kabompo River|Kabompo]], [[Lungwebungu River|Lungwebungu]], [[Kafue River|Kafue]], [[Luangwa River|Luangwa]], and the Zambezi itself, which flows through the country in the west and then forms its southern border with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Its source is in Zambia but it diverts into Angola, and a number of its tributaries rise in Angola's central highlands. The edge of the [[Cuando River]] floodplain (not its main channel) forms Zambia's southwestern border, and via the [[Chobe River]] that river contributes very little water to the Zambezi because most are lost by evaporation.<ref name="Beilfuss">Beilfuss, Richard and dos Santos, David (2001) [http://files.gorongosa.net/filestore/348-patterns_hydrological_change_zambezi_delta.pdf "Patterns of Hydrological Change in the Zambezi Delta, Mozambique".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217180850/http://files.gorongosa.net/filestore/348-patterns_hydrological_change_zambezi_delta.pdf |date=17 December 2008 }} Working Paper No 2 Program for the Sustainable Management of Cahora Bassa Dam and The Lower Zambezi Valley.</ref>

Two of the Zambezi's longest and largest tributaries, the Kafue and the Luangwa, flow mainly in Zambia. Their confluences with the Zambezi are on the border with Zimbabwe at Chirundu and [[Luangwa, Zambia|Luangwa town]] respectively. Before its confluence, the Luangwa River forms part of Zambia's border with Mozambique. From Luangwa town, the Zambezi leaves Zambia and flows into Mozambique, and eventually into the [[Mozambique Channel]].

The Zambezi falls about {{convert|100|m|ft|0}} over the {{convert|1.6|km|mi|0|abbr=off|adj=mid|-wide}} Victoria Falls, located in the southwest corner of the country, subsequently flowing into [[Lake Kariba]]. The Zambezi valley, running along the southern border, is both deep and wide. From Lake Kariba going east, it is formed by [[graben]]s and like the Luangwa, Mweru-Luapula, [[Mweru-wa-Ntipa]] and Lake Tanganyika valleys, is a [[rift valley]].

The north of Zambia is very flat with broad plains. In the west the most notable being the [[Barotse Floodplain]] on the Zambezi, which floods from December to June, lagging behind the annual rainy season (typically November to April). The flood dominates the natural environment and the lives, society, and culture of the inhabitants and those of other smaller, floodplains throughout the country.

[[File:Cataratas Victoria, Zambia-Zimbabue, 2018-07-27, DD 05.jpg|thumb|[[Victoria Falls]]]]
In Eastern Zambia the plateau which extends between the Zambezi and [[Lake Tanganyika]] valleys is tilted upwards to the north, and so rises imperceptibly from about {{convert|900|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in the south to {{convert|1200|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in the centre, reaching {{convert|1800|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in the north near Mbala. These plateau areas of northern Zambia have been categorised by the [[World Wildlife Fund]] as a large section of the [[Central Zambezian miombo woodlands]] [[ecoregion]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Geography {{!}} Zambian High Commission|url=https://www.zambiapretoria.net/geography/|website=www.zambiapretoria.net|access-date=27 May 2020|archive-date=26 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426145145/https://www.zambiapretoria.net/geography/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Eastern Zambia shows great diversity. The Luangwa Valley splits the plateau in a curve north-east to south-west, extended west into the heart of the plateau by the deep valley of the [[Lunsemfwa River]]. Hills and mountains are found by the side of some sections of the valley, notably in its north-east the Nyika Plateau ({{convert|2200|m|ft|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) on the Malawi border, which extend into Zambia as the [[Mafinga Hills]], containing the country's highest point, [[Mafinga Central]] ({{convert|2339|m|ft|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.markhorrell.com/blog/2014/mafinga-south-and-mafinga-central-the-highest-peaks-in-zambia/ |title=Mafinga South and Mafinga Central: the highest peaks in Zambia |date=24 September 2014 |publisher=Footsteps on the Mountain blog |access-date=16 October 2014 |archive-date=16 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716161825/http://www.markhorrell.com/blog/2014/mafinga-south-and-mafinga-central-the-highest-peaks-in-zambia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Muchinga Mountains, the watershed between the Zambezi and Congo drainage basins, run parallel to the deep valley of the Luangwa River and form a sharp backdrop to its northern edge, although they are almost everywhere below {{convert|1700|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. Their culminating peak Mumpu is at the western end and at {{convert|1892|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} is the highest point in Zambia away from the eastern border region. The border of the [[Congo Pedicle]] was drawn around this mountain.

The southernmost headstream of the Congo River rises in Zambia and flows west through its northern area firstly as the [[Chambeshi River|Chambeshi]] and then, after the [[Lake Bangweulu|Bangweulu Swamps]] as the [[Luapula River|Luapula]], which forms part of the border with the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. The Luapula flows south then west before it turns north until it enters [[Lake Mweru]]. The lake's other major tributary is the [[Kalungwishi River]], which flows into it from the east. The [[Luvua River]] drains Lake Mweru, flowing out of the northern end to the [[Lualaba River]] (Upper Congo River).

[[Lake Tanganyika]] is the other major hydrographic feature that belongs to the Congo basin. Its south-eastern end receives water from the [[Kalambo River]], which forms part of Zambia's border with Tanzania. This river has Africa's second highest uninterrupted waterfall, the [[Kalambo Falls]].

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Zambia}}
Zambia is located on the plateau of Central Africa, between {{convert|1000|and|1600|m|ft}} above sea level. The average elevation of {{convert|1200|m|ft}} gives the land a generally moderate climate. The climate of Zambia is tropical, modified by elevation. In the [[Köppen climate classification]], most of the country is classified as ''humid subtropical'' ([[Humid subtropical climate|'''''Cfa''''']]) or ''tropical wet and dry'' ([[Tropical savanna climate|'''''Aw''''']]), with small stretches of semi-arid ''steppe climate'' ([[Semi-arid climate|'''''BSh''''']]) in the south-west and along the [[Zambezi valley]].

The two main seasons are the rainy season (November to April) corresponding to summer, and the dry season (May/June to October/November), corresponding to winter. The dry season is subdivided into the cool dry season (May/June to August), and the hot dry season (September to October/November). The modifying influence of altitude gives the country pleasant [[subtropical]] weather rather than tropical conditions during the cool season of May to August.<ref>''Spectrum Guide to Zambia''. Camerapix International Publishing, Nairobi, 1996. {{ISBN|1-874041-14-8}}.</ref> However, average monthly temperatures remain above {{convert|20|°C}} over most of the country for eight or more months of the year.

===Biodiversity===
{{main|Wildlife of Zambia}}
[[File:African fish eagle, Haliaeetus vocifer, at Chobe National Park, Botswana (33516612831).jpg|thumb|The official national animal of Zambia is the [[African fish eagle]]]]

There are numerous ecosystems in Zambia, such as forest, thicket, woodland and grassland vegetation types.

In 2015, Zambia was reported to have approximately 12,505 identified species: 63% animal species, 33% plant species and 4% bacterial species and other microorganisms.<ref name="Mulenga_2015">{{cite report |author=Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environemntal Protection |date=June 30, 2015 |title=United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Fifth National Report |url=https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/zm/zm-nr-05-en.pdf |publisher=Zambia Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Envirionmental Protection |access-date=2024-05-03 |archive-date=3 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240503192214/https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/zm/zm-nr-05-en.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

There are an estimated 3,543 species of wild flowering plants, consisting of sedges, herbaceous plants and woody plants.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Bolnick|first1=Doreen|title=A guide to the common wild flowers of Zambia and neighbouring regions 2nd Edition|last2=Bingham|publisher=Wildlife & Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia|year=2007|isbn=978-9982-18-063-4|location=Lusaka|page=75}}</ref> The [[Northern Province, Zambia|Northern]] and [[North-Western Province, Zambia|North-Western]] provinces of the country especially have the highest diversity of flowering plants. Approximately 53% of flowering plants are rare and occur throughout the country.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ministry of Lands Natural Resources and Environmental Protection: United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Fifth National Report|url=https://www.mlnr.gov.zm/?wpfb_dl=77|last=Zambia- Ministry of Lands Natural Resources|date=June 2015|website=Zambia- Ministry of Lands Natural Resources|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626142324/https://www.mlnr.gov.zm/?wpfb_dl=77|archive-date=26 June 2020}}</ref>

A total of [[List of mammals of Zambia|242 mammal species]] are found in the country, with most occupying the woodland and grassland ecosystems. The [[Rhodesian giraffe]] and [[Kafue lechwe]] are some of the well-known subspecies that are endemic to Zambia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ministry of Lands Natural Resources and Environmental Protection:United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Fifth National Report|url=https://www.mlnr.gov.zm/?wpfb_dl=77|last=Ministry of Lands|date=June 2015|website=Zambia - Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626142324/https://www.mlnr.gov.zm/?wpfb_dl=77|archive-date=26 June 2020}}</ref>

An estimated 757 bird species have been seen in the country, of which 600 are either resident or Afrotropic migrants; 470 breed in the country; and 100 are non-breeding migrants. The [[Zambian barbet]] is a species endemic to Zambia.

