Getting acquainted with Zambia

Here is information about Zambia which is available on various Internet sites.

The Republic of Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighboring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is Lusaka, located in the southeast of the country. The population is concentrated mainly around the capital Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt to the northwest.

Zambia is sparsely populated by more than 70 ethnic groups, many of them Bantu-speaking. It has some spectacular scenery, including the Victoria Falls along the Zambezi River, the Bangweulu Swamps and the Luangwa river valley.

Zambia is one of the most highly urbanized countries in sub-Saharan Africa with 44% of the population concentrated in a few urban areas along the major transport corridors, while rural areas are sparsely populated. Unemployment and underemployment in urban areas are serious problems, while most rural Zambians are subsistence farmers.

In the late 1960s it was the third largest copper miner, after the US and the Soviet Union. World copper prices collapsed in 1975 with devastating effects on the economy.
The World Bank has urged Zambia to develop other sources of revenue - including tourism and agriculture. Even so, copper accounts for most of Zambia's foreign earnings and there is optimism about the future of the industry, which was privatized in the 1990s.

The official language of Zambia is English, which is used to conduct official business and is the medium of instruction in schools.

Zambia is officially a Christian nation, but a wide variety of religious traditions exist. Approximately 5% of the population is Muslim, with most living in urban areas. There is also a small Jewish community.

· Full name: Republic of Zambia
· Population: 12.9 million (UN, 2009)
· Capital: Lusaka
· Area: 752,614 sq km (290,586 sq miles – slightly larger than Texas)
· Major language: English (official), Bemba, Lozi, Nyanja, Tonga
· Major religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs, Islam
· Life expectancy: 45 years (men), 46 years (women) (UN)
· Main exports: Copper, minerals, tobacco
· GNI per capita: US $950 (World Bank, 2008)

City of Kabwe:
The conference I am attending will be held in the city of Kabwe (population 200,000) located about 140 km (85 miles) northeast of the capital. When rich deposits of lead were discovered near Kabwe in 1902, Zambia was a British colony called Northern Rhodesia, and little concern was given for the impact that the toxic metal might have on native Zambians. Sadly, there's been almost no improvement in the decades since, and though the mines and smelter are no longer operating, lead levels in Kabwe are astronomical. It rates as number 10 on the list of “World’s most polluted places.” Because of the mines, the first rail line in the country was built to Kabwe and the country’s first hydroelectric plant was built nearby in 1924.

Climate:
Since I will be crossing the equator, I will be arriving during the Zambian summer. This is also the rainy season. So, before you become too envious consider this: “In this area rainfall is largely confined to the period October to March, with a maximum in the months December to February, when the intertropical belt of cloud and rain is farthest south. It then lies across southern Zambia and Malawi. Much of the rain is heavy and showery and accompanied by thunder, but periods of almost continuous rain lasting two or three days are by no means unusual.”

Temperatures and humidity ratings for the capital, Lusaka, which is at about the same altitude (3,000 feet, so not exactly “tropical”) as Kabwe, are as follows:
Lusaka, Zambia
Average temperatures for January and February: high of 79 and low of 63

Relative humity for January and February: 85 in the morning and 70 in the afternoon

Average precipitation for January: 231 mm; for February: 191 mm

Number of wet days (+0.25 mm): January - 21; February - 17

Pleasant, but wet!