Zambia

Zambia is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, South and East Africa. Its neighbors are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the northeast, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the southeast, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south, Namibia to the southwest, and Angola to the west. The capital of Zambia is Lusaka, located in the south-central part of Zambia. The population is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and Copperbelt in the north, the main economic centers of the country.

Originally inhabited by the Khoisan peoples, the region suffered from the expansion of the Bantu in the 13th century. Following the European explorers of the eighteenth century, by the end of the nineteenth century, the British colonized the region under the British protectorates of Barotseland - Northwest Rhodesia and Northeast Rhodesia. They were merged in 1911 to form Northern Rhodesia. For most of the colonial period, Zambia was ruled by an administration appointed from London on the recommendation of the British South African Company.

On October 24, 1964, Zambia became independent from the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Kenneth Kaunda became inaugural President. The Socialist United National Independence Party (UNIP) remained in power from 1964 to 1991. Kaunda has played a key role in regional diplomacy, working closely with the United States to find solutions to conflicts in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Angola, and Namibia. From 1972 to 1991, Zambia was a one-party state with UNIP as the only legal political party under the motto “One Zambia, One Nation” coined by Kaunda. Kaunda succeeded Frederic Chiluba of the Social Democratic Movement for Multiparty Democracy in 1991, beginning a period of socioeconomic growth and government decentralization. Since then, Zambia has become a multi-party state and has experienced several peaceful transfers of power.

Zambia is rich in natural resources, including minerals, wildlife, forestry, fresh water and arable land. In 2010, the World Bank named Zambia one of the fastest growing countries in the world. The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is located in Lusaka.