Roughly 490 known fish species, belonging to 24 fish families, have been reported in Zambia, with [[Lake Tanganyika]] having the highest number of endemic species.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fish – arczambia.com|url=https://www.arczambia.com/conservation/wildlife/fish/|language=en-GB|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-date=29 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529010731/https://www.arczambia.com/conservation/wildlife/fish/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Historical census population in Zambia}}
{{Main|Demographics of Zambia}}
As of the [[2022 Zambian census]], Zambia's population was 19,610,769.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zambia's Population up to 19,610,769 in 2022 from 13,092,666 in 2010 – Zambia Statistics Agency |url=https://www.zamstats.gov.zm/population-size-by-sex-and-rural-urban-zambia-2022/ |access-date=2024-03-27 |language=en-US |archive-date=5 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305022051/https://www.zamstats.gov.zm/population-size-by-sex-and-rural-urban-zambia-2022/ |url-status=live }}</ref> During its colonial administration by the British between 1911 and 1963, the country attracted immigrants from Europe and the Indian subcontinent, the latter of whom came as indentured workers. While most Europeans left after the collapse of white-minority rule, many Asians remained. Zambia is home to a growing Asian community, with a majority being of Indian and Chinese descent.

[[File:Umutomboko ceremony.jpg|thumb|The [[Mwata Kazembe]] opens the Mutomboko ceremony]]
In the first census—conducted on 7 May 1911—there were a total of 1,497 Europeans; 39 Asiatics and an estimated 820,000 black Africans. Black Africans were not counted in the six censuses conducted in 1911, 1921, 1931, 1946, 1951 and 1956, prior to independence, but their population was estimated. By 1956, there were 65,277 Europeans, 5,450 Asiatics, 5,450 coloureds and an estimated 2,100,000 black Africans.

The main ethnic groups in Zambia are Bemba 3.3 million (33.6%), Nyanja 1.8 million (18.2%), Tonga 1.7 million (16.8%), North-Western peoples 1 million (10.3%), Lozi (Barotse) 770,000 (7.8%), Mambwe 580,000 (5.9%), Tumbuka 500,000 (5.1%), Lamba 165,000 (2%), Asians 11,900 and Europeans 6,200.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://minorityrights.org/country/zambia/|title=Zambia|website=minorityrights.org|date=2 November 2023|access-date=6 March 2024|archive-date=9 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909114747/https://minorityrights.org/country/zambia/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 2010 population census, 99.2% were black Africans and 0.8% consisted of other racial groups.

{{Chart|definition=Population of Zambia.chart|data=Population of Zambia.tab|Width=350}}

Zambia is one of the most highly urbanised countries in [[sub-Saharan Africa]], with 44% of the population concentrated along the major transport corridors, while rural areas are sparsely populated. The fertility rate was 6.2 {{As of|2007|lc=y}} (6.1 in 1996, 5.9 in 2001–02).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zamstats.gov.zm/surveys/zdhs.php |title=Welcome to the Official site of Zambian Statistics |publisher=Zamstats.gov.zm |access-date=11 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113144454/http://www.zamstats.gov.zm/surveys/zdhs.php |archive-date=13 November 2014 }}</ref>

===Largest towns===
{{Further|List of cities and towns in Zambia}}The onset of industrial copper mining on the Copperbelt in the late 1920s triggered rapid urbanisation. Although urbanisation was overestimated during the colonial period, it was substantial.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Potts|first=Deborah|date=2005|title=Counter-urbanisation on the Zambian Copperbelt? Interpretations and implications|journal=Urban Studies|volume=42|issue=4|pages=583–609|doi=10.1080/00420980500060137|bibcode=2005UrbSt..42..583P |s2cid=154412136}}</ref> Mining townships on the Copperbelt soon dwarfed existing centres of population and continued to grow rapidly following Zambian independence. Economic decline in the Copperbelt from the 1970s to the 1990s has altered patterns of urban development, but the country's population remains concentrated around the railway and roads running south from the Copperbelt through Kapiri Mposhi, Lusaka, Choma and Livingstone.
{{Largest cities of Zambia|class=info}}

===Ethnic groups===
[[File:Tribal Linguistic map Zambia.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Tribal and linguistic map of Zambia]]
Zambia nominally includes approximately 73 ethnic groups,<ref name=BritannicaPeople>{{Cite web|title=Zambia – People|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Zambia/People|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=1 October 2024}}</ref><ref name=epr>{{cite web |author=GROWup – Geographical Research On War, Unified Platform |title=Ethnicity in Zambia |url=https://growup.ethz.ch/atlas/Zambia |publisher=ETH Zurich |access-date=1 November 2018 |archive-date=21 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321083438/https://growup.ethz.ch/atlas/Zambia |url-status=live }}</ref> although in practice there are fewer distinct groups.<ref name=epr/> Most Zambians are [[Bantu languages|Bantu]]-speaking.<ref name=BritannicaPeople/> The three largest [[ethnolinguistic]] groups are the [[Bemba people|Bemba]], [[Chewa people|Nyanja]] (also called the Chewa), and [[Tonga people of Zambia and Zimbabwe|Tonga]]; four smaller groups are the [[Kaonde language|Kaonde]], [[Lozi people|Lozi]], [[Lunda people|Luanda]], and [[Luvale people|Luvale]].<ref name=epr/> In 2010, the population was estimated to be 21% Bemba, 13.6% Tonga, 7.4% Chewa, 5.7% Lozi, 5.3% [[Nsenga people|Nsenga]], 4.4% [[Tumbuka people|Tumbuka]], 4.0% [[Ngoni people|Ngoni]], and 38.6% other.<ref name=BritannicaPeople/> The Bemba group is predominant in the Northern, Luapula, and Copperbelt provinces; the Nyanja in the Eastern and Central provinces; the Tonga in the Southern and Western provinces; and the Lozi in the Western Province.<ref name=BritannicaPeople/> The Tumbuka minority lives in the Luangwa River valley in the east.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tumbuka people|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tumbuka|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-date=4 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404132021/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tumbuka|url-status=live}}</ref> No single ethnolinguistic group is predominant in the [[North-Western Province, Zambia|North-Western Province]],<ref name=BritannicaPeople/> which is sparsely populated.<ref name=epr/>

In addition to the linguistic dimension, tribal identities are relevant in Zambia.<ref name=epr/> These tribal identities are often linked to family allegiance or to traditional authorities. The tribal identities are nested within the main language groups.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Posner |first=Daniel N. |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/institutions-and-ethnic-politics-in-africa/696855CDE1BDD865EA1254D0A3843B82 |title=Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa |date=2005-06-06 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-83398-1 |language=en |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511808661 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321083432/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/institutions-and-ethnic-politics-in-africa/696855CDE1BDD865EA1254D0A3843B82 |archive-date=2023-03-21}}</ref>

Immigrants, mostly British or South African, as well as some white Zambian citizens of British descent, live mainly in Lusaka and in the Copperbelt in northern Zambia, where they are either employed in mines, financial and related activities or retired. There were 70,000 Europeans in Zambia in 1964, but many since left the country.<ref name="Zambia"/>

Zambia has a small but economically important Asian population, most of whom are Indians and Chinese. This minority group has a massive impact on the economy controlling the manufacturing sector. An estimated 80,000 Chinese were reported to reside in Zambia in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ZAMBIA: Zambians wary of |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=61640 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910230935/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=61640 |archive-date=2011-09-10 |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=IRINnews}}</ref> In recent years, several hundred dispossessed white farmers have left Zimbabwe at the invitation of the Zambian government, to take up farming in the Southern province.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Zim's Loss, Zam's gain: White Zimbabweans making good in Zambia|date=June 2004|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=28 August 2009|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-123518400.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215085211/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-123518400.html|archive-date=15 February 2011}}</ref><ref name="Spiegel">{{Cite news|title=Settling in Zambia: Zimbabwe's Displaced Farmers Find a New Home|last=Thielke|first=Thilo|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,334756,00.html|date=27 December 2004|access-date=28 August 2009|periodical=[[Der Spiegel]]|archive-date=19 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619050250/http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,334756,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Zambia has a minority of people of colour of mixed race, also known as coloureds. Coloureds in Zambia no longer appear on the census. During colonialism, [[Racial segregation|segregation]] separated people of colour, blacks and whites in public places including schools, hospitals, and in housing. There has been an increase in interracial relationships due to Zambia's growing economy importing labor. People of colour are not recorded on the census but are considered a minority in Zambia.

According to the ''World Refugee Survey 2009'' published by the [[U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants]], Zambia had a population of refugees and asylum seekers numbering approximately 88,900. The majority of refugees in the country came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (47,300 refugees from the DRC living in Zambia in 2007), Angola (27,100; see [[Angolans in Zambia]]), Zimbabwe (5,400) and Rwanda (4,900).<ref name="World Refugee Survey 2009"/> Zambians are generally welcoming towards foreigners.

Beginning in May 2008, the number of [[Zimbabweans in Zambia]] began to increase significantly; the influx consisted largely of [[Zimbabweans in South Africa|Zimbabweans formerly living in South Africa]] who were fleeing [[Xenophobia in South Africa#May 2008 riots|xenophobic violence there]].<ref name="IRIN">{{Cite news |title=Zambia: Rising levels of resentment towards Zimbabweans |date=9 June 2008 |access-date=7 August 2023|periodical=[[The New Humanitarian|IRIN News]]|url=https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2008/06/09/rising-levels-resentment-towards-zimbabweans|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930005909/http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78648|archive-date=2009-09-30}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Nearly 60,000 refugees live in camps in Zambia, while 50,000 are mixed in with the local populations. Refugees who wish to work in Zambia must apply for permits, which can cost up to $500 per year.<ref name="World Refugee Survey 2009">{{cite news|title=World Refugee Survey 2009|publisher=U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants|url=http://www.refugees.org/resources/refugee-warehousing/archived-world-refugee-surveys/2009-wrs-country-updates/zambia.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211175633/http://www.refugees.org/resources/refugee-warehousing/archived-world-refugee-surveys/2009-wrs-country-updates/zambia.html|archive-date=11 December 2013}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Further|Religion in Zambia}}

Zambia is officially a "Christian nation" under the 1996 constitution, but recognizes and protects freedom of religion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/3713564/Constitution-of-Zambia-1991Amended-to-1996 |title=Constitution of Zambia, 1991(Amended to 1996) |publisher=Scribd.com |date=30 June 2008 |access-date=18 December 2012 |archive-date=5 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105055544/http://www.scribd.com/doc/3713564/Constitution-of-Zambia-1991Amended-to-1996 |url-status=live }}</ref> Zambia is the only African nation to designate Christianity as a [[state religion]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Haynes |first=N. |date=2021 |title=Taking Dominion in a Christian Nation: North American Political Theology in an African Context |journal=Pneuma |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=214–232 |doi=10.1163/15700747-bja10036|hdl=20.500.11820/48b556a6-cf81-4058-bf5b-894934a35ca0 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The Zambia Statistics Agency estimates that 95.5% of Zambians are Christian, with 75.3% [[Protestantism|Protestant]] and 20.2% [[Catholic Church in Zambia|Catholic]].<ref name="2023RIRF">{{Cite web |title=Zambia |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international-religious-freedom/zambia/ |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops]] is the Catholic [[episcopal conference]].<ref name=2023RIRF/> Many Zambian Christians are [[syncretic]], combining [[Traditional African religions|indigenous religious traditions]] with Christianity.<ref name=2023RIRF/> The largest Protestant denominations are the [[Anglicanism|Anglicans]], [[evangelicals]], and [[Pentecostals]].<ref name=2023RIRF/>

Christianity arrived to Zambia through European colonialism, and its wide variety of sects and movements reflect changing patterns of missionary activity; for example, Catholicism came from Portuguese Mozambique in the east, while Anglicanism reflects British influences from the south. Following its independence in 1964, Zambia saw a greater influx of other church missions from across the world, particularly North America and Germany. In subsequent decades, Western missionary roles have been assumed by native believers (except for some technical positions, such as physicians). After [[Frederick Chiluba]], a Pentecostal Christian, became president in 1991, Pentecostal congregations expanded considerably around the country.<ref name="pentecostal">{{cite book|last=Steel |first=Matthew |title=Pentecostalism in Zambia: Power, Authority and the Overcomers|id=MSc Dissertation|publisher=University of Wales|year=2005}}</ref>

{{bar box
 | float = right
 | title = Religious affiliation in Zambia<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zamstats.gov.zm/nada/index.php/catalog/63 |title=Zambia - 2010 Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Zambia Statistics Agency |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113143340/http://www.zamstats.gov.zm/nada/index.php/catalog/63 |archive-date=13 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/zambia/ |title=2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Zambia |publisher=United States Department of State |access-date=17 February 2025}}</ref>
 | titlebar = #ddd
 | left1 = Religion
 | right1 = Per cent
 | caption = Distribution of population by religious affiliation
 | width = 315px
 | bars =
{{bar percent|[[Protestantism|Protestant]]|#d7191c|75.3}}
{{bar percent|[[Catholic Church in Zambia|Catholic]]|#fdae61|20.2}}
{{bar percent|[[Animism|Animist]]|#abd9e9|2.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Atheism|Atheist]]|#2c7bb6|1.8}}
{{bar percent|[[Muslim]]|#ffffbf|2.7}}
}}

Some Christian denominations with a relatively small global presence are popular in Zambia. The country has one of the world's largest communities of [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]] on a per-capita basis, accounting for about 1 in 18 Zambians.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adventistdirectory.org/ViewAdmField.aspx?AdmFieldID=ZAUM |title=Zambia Union Conference&nbsp;– Adventist Directory |publisher=Adventistdirectory.org |date=17 October 2012 |access-date=18 December 2012 |archive-date=27 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427045842/https://www.adventistdirectory.org/ViewAdmField.aspx?AdmFieldID=ZAUM |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Lutheran Church of Central Africa]] has over 11,000 members in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.celc.info/site/cpage.asp?sec_id=180010197&cpage_id=180031341|title=Lutheran Church of Central Africa: Zambia|publisher=Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131193035/http://www.celc.info/site/cpage.asp?sec_id=180010197&cpage_id=180031341|archive-date=31 January 2017}}</ref> About 12 per cent of Zambians are members of the [[New Apostolic Church]];<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hayashida|first=Nelson Osamu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CkNC6-Wmga4C&q=One+in+11+Zambians+is+a+member+of+the+New+Apostolic+Church&pg=PA36|title=Dreams in the African Literature: The Significance of Dreams and Visions Among Zambian Baptists|date=1999|publisher=Rodopi|isbn=978-90-420-0596-9|language=en|access-date=3 October 2020|archive-date=18 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518182155/https://books.google.com/books?id=CkNC6-Wmga4C&q=One+in+11+Zambians+is+a+member+of+the+New+Apostolic+Church&pg=PA36#v=snippet&q=One%20in%2011%20Zambians%20is%20a%20member%20of%20the%20New%20Apostolic%20Church&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> with more than 1.2 million believers, the country has the third-largest community in Africa, out of a total worldwide membership of over 9 million.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Membership figures of the global Church as at the end of 2009: New Apostolic Church International (NAC)|url=http://www.nak.org/news/naci-news/article/16710/|website=www.nak.org|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-date=26 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626032545/http://www.nak.org/news/naci-news/article/16710/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Approximately 2.7% of Zambians are [[Islam in Zambia|Muslim]], primarily [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] with smaller numbers of [[Ismaili]] and [[Twelver Shia]].<ref name=2023RIRF/> The Muslim community, which numbers 100,000 according to one estimate, includes both refugees from [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|the Congo]] and [[Somali diaspora|Somalia]], as well as immigrants from South Asia and the Middle East who have become Zambian citizens.<ref name=2023RIRF/> [[Hindu]]s, primarily of South Asian ancestry, numbered approximately 10,000 as of 2019.<ref name=2023RIRF/> At its peak in the 1960s, a small [[History of the Jews in Zambia|Jewish community in Zambia]] numbered about 1,000, mostly with origins in [[History of the Jews in Lithuania|Lithuania]], [[History of the Jews in Latvia|Latvia]], and [[History of the Jews in Germany|Germany]]; by 2012 there were fewer than 50 Zambian Jews,<ref>{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Tutton |url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/01/19/world/africa/zambia-jewish-history/index.html |title=The forgotten story of Zambia's Jewish settlers |work=CNN |date=19 January 2012 |access-date=17 February 2025}}</ref> most of whom live in Lusaka and Northern Province.<ref name=2023RIRF/> There are small numbers of [[Baha'is]], [[Buddhists]], and [[Sikhs]].<ref name=2023RIRF/>

===Languages===
{{main|Languages of Zambia}}
[[File:Dominant Regional Language in Zambia.svg|thumb|left|Density map of dominant regional languages<ref>[http://www.zamstats.gov.zm/nada/index.php/catalog/63 Census of Population and Housing National Analytical Report 2010]. Central Statistical office, Zambia</ref>{{Clear}}
{{div col|colwidth=7em}}
{{legend|#d73027|[[Bemba language|Bemba]]}}
{{legend|#fc8d59|[[Chewa language|Chewa]]}}
{{legend|#fee090|[[Lozi language|Lozi]]}}
{{legend|#e0f3f8|[[Lunda language|Lunda]]}}
{{legend|#91bfdb|[[Nyanja language|Nyanja]]}}
{{legend|#4575b4|[[Tonga language (Zambia)|Tonga]]}}
{{div col end}}
]]

The exact number of Zambian languages is unknown, although many texts claim that Zambia has 73 languages and/or dialects; this figure is probably due to a non-distinction between language and dialect, based on the criterion of mutual intelligibility. On this basis, the number of Zambian languages would probably be only about 20 or 30.<ref name="Chanda, Vincent M., and, Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson. 2013 1–173">{{Cite book|author1=Chanda, Vincent M. |author2=Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson |title=Speak Zambian Languages: Phrase Book in Bemba, Kaonde, Lozi, Luvale, Lunda, Nyanja and Tonga, all in one|publisher=UNZA Press|year=2013|isbn=978-9982-03-073-1|location=Lusaka, Zambia|pages=1–173}}</ref>

The official language of Zambia is English, which is used for official business, education, and law.<ref name=BritannicaPeople/> The main local language, especially in Lusaka, is [[Nyanja]] (Chewa), followed by [[Bemba language|Bemba]]. In the Copperbelt, Bemba is the main language and Nyanja second. Bemba and Nyanja are spoken in the urban areas, in addition to other indigenous languages that are commonly spoken in Zambia. These include [[Lozi language|Lozi]], [[Tumbuka language|Tumbuka]], [[Kaonde]], [[Tonga language (Zambia and Zimbabwe)|Tonga]], [[Lunda languages|Lunda]] and [[Luvale]], which featured on the [[Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation]] (ZNBC) local-languages section.<ref name=BritannicaPeople/><ref name="Chanda, Vincent M., and, Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson. 2013 1–173"/><ref>{{Cite book|last=Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson.|title=The State of Affairs of Cultural Literacy in Zambia's Multicultural Education System. In A. L. Jotia and J. Dudu (Ed.), Multicultural Education Discourses: Breaking Barriers of Exclusion in Selected African Contexts|publisher= Zebra publishing (Pty) LTD |year=2015|isbn= 978-99945-84-99-4|location= Windhoek, Namibia|pages=190–204}}</ref>

Urbanisation has had a dramatic effect on some of the indigenous languages, including the assimilation of words from other languages. Urban dwellers sometimes differentiate between urban and rural dialects of the same language by prefixing the rural languages with 'deep'.

Most will thus speak Bemba and Nyanja in the Copperbelt; Nyanja is predominantly spoken in Lusaka and Eastern Zambia. English is used in official communications and is the language of choice at home among&nbsp;– now common&nbsp;– interethnic families. This evolution of languages has led to Zambian slang heard throughout Lusaka and other major cities. The majority of Zambians usually speak more than one language: the official language, English, and the most spoken language in the town or area they live in. Portuguese has been introduced as a second language into the school curriculum due to the presence of a large Portuguese-speaking Angolan community.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Actualités Afrique - Economie, sport, santé, politique |url=http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/zambia-to-introduce-portuguese-into-school-curriculum-2009041825794.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208151924/http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/zambia-to-introduce-portuguese-into-school-curriculum-2009041825794.html |archive-date=2012-12-08 |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=www.afriquejet.com |language=fr-fr}}</ref> French is commonly studied in private schools, while some secondary schools have it as an optional subject. A German course has been introduced at the [[University of Zambia]] (UNZA).

===Education===
{{Main|Education in Zambia}}

[[File:Pupils at St Monicas Girls Secondary School.jpg|thumb|Pupils at the St Monica's Girls Secondary School in [[Chipata]], [[Eastern Province, Zambia|Eastern Province]]]]
The right to equal and adequate education for all is enshrined within the Zambian constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.gov.zm/acts/volumes |title=Laws of Zambia |date=1996 |website=National Assembly of Zambia |access-date=27 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307105357/http://www.parliament.gov.zm/acts/volumes |archive-date=7 March 2016 }}</ref> The Education Act of 2011 regulates equal and quality education.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.gov.zm/node/3324 |title=The Education Act (2011) |date=2011 |website=National Assembly of Zambia |access-date=27 January 2016 |archive-date=3 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203063439/http://www.parliament.gov.zm/node/3324 |url-status=live }}</ref> The English-language literacy rate as of 2018 is 86.7%.<ref name=WorldFactbook2023/>

The government's annual expenditure on education has varied significantly. As a percentage of the government budget, it was 19.6% in 2006, 15.3% in 2011, and 20.2% in 2015.<ref name=WorldBank_2015>{{cite report |author= <!--none listed--> |date= December 2015 |title= Education Public Expenditure Review in Zambia |url= https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/431421468000590726/pdf/103870-PUB-PUBLIC-Education-Public-Expenditure-Review-in-Zambia.pdf |publisher= World Bank Group |page= 36 |access-date= 2024-01-16 |archive-date= 16 January 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240116202228/https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/431421468000590726/pdf/103870-PUB-PUBLIC-Education-Public-Expenditure-Review-in-Zambia.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> As of 2020, education expenditures constituted 3.7% of GDP.<ref name=WorldFactbook2023/>

===Health===
{{Main|Health in Zambia|Healthcare in Zambia}}

Zambia is experiencing a generalised [[HIV/AIDS]] epidemic, with a national [[List of countries by HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate|HIV prevalence rate]] of 12.10 per cent among adults.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Country Comparisons—HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/hiv-aids-adult-prevalence-rate/country-comparison |work=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |location=Langley, Virginia |access-date=19 June 2021 |archive-date=25 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425032850/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/hiv-aids-adult-prevalence-rate/country-comparison/ }}</ref> However, the country has made progress over the past decade: The prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS for adults aged 15–49 decreased to 13 per cent in 2013/14, compared to 16 per cent roughly a decade earlier.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Children in Zambia|url=https://www.unicef.org/zambia/children-zambia|access-date=27 May 2020|publisher=UNICEF|language=en|archive-date=26 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626221920/https://www.unicef.org/zambia/children-zambia|url-status=live}}</ref> Other health outcomes have also improved significantly, despite remaining poor by global standards. The maternal mortality rate in 2020 was 135 per 100,000 live births, compared to 169 in 2014 and 296 in 2007;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zambia |url=https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/economies/zambia#featured-indicators |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=World Bank Gender Data Portal |language=en}}</ref> over the same period, the mortality rate of children under five dropped to 59.3 per 1,000 live births in 2020 from 69.2 and 93.3 in 2014 and 2007 respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) |url=https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sh-dyn-mort?view=trend&gender=total&geos=ZMB |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=www.worldbank.org}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Further|Economy of Zambia}}
In 2022, Zambia averages between $7.5&nbsp;billion and $8&nbsp;billion of exports annually.<ref>{{Cite web |last=International Trade Administration |date=2024-06-06 |title=Zambia - Market Overview |url=https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/zambia-market-overview |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=www.trade.gov |language=en}}</ref> It totaled $9.1&nbsp;billion worth of exports in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Workman |first1=Daniel |title=Zambia's Top 10 Exports |url=http://www.worldstopexports.com/zambias-top-10-exports/ |website=World's Top Exports |access-date=10 February 2020 |archive-date=26 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426214352/https://www.worldstopexports.com/zambias-top-10-exports/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  In  2015, about 54.4% of Zambians lived below the recognised national poverty line, improved from 60.5% in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zamstats.gov.zm/phocadownload/Living_Conditions/2015%20Living%20Conditions%20Monitoring%20Survey%20Summary.pdf|title=2015 Living Conditions Monitoring Survey|access-date=30 Dec 2021|archive-date=17 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317141214/https://www.zamstats.gov.zm/phocadownload/Living_Conditions/2015%20Living%20Conditions%20Monitoring%20Survey%20Summary.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>  Rural poverty rates were about 76.6% and urban rates at about 23.4%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zamstats.gov.zm/phocadownload/Living_Conditions/2015%20Living%20Conditions%20Monitoring%20Survey%20Summary.pdf|title=2015 Living Conditions Monitoring Survey|access-date=30 Dec 2021|archive-date=17 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317141214/https://www.zamstats.gov.zm/phocadownload/Living_Conditions/2015%20Living%20Conditions%20Monitoring%20Survey%20Summary.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>  The national poverty line was ZMK 214 (USD 12.85) per month.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/poverty/33EF03BB-9722-4AE2-ABC7-AA2972D68AFE/Global_POVEQ_ZMB.pdf|title=Poverty & Equity Brief: Zambia|access-date=30 Dec 2021|archive-date=7 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207110244/https://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/poverty/33EF03BB-9722-4AE2-ABC7-AA2972D68AFE/Global_POVEQ_ZMB.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>  As of the latest estimate in 2018 by the [[United Nations Development Programme]], 47.9 percent of the population continued to be affected by [[Multidimensional Poverty Index|multidimensional poverty]]. Unemployment and underemployment in urban areas are serious problems.  Most rural Zambians are subsistence farmers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zambia - Agriculture |url=https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/zambia-agriculture |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=International Trade Administration |date=7 August 2022 |language=en |archive-date=31 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131162056/https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/zambia-agriculture |url-status=live }}</ref>

Zambia was ranked 112nd in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/zambia |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref> Social indicators continue to decline, particularly in measurements of life expectancy at birth (about 40.9 years) and maternal mortality (830 per 100,000 pregnancies) in 2007.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090303204041/http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_complete.pdf Human Development Report 2007/2008]. Palgrave Macmillan. 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-230-54704-9}}</ref> By 2023, the life expectancy at birth had risen again to around 62 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Life expectancy at birth, total (years) - Zambia |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN?view=m&locations=ZM |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=World Bank Open Data}}</ref>

Zambia fell into poverty after international copper prices declined in the 1970s. The socialist regime made up for falling revenue with several abortive attempts at [[International Monetary Fund]] [[structural adjustment]] programmes (SAPs). The policy of not trading through the main supply route and line of rail to the sea&nbsp;– the territory was known as Rhodesia (from 1965 to 1979), and now known as Zimbabwe&nbsp;– cost the economy greatly. After the Kaunda regime, (from 1991) successive governments began limited reforms. The economy stagnated until the late 1990s. In 2007 Zambia recorded its ninth consecutive year of economic growth. Inflation was 8.9%, down from 30% in 2000.<ref name="dos2009"/>

Zambia is still dealing with economic reform issues such as the size of the public sector, and improving Zambia's social sector delivery systems.<ref name="dos2009">{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2359.htm|title=Background Note: Zambia|publisher=Department of State|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-date=22 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122194627/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2359.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Economic regulations and red tape are extensive, and corruption is widespread. The bureaucratic procedures surrounding the process of obtaining licences encourages the widespread use of facilitation payments.<ref>{{cite web|title=Business Corruption in Zambia|url=http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/sub-saharan-africa/zambia/business-corruption-in-zambia.aspx|publisher=Business Anti-Corruption Portal|access-date=22 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420184253/http://business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/sub-saharan-africa/zambia/business-corruption-in-zambia.aspx|archive-date=20 April 2014}}</ref> Zambia's total foreign debt exceeded $6&nbsp;billion when the country qualified for [[Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative]] (HIPC) debt relief in 2000, contingent upon meeting certain performance criteria. Initially, Zambia hoped to reach the HIPC completion point, and benefit from substantial debt forgiveness, in late 2003.

[[File:GDP per capita (current), % of world average, 1960-2012; Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique.png|thumb|upright=1.5|GDP per capita (current), compared to neighbouring countries (world average = 100)]]
In January 2003, the Zambian government informed the International Monetary Fund and [[World Bank]] that it wished to renegotiate some of the agreed performance criteria calling for privatisation of the Zambia National Commercial Bank and the national telephone and electricity utilities. Although agreements were reached on these issues, subsequent overspending on civil service wages delayed Zambia's final HIPC debt forgiveness from late 2003 to early 2005, at the earliest. In an effort to reach HIPC completion in 2004, the government drafted an austerity budget for 2004, freezing civil service salaries and increasing the number of taxes. The tax hike and public sector wage freeze prohibited salary increases and new hires. This sparked a nationwide strike in February 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The World Bank and IMF's long shadow in Zambia's copper mines |url=http://www.eurodad.org/whatsnew/articles.aspx?id=2108 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724213759/http://www.eurodad.org/whatsnew/articles.aspx?id=2108 |archive-date=2009-07-24 |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=www.eurodad.org |language=en}}</ref>

The Zambian government is pursuing an economic diversification programme to reduce the economy's reliance on the copper industry. This initiative seeks to exploit other components of Zambia's rich resource base by promoting agriculture, tourism, gemstone mining, and hydro-power. In July 2018, Turkish president [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] and Zambia's president Edgar Lungu signed 12 agreements in capital Lusaka on areas ranging from trade and investment to tourism and diplomacy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trtworld.com/africa/turkey-and-zambia-sign-agreements-to-boost-bilateral-ties-19216|title=Turkey and Zambia sign agreements to boost bilateral ties|website=Turkey and Zambia sign agreements to boost bilateral ties|language=tr-TR|access-date=30 July 2018|archive-date=30 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730170605/https://www.trtworld.com/africa/turkey-and-zambia-sign-agreements-to-boost-bilateral-ties-19216|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/turkey-zambia-sign-12-deals-to-boost-bilateral-ties/1216679|title=Turkey, Zambia sign 12 deals to boost bilateral ties|access-date=30 July 2018|archive-date=29 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729210403/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/turkey-zambia-sign-12-deals-to-boost-bilateral-ties/1216679|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Mining===
[[File:ZM-Nkana-headgear-Kitwe.jpg|thumb|upright |The major Nkana open copper mine, [[Kitwe]].]]
{{Main|Mining in Zambia|List of mines in Zambia}}

Mining and [[quarrying]] accounted for approximately 13.2% of the Zambian GDP in 2019.<ref name="2019USGSMineralsYB">{{Cite web |title=Zambia (Advance Release), 2019 Minerals Yearbook |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/myb/vol3/2019/myb3-2019-zambia.pdf |access-date=2025-09-13 |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey.}}</ref> The Zambian economy has historically been based on the [[copper mining]] industry.<ref name="twsqt">{{cite journal | last=Sikamo | first=J. | title=Copper mining in Zambia - history and future | journal=Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy | publisher=Academy of Science of South Africa | volume=116 | issue=6 | year=2016 | issn=2411-9717 | doi=10.17159/2411-9717/2016/v116n6a1 | pages=491–496| doi-access=free | bibcode=2016JSAIM.116....1S }}</ref> The industry was nationalized in 1973; under government control, production declined substantially.<ref name="2016JSAIMM">{{Cite journal |last=Sikamo |first=J. |last2=Mwanza |first2=A. |last3=Mweemba |first3=C. |date=2016-06-01 |title=Copper mining in Zambia - history and future |url=http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S2225-62532016000600003&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en |journal=Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy |language=en |volume=116 |issue=6 |pages=491–496 |doi=10.17159/2411-9717/2016/v116n6a1 |issn=2225-6253|doi-access=free }}</ref> After privatisation during the period 1996&ndash;2000, investment, production, and jobs in the copper sector increased.<ref name=2016JSAIMM/> As of 2019, copper exports constituted about 69% of the value of all Zambian goods exported.<ref name="2019USGSMineralsYB" /> In 2023, Zambia produced 698,000 [[metric ton]]s of copper.<ref name="TradingUnit">{{Cite news |date=2024-06-13 |title=Zambia to set up mineral investment and trading unit |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/zambia-set-up-mineral-investment-trading-unit-2024-06-12/ |access-date=2025-09-13 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref> It is the second-largest copper producer in Africa<ref name="TradingUnit" /> and the seventh-largest copper producer in the world, accounting for 4% of global production.<ref name="2019USGSMineralsYB" /> The [[Copperbelt Province]] of Zambia accounts for almost one-quarter of the country's GDP and one-third of the country's copper production.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unlocking economic prosperity in the Zambian Copperbelt |url=https://www.theigc.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/23124%20Copperbelt%20Framing%20Paper_v5-WEB.pdf |access-date=2025-09-13 |publisher=[[International Growth Centre]]}}</ref> The state-owned [[ZCCM Investments Holdings]] owns several mining operations; it holds a 49% stake in [[Mopani Copper Mines]], with the remaining 51% held by the [[United Arab Emirates]] through the [[International Holding Company]].<ref name="TradingUnit" /> ZCCM has interests in mining operations owned by [[Vedanta Resources]] and [[First Quantum Minerals]].<ref name="TradingUnit" />  As Zambia's economy is heavily dependent on the copper industry, the national exchange rate changes in accordance with the copper price.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Zambia needs the AfCFTA {{!}} D+C - Development + Cooperation |url=https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/comparatively-small-economies-need-open-trade-drive-growth |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328103353/https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/comparatively-small-economies-need-open-trade-drive-growth |archive-date=2024-03-28 |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=www.dandc.eu |language=en}}</ref> The Chinese government, via state-owned firms and as part of its [[Belt and Road Initiative]], has made substantial [[foreign direct investment]]s in Zambian copper to secure this strategic resource for the Chinese market.<ref>{{Cite web |title=China's Green Transition: Analysing Chinese Minerals Policy, and its Impact on Zambia |url=https://fhs.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1793363/FULLTEXT01.pdf |access-date=2025-09-13 |publisher=[[Försvarshögskolan]]}}</ref> The Chinese firm JCHX Mining owns 80% of Zambia's Lubambe Copper Mines, with ZCCM holding the remaining 20%.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-07-11 |title=Zambia says China's JCHX will invest $300 mln in Lubambe copper mine |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/zambia-says-chinas-jchx-will-invest-300-mln-lubambe-copper-mine-2024-07-11/ |access-date=2025-09-13 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref> Hazardous working conditions, low wages, and labor abuses at the Chinese-operated [[Collum Coal Mine]] have been a source of political controversy in Zambia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=China's Bloody Frontier in Zambia |url=https://pulitzercenter.org/projects/chinas-bloody-frontier-zambia |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=Pulitzer Center |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cheshmi |first=Rouzbeh |date=2023-05-08 |title=Gk88 |url=https://gk88.casino/ |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=gk88.casino}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=David |date=2011-11-03 |title=Chinese mining firms in Zambia under fire for mistreating workers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2011/nov/03/chinese-mining-zambia-mistreating-workers |access-date=2025-09-13 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In addition to copper, major minerals mined in Zambia include [[Gold mining|gold]] ([[Kansanshi mine]]), [[manganese]] (Serenje mine), and [[Nickel mining|nickel]] (Munali mine), as well as [[gemstone]]s (specifically [[amethyst]], [[beryl]], [[emerald]], and [[tourmaline]]).<ref name="2019USGSMineralsYB" />

===Agriculture===
Agriculture plays a very important part in Zambia's economy providing many more jobs than the mining industry.
A small number of [[White people in Zimbabwe|white Zimbabwean farmers]] were welcomed into Zambia after their expulsion by Robert Mugabe, whose numbers had reached roughly 150 to 300 people {{as of|2004|lc=on}}.<ref>{{citation|title=Zim's Loss, Zam's gain: White Zimbabweans making good in Zambia|date=June 2004|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=28 August 2009|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5037/is_200406/ai_n18258193/}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/21/world/zimbabwe-s-white-farmers-start-anew-in-zambia.html|periodical=[[The New York Times]]|date=21 March 2004|access-date=28 August 2009|title=Zimbabwe's White Farmers Start Anew in Zambia|last=LaFraniere|first=Shannon|archive-date=10 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510092649/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/21/world/zimbabwe-s-white-farmers-start-anew-in-zambia.html|url-status=live}}</ref> They farm a variety of crops including tobacco, wheat, and chili peppers on an estimated 150 farms. The skills they brought, combined with general economic liberalisation under the late Zambian president [[Levy Mwanawasa]], has been credited with stimulating an agricultural boom in Zambia. In 2004, for the first time in 26 years, Zambia exported more corn than it imported.<ref name="Spiegel"/> In December 2019, the Zambian government unanimously decided to legalise cannabis for medicinal and export purposes only.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zambia legalizes cannabis, kind of|url=https://thegrowthop.com/cannabis-news/zambia-legalizes-cannabis-kind-of|access-date=7 May 2021|website=thegrowthop|language=en-CA|archive-date=3 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303193126/https://www.thegrowthop.com/cannabis-news/zambia-legalizes-cannabis-kind-of}}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{Further|Tourism in Zambia|Monuments and Historic Sites of Zambia}}
[[File:Victoriafälle.jpg|thumb|[[Victoria Falls]] (Mosi-oa-Tunya Falls) a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]]]]

Tourism comprised 5.8% of the Zambian GDP in 2021; the record high, of 9.8%, occurred in 2019.<ref name="ITA24">{{Cite web |date=2024-06-06 |title=Zambia - Travel and Tourism |url=https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/zambia-travel-and-tourism |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=www.trade.gov |language=en}}</ref> Most tourism focused on wildlife protected areas, specifically Zambia's [[List of national parks of Zambia|20 national park]]s and 34 game management areas.<ref name=ITA24/> The most significant tourist site, the [[Victoria Falls]], is a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].<ref name=ITA24/> The Zambian side of the falls is within [[Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park]]; the rest of the falls are part of neighboring [[Zimbabwe]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Mosi-oa-Tunya &#x2f; Victoria Falls |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/509/ |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref> [[Livingstone, Zambia|Livingstone]], which lies close to Victoria Falls, has become an important tourist centre.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rogerson |first=Christian M |date=2006-06-30 |title=The emergence of tourism-led local development: the example of Livingstone, Zambia |journal=Africa Insight |volume=35 |issue=4 |doi=10.4314/ai.v35i4.22462 |issn=1995-641X}}</ref> Other popular national parks include [[North Luangwa National Park|North Luangwa]], [[South Luangwa National Park|South Luangwa]], [[Kafue National Park|Kafue]], and [[Liuwa Plain National Park|Liuwa Plain]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hayne |first=Tricia |date=2020-09-14 |title=The best national parks in Zambia |url=https://www.bradtguides.com/zambias-best-national-parks/ |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=Bradt Guides |language=en-GB}}</ref> The Zambian government has promoted tourism as a tool for [[economic development]], particularly in rural areas, as well as for wildlife conservation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zibanai |first=Zhou |date=2014 |title=Southern Africa Tourism Industry: Recent Trends and Future Prospects |url=http://www.publishingindia.com/ijhts/24/southern-africa-tourism-industry-recent-trends-and-future-prospects/340/2481/ |journal=International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Systems |volume=7 |issue=2 |id={{ProQuest|1733224717}} |issn=0974-6250 |access-date=17 June 2023 |archive-date=28 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028174752/http://www.publishingindia.com/ijhts/24/southern-africa-tourism-industry-recent-trends-and-future-prospects/340/2481/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Energy===
{{see also|List of power stations in Zambia}}

In 2009, Zambia generated 10.3 TWh of electricity and has been rated high in use of both solar power and hydroelectricity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irena.org/REmaps/countryprofiles/africa/Zambia.pdf|title=Zambia|website=www.irena.org|access-date=12 March 2018|archive-date=3 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203044307/http://www.irena.org/REmaps/countryprofiles/africa/Zambia.pdf}}</ref> However, {{as of|2015|alt=early 2015|lc=on}}, Zambia began experiencing a serious energy shortage due to the poor 2014/2015 rain season, which resulted in low water levels at the Kariba dam and other major dams.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lusakatimes.com/2016/09/28/article-70-of-the-upnd-constitution-is-inconsistent-with-the-republican-constitution-it-should-be-deemed-illegal/|title=Zambia: ARTICLE 70 of the UPND Constitution is Inconsistent with the Republican Constitution, it should be deemed illegal|last=Chilufya Chanda|date=28 September 2016|access-date=4 March 2017|archive-date=4 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304193719/https://www.lusakatimes.com/2016/09/28/article-70-of-the-upnd-constitution-is-inconsistent-with-the-republican-constitution-it-should-be-deemed-illegal/|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2019, African Green Resources (AGR) announced that it would invest $150&nbsp;million in 50 megawatt (MW) solar farm, along with irrigation dam and expanding the existing grain silo capacity by 80,000 tonnes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-zambia-agriculture-idUSKCN1VU0ZU|title=Zambia farm input supplier plans to invest $150 million in farming|date=9 September 2019|work=Reuters|access-date=10 September 2019|language=en|archive-date=9 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909213832/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-zambia-agriculture-idUSKCN1VU0ZU|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Culture==
[[File:Nsima Relishes.JPG|thumb|''[[Nsima]]'' (top right corner) with three types of [[relish]].]]
Prior to the establishment of modern Zambia, the inhabitants lived in independent tribes, each with its own way of life. One of the results of the colonial era was the growth of urbanisation. Different ethnic groups started living together in towns and cities, influencing each other's way of life. They also started adopting aspects of global or universal culture, especially in terms of dressing and mannerisms.<ref name="Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson., Simooya, Steriah Monica., and Monde, Pauline Namakau. 2019 1–206">{{Cite book|author1=Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson |author2=Simooya, Steriah Monica |author3=Monde, Pauline Namakau |title=Zambian Culture: Harnessing Cultural Literacy with a Focus on Myths and Taboos|publisher=UNZA Press|year=2019|isbn=978-9982-03-105-9|location=Lusaka, Zambia|pages=1–206}}</ref> Much of the original cultures of Zambia have largely survived in rural areas, with some outside influences such as Christianity. Cultures that are specific to certain ethnic groups within Zambia are known as 'Zambian cultures' while those lifestyles that are common across ethnic groups are labelled "Zambian culture" because they are practiced by almost every Zambian.<ref name="Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson., Simooya, Steriah Monica., and Monde, Pauline Namakau. 2019 1–206"/> In the urban setting, there is a continuous integration and evolution of these cultures to produce what is called "Zambian culture".

[[File:African Art, Yombe sculpture, Louvre.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A [[Yombe people|Yombe]] sculpture, 19th century.]]
Zambia practices several ceremonies and rituals ranging from nationally recognised traditional ceremonies to unrecognised yet important ceremonies. Many of the ceremonies and rituals are performed on special occasions celebrating or marking achievements, anniversaries, the passage of time, coronations and presidential occasions, atonement and purification, graduation, dedication, oaths of allegiance, initiation, marriage, funeral, birth ceremonies and others.<ref name="Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson., Simooya, Steriah Monica., and Monde, Pauline Namakau. 2019 1–206"/>

Like most African countries, Zambia practices both disclosed and undisclosed ceremonies and rituals. Among the disclosed ceremonies and rituals include calendrical or seasonal, contingent, affliction, divination, initiation and regular or daily ceremonies.<ref name="Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson., Simooya, Steriah Monica., and Monde, Pauline Namakau. 2019 1–206"/> Undisclosed ceremonies include those practiced in secret such by spiritual groups like Nyau and Nakisha dancers and traditional marriage counsellors such as alangizi women.<ref name="Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson., Simooya, Steriah Monica., and Monde, Pauline Namakau. 2019 1–206"/> As of December 2016, Zambia had 77 calendrical or seasonal traditional ceremonies recognized by government, and this number will increase in the near future.<ref name="Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson., Simooya, Steriah Monica., and Monde, Pauline Namakau. 2019 1–206"/> The ceremonies once a year include Nc'wala, Kulonga, Kuomboka, Malaila, Nsengele, Chibwela kumushi, Dantho, Ntongo, Makundu, Lwiindi, Chuungu, and Lyenya. These are known as [[Zambian traditional ceremonies]]. Some of the more prominent are: [[Kuomboka]] and [[Kathanga]] (Western Province), [[Kazembe#Mutomboko Festival|Mutomboko]] (Luapula Province), [[Kulamba ceremony|Kulamba]] and [[Ncwala]] (Eastern Province), [[Lwiindi]] and [[Shimunenga]] (Southern Province), [[Lunda Lubanza]] (North Western), [[Likumbi Lyamize]] (North Western),<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ellert|first=Henrik|title=The magic of the makishi: masks and traditions in Zambia|publisher=CBC publishing|year=2004|isbn=0-9515209-9-7|location=Bath, UK|pages=38–63}}</ref> [[Mbunda Lukwakwa]] (North Western Province), [[Chibwela Kumushi]] (Central Province), [[Vinkhakanimba]] (Muchinga Province), [[Ukusefya Pa Ng'wena]] (Northern Province).

Popular traditional arts include pottery, basketry (such as [[Tonga baskets]]), stools, fabrics, mats, wooden carvings, ivory carvings, wire craft, and copper crafts. Most [[Music of Zambia|Zambian traditional music]] is based on drums (and other percussion instruments) with a lot of singing and dancing. In urban areas, foreign genres of music are popular, particularly Congolese [[Soukous|rumba]], African-American music and Jamaican reggae.

===Media===
{{Main|Media in Zambia|Telecommunications in Zambia}}
While freedom of expression and of the press are [[constitution]]ally guaranteed in Zambia, the government frequently restricts these rights in practice.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Press Freedom survey on 186 countries |url=http://www.worldaudit.org/presstable.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201071942/http://www.worldaudit.org/presstable.html |archive-date=2016-12-01 |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=www.worldaudit.org}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Zambia {{!}} Country report {{!}} Freedom of the Press {{!}} 2016 |url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2016/zambia |access-date=2017-01-14 |website=Freedomhouse.org |archive-date=16 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116155841/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2016/zambia }}</ref> Although the ruling Patriotic Front has pledged to free state-owned media—consisting of the [[Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation]] (ZNBC) and the widely circulated ''[[Zambia Daily Mail]]'' and ''[[Times of Zambia]]''—from government editorial control, these outlets have generally continued to report along pro-government lines. Many journalists reportedly practice [[self-censorship]] since most government newspapers do have prepublication review.<ref name=":0" /> The ZNBC dominates the broadcast media, though several private stations have the capacity to reach large portions of the population.

===Sports and games===
Sports and games are common social aspects of Zambian culture(s) that bring people together for learning, development of skills, fun and joyous moments.<ref name="Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson., Simooya, Steriah Monica., and Monde, Pauline Namakau. 2019 1–206"/> Sports and games in Zambia include but are not limited to football, athletics, netball, volleyball and indigenous games such as nsolo, chiyenga, waida, hide and seek, walyako, and sojo.<ref name="Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson., Simooya, Steriah Monica., and Monde, Pauline Namakau. 2019 1–206"/> These are some of the indigenous games that support socialisation. All these sports and games are part of the Zambian culture(s). The fact that the games are played by more than one person makes them social and edutainment events.<ref name="Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson., Simooya, Steriah Monica., and Monde, Pauline Namakau. 2019 1–206"/> The history of some of these games is as old as Zambians themselves. However, Zambia started taking part in popular global sports and games mainly in 1964 Summer olympics.<ref name="Mkandawire, Sitwe Benson., Simooya, Steriah Monica., and Monde, Pauline Namakau. 2019 1–206"/> 
[[File:Inauguration of Edgar Lungu.jpg|thumb|[[National Heroes Stadium]] in [[Lusaka]].]]
Zambia declared its independence on the day of the closing ceremony of the [[1964 Summer Olympics]], thereby becoming the first country ever to have entered an Olympic Games as one country and left it as another. In 2016, Zambia participated for the thirteenth time in the Olympic games. Two medals were won. The medals were won successively in boxing and on the track. In 1984 Keith Mwila won a bronze medal in the light flyweight. In 1996 Samuel Matete won a silver medal in the 400-metre hurdles. Zambia has never participated in the Winter Olympics.

[[Association football|Football]] is the most popular sport in Zambia, and the [[Zambia national football team]] has had its triumphant moments in football history. At the [[1988 Summer Olympics]] in [[Seoul]], the national team defeated the [[Italy national football team|Italian national team]] by a score of 4–0. [[Kalusha Bwalya]], Zambia's most celebrated football player, scored a hat trick in that match. However, to this day, many pundits say the greatest team Zambia has ever assembled was the one that perished on 28 April 1993 in a [[1993 Zambia national football team air disaster|plane crash]] at [[Libreville]], [[Gabon]]. Despite this, in 1996, Zambia was ranked 15th on the official FIFA World Football Team rankings, the highest attained by any southern African team. In 2012, Zambia won the [[African Cup of Nations]] for the first time after losing in the final twice. They beat Côte d'Ivoire 8–7 in a penalty shoot-out in the final, which was played in Libreville, just a few kilometers away from the plane crash 19 years previously.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Zambia score emotional African Cup win |url=http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/zambia-score-emotional-african-cup-win-20120213-1t0fb.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718035537/http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/zambia-score-emotional-african-cup-win-20120213-1t0fb.html |archive-date=2014-07-18 |access-date=2025-09-13 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en-au}}</ref> The [[Zambia women's national football team]] made its [[FIFA Women's World Cup]] debut at [[2023 FIFA Women's World Cup|the 2023 tournament]] in Australia and New Zealand, the Zambia team being one of four representing the [[Confederation of African Football]] (CAF). They won their first [[FIFA Women's World Cup|Women's World Cup]] game in their first year, with [[Lushomo Mweemba]] scoring the fastest goal at the [[tournament]], and [[Barbara Banda]] adding the 1,000th goal in WWC tournament history.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zambia earns first Women's World Cup win with 3-1 victory over Costa Rica |website=The Associated Press |author=Luke Vargas |date=31 Jul 2023 |url=https://apnews.com/article/womens-world-cup-zambia-costa-rica-0479368443fd22795e67831ca0455f5f |access-date=3 August 2023 |archive-date=3 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803152711/https://apnews.com/article/womens-world-cup-zambia-costa-rica-0479368443fd22795e67831ca0455f5f |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Rugby Union]], [[boxing]] and [[cricket]] are also popular sports in Zambia. Recently, Zambia's membership has been formally restored by ICC ( International Cricket Council) on 2025. Notably, at one point in the early 2000s, the Australia and South Africa national rugby teams were captained by players born in the same [[Lusaka]] hospital, [[George Gregan]] and [[Corné Krige]]. Until 2014, the Roan Antelope Rugby Club in Luanshya held the Guinness World Record for the tallest rugby union goal posts in the world at 110&nbsp;ft, 6 inches high.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Book of rugby disasters & bizarre records|date=1985|publisher=Stanley Paul|author1=Fran Cotton |author2=Chris Rhys|isbn=0-09-162821-0|location=London|page=107|oclc=16923880}}</ref> This world record is now held by the [[Wednesbury Rugby Club]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tallest rugby union posts|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/63633-tallest-rugby-union-posts|access-date=2021-10-13|website=Guinness World Records|language=en-GB|archive-date=2 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102231258/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/63633-tallest-rugby-union-posts|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Rugby union in Zambia]] is a minor but growing sport. They are currently ranked 73rd by the [[International Rugby Board|IRB]] and have 3,650 registered players and three ''formally organised'' clubs.<ref name="IRB">{{Cite web |last=IRB.com |title=International Rugby Board - ZAMBIA |url=http://www.irb.com/unions/union=11000028/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511104518/http://www.irb.com/unions/union=11000028/index.html |archive-date=2011-05-11 |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=www.irb.com |language=en}}</ref> Zambia used to play cricket as part of Rhodesia. Zambia has also provided a [[shinty]] international, Zambian-born [[Eddie Tembo]] representing Scotland in the [[compromise rules Shinty/Hurling]] game against Ireland in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tembo's return is boost for Glen |url=http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/Sport/Shinty/Tembos-return-is-boost-for-Glen-9521.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211180806/http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/Sport/Shinty/Tembos-return-is-boost-for-Glen-9521.htm |archive-date=2013-12-11 |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=www.inverness-courier.co.uk}}</ref>

In 2011, Zambia was due to host the [[2011 All-Africa Games|tenth All-Africa Games]], for which three stadiums were to be built in [[Lusaka]], [[Ndola]], and [[Livingstone, Zambia|Livingstone]].<ref name="games">{{cite web|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200602/22/eng20060222_244775.html|title=Zambia to build three stadia for 2011 All-Africa Games|publisher=People's Daily Online|access-date=6 November 2007|archive-date=24 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924005753/http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200602/22/eng20060222_244775.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Lusaka stadium would have a capacity of 70,000 spectators while the other two stadiums would hold 50,000 people each. The government was encouraging the private sector to get involved in the construction of the sports facilities because of a shortage of public funds for the project. Zambia later withdrew its bid to host the 2011 All-Africa Games, citing a lack of funds. Hence, Mozambique took Zambia's place as host.

Zambia also produced the first black African ([[Madalitso Muthiya]]) to play in the [[United States Golf Open]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2008/05/05/a-rare-talent-from-an-unusual-source/|title=Zambia's Madalitso Muthiya a pioneer|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=5 May 2008|access-date=18 September 2013|archive-date=4 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004222257/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-05-05/sports/0805040183_1_zambia-frederick-chiluba-nationwide-tour|url-status=live}}</ref> one of the four major golf tournaments. 

In 1989, the country's [[Zambia national basketball team|basketball team]] had its best performance when it qualified for the [[FIBA Africa Championship]] and thus finished as one of Africa's top ten teams.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1989 African Championship for Men {{!}} ARCHIVE.FIBA.COM |url=http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/event/p/cid/sid/2403/tid/0/_/1989_AfroBasket/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027160945/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/event/p/cid/sid/2403/tid/0/_/1989_AfroBasket/index.html |archive-date=2021-10-27 |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=archive.fiba.com}}</ref> In 2017, Zambia hosted and won the Pan-African football tournament [[2017 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations|U-20 African Cup of Nation]] for players age 20 and under.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lusakatimes.com/2016/12/16/zambia-outsmart-south-africa-win-record-cosafa-u20-crown/|title=Zambia outsmart South Africa to win record Cosafa U20 crown|date=16 December 2016|work=Lusaka Times|access-date=16 December 2016|archive-date=2 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102225752/https://www.lusakatimes.com/2016/12/16/zambia-outsmart-south-africa-win-record-cosafa-u20-crown/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Music and dance===
Zambia's culture has been an integral part of their development post-independence such as the uprising of cultural villages and private museums. The music which introduced dance is part of their cultural expression and it embodies the beauty and spectacle of life in Zambia, from the intricacies of the talking drums to the ''Kamangu'' drum used to announce the beginning of ''Malaila'' traditional ceremony. Dance as a practice serves as a unifying factor bringing the people together as one.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ayibamagazine.com/unrivaled-zambian-culture/|title=The Unrivaled Zambian Culture|website=Ayiba Magazine|date=14 June 2016|access-date=30 June 2016|archive-date=30 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330174848/http://ayibamagazine.com/unrivaled-zambian-culture/}}</ref>

====Zamrock====
[[Zamrock]] is a musical genre that emerged in the 1970s, and has developed a cult following in the West. Zamrock has been described as mixing traditional Zambian music with heavy repetitive riffs similar to groups such as [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[James Brown]], [[Black Sabbath]], [[The Rolling Stones|Rolling Stones]], [[Deep Purple]], and [[Cream (band)|Cream]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/salt-thunder-mind-altering-rock-1970s-zambia|title=Salt & thunder: The mind-altering rock of 1970s Zambia|date=11 December 2015|work=Music in Africa|access-date=25 May 2017|archive-date=8 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708135232/https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/salt-thunder-mind-altering-rock-1970s-zambia|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/22/zamrock-zambia-music-rerelease|title=Why Zamrock is back in play|last1=S|first1=Henning Goranson|last2=Press|first2=berg for Think Africa|date=22 July 2013|website=the Guardian|access-date=25 May 2017|last3=Network|first3=part of the Guardian Africa|archive-date=22 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222003159/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/22/zamrock-zambia-music-rerelease|url-status=live}}</ref> Notable groups in the genre include Rikki Ililonga and his band Musi-O-Tunya, [[Witch (Zamrock band)|WITCH]], Chrissy "Zebby" Tembo, and [[Paul Ngozi]] and his Ngozi Family.<ref name="azambianband">{{cite web | url=http://theappendix.net/issues/2014/7/were-a-zambian-band | title=We're a Zambian Band | publisher=theappendix.net | access-date=26 August 2014 | archive-date=3 September 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903054502/http://theappendix.net/issues/2014/7/were-a-zambian-band | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Dusted Reviews: Witch - Lazy Bones!! |url=http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/5657 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914035049/http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/5657 |archive-date=2017-09-14 |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=www.dustedmagazine.com}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{main|List of Zambians|List of Zambian artists}}

==See also==
{{portal|Zambia}}
* [[Index of Zambia-related articles]]
* [[Outline of Zambia]]
* [[Bibliography of the history of Zambia]]
* [[A history of Zambia]]
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* DeRoche, Andy, ''Kenneth Kaunda, the United States and Southern Africa'' (London: Bloomsbury, 2016)
* {{Cite book|author-link=James Ferguson (Anthropologist)|first=James|last=Ferguson|title=Expectations of Modernity: Myths and Meanings of Urban Life in the Zambian Copperbelt|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|year=1999|isbn=978-0-520-21701-0}}
* Gewald, J. B., et al. ''One Zambia, Many Histories: Towards a History of Post-colonial Zambia'' (Brill, 2008)
* Ihonvbere, Julius, ''Economic Crisis, Civil Society and Democratisation: The Case of Zambia'' (Africa Research & Publications, 1996)
* LaMonica, Christopher, ''Local Government Matters: The Case of Zambia '' (Lambert Academic Publishing, 2010)
* Mcintyre, Charles, ''Zambia'', (Bradt Travel Guides, 2008)
* Murphy, Alan and Luckham, Nana, ''Zambia and Malawi'', Lonely Planet Multi Country Guide (Lonely Planet Publications, 2010)
* Phiri, Bizeck Jube, ''A Political History of Zambia: From the Colonial Period to the 3rd Republic'' (Africa Research & Publications, 2005)
* Roberts, Andrew, ''A History of Zambia'' (Heinemann, 1976)
* Sardanis, Andrew, ''Africa: Another Side of the Coin: Northern Rhodesia's Final Years and Zambia's Nationhood'' (I. B. Tauris, 2003)
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Zambia|Zambia}}
* [http://www.statehouse.gov.zm Official government website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050619081520/http://www.statehouse.gov.zm/ |date=19 June 2005 }}
* [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/zambia/ Zambia]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140420184253/http://business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/sub-saharan-africa/zambia/business-corruption-in-zambia.aspx Zambia Corruption Profile] from the Business Anti-Corruption Portal (archived 20 April 2014)
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14112449 Zambia profile] from [[BBC News]]
* {{wikiatlas|Zambia}}
* [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=ZM Key Development Forecasts for Zambia] from [[International Futures]]
* [http://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/Country/ZMB/Year/2011/Summary World Bank Summary Trade Statistics Zambia]
* [http://phys.org/news/2013-03-early-human-fossil-africa-debut.html First early human fossil found in Africa makes debut]
{{Zambia topics}}
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