As one of countries starting with Z, Zambia is a country in the southeastern part of Africa. Until the middle of the last century, the country was known as Northern Rhodesia. Today, more than half of the country’s residents live below the poverty line. This has to do with the unsafe situations in the country and the fact that there are quite a few floods every year that destroy the crops.
In the place where present-day Zambia can be found, people have probably lived for several hundred thousand years. The first inhabitants of this country are probably Pygmy peoples. Later peoples who have inhabited this part of Africa are the Bushmen and the Twa. Descendants of these peoples can still be found in some parts of the country. Just after our era, it was the Bendu tribes who settled in present-day Zambia on a large scale. These formed large communities in the country and traded with neighboring tribes. Later, some Tonga tribes also joined. These still populate large parts of the country. In the sixteenth century, part of Zambia was part of the Lunda Empire. These traded with various European countries. In the nineteenth century, this trade consisted mainly of slaves. At the end of the nineteenth century, the land became the property of the British South Africa Company, after which the country became a British Crown Colony in 1924. In the meantime, the country had already been renamed Northern Rhodesia and would form the federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1953, together with present-day Zimbabwe and Malawi. This Central African Federation was short-lived and was disbanded ten years later. A year later, the then Prime Minister would declare independence and the name changed to Zambia.
Unlike in many African countries, this was accompanied by a fairly stable political climate. The prime minister who had declared independence remained active as president until 1991. Unlike many other African countries, Zambia’s political climate is still fairly stable. Today most inhabitants live from agriculture and trade. The tourism sector is not very big in Zambia. The tourists who come there mainly stay in the southern part of the country near the town of Livingston. Not far from this city are the main tourist attractions of Zambia: the Zambezi River and the Victoria Falls.
Sights
The most famous and most visited attraction in Zambia are the Victoria Falls. These falls can be found in the border area with Zimbabwe. These waterfalls are the largest and widest in Africa. Other popular attractions include the Kalima reptile park a few kilometers from the capital Lusaka. The capital Lusaka is also a must-see place, but avoid the city in the evening and night. When visiting Lusaka don’t forget to visit the local markets. These are colorful and you will meet special people. Three other must-see places are Ndola, Zambia’s most important trading town, Kitwe, a popular tourist destination, and Livingstone, the country’s most touristy town. This is mainly due to the city’s location near the Zambezi River. The Kafue National Park is one of the most beautiful and natural parks in Zambia. You will come across lions, leopards, buffalo and hyenas. Kafue and Luangwa National Park are known for their walking safaris. During these safaris you will make long walks through the park under the guidance of experienced guides.
UNESCO
Zambia has only one inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and it has yet to share this inscription with neighboring Zimbabwe. This is the Victoria Falls. These waterfalls were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1989 as a natural inscription. They are the widest waterfalls in Africa. They form a curtain that is about 1,700 meters long. The falls were “discovered” by Dr. Livingstone which she named after the then Queen of Great Britain. Victoria Falls is one of Zambia’s top tourist attractions.
Climate
The China climate occurs in almost all of Zambia. The vast majority of the country has a warm China climate and only the higher parts in northern Zambia have a moderate China climate. The warm China climate, which some people also call the moderate Savannah climate, is found in few places in the world. Some characteristic conditions of the China climate are that the average rainfall in the wettest month of the year should be 10 times higher than in the driest months of the year. The difference between the moderate China climate and the warm China climate is only the difference in temperature. In the warm China climate the average annual daytime temperature is above 22 degrees Celsius and in the temperate China climate it is below.
In the western part of Zambia on the border with Angola, it is quite a bit warmer than in the other parts of the country. This is referred to as a tropical steppe climate. The warm steppe climate occurs in the vicinity of the Victoria Falls.
Throughout Zambia there is a rainy period from October to March. During this rainy season, so much precipitation can fall that rivers overflow and flood parts of the country.
Geography
Zambia is located in the central eastern part of Africa and has no coastal area. Zambia does have borders with Zimbabwe, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Congo-Kinshasa, Malawi, Tanzania and Namibia. Some of these borders are formed by rivers and lakes. For example, the natural border with Zimbabwe is formed by the Zambezi River and Lake Kariba. Other important rivers in Zambia are the Kafue and the Luanwa. The Congo River rises in Zambia but crosses the border almost immediately afterwards. The largest and most important lakes in the country are Lake Tanganyika, Lake Kariba and Lake Bengweulu. Tanganyika is one of the largest, deepest and oldest lakes in the world. About one sixth of the world’s total freshwater supplies can be found in the lake.
Zambia is located on a plateau that is about 1,300 meters high on average. Zambia’s highest point is found near the Malawi border. This is where the Mafinga Hills lie. The highest point of Zambia can be found in this mountain range at 2,301 meters. The lowest point of the country is where the Zambezi and Luangwa meet. This point is 329 meters above sea level. The Capital of the Country Lusaka is the largest and most important city in the country. Other notable towns in Zambia are Ndola, Mansa, Mongu, Mfuwe, Kitwe, Kabwe, Livingston and Chingola.
Travel advice
The travel advice for Zambia has been on the status of “be vigilant” for some years and for a large part of the border areas, all non-essential travel is discouraged. This applies to the border area with Mozambique, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These border areas are full of landmines. These are mainly located outside the main roads. In addition, you should take into account that the highways are not of the quality that we are used to, but that it can be just as busy or busier as in the Netherlands. Traveling by public transport is not recommended as a tourist as your safety is not guaranteed. Traveling in the evening and at night is also not recommended. Homosexuality is prohibited in Zambia. This also applies to tourists, keep this in mind when you visit the country. In addition, there are heightened security risks nationwide due to the country’s high crime rate. As a tourist it is wise to avoid the poor densely populated areas of the larger cities, especially in the capital Lusaka it can be very dangerous. There are quite a few armed gangs in Lusaka known for so-called carjacking. Your car is jammed, after which you are forced to give it up.
From November to March, prolonged rain showers can cause a lot of nuisance. Rivers may burst their banks and flooding will occur in various parts of the country. If you travel through the country during this period, keep a close eye on the news and avoid the worst affected areas.
Travel documents
To be able to visit Zambia you must be in possession of a passport that is valid for at least six months on the date of departure from Zambia. The passport must still have at least two blank pages adjacent to each other. In addition, you must apply for a visa at the Zambian embassy in Belgium. In order to be able to apply for this visa, you must be in possession of two color passport photos, an application form that has been signed and proof of residence in addition to a passport. If you send your passport to the Zambian embassy, it should not contain any covers, envelopes or loose papers. In addition, you must be in possession of a return or onward ticket and you must be able to prove at customs that you have sufficient liquid assets.
A yellow fever vaccination is mandatory if you travel to Zambia if you have previously been to a yellow fever area and you must also be in possession of a cholera stamp. This only if you enter Zimbabwe by land. In addition, it is wise to take vaccinations against hepatitis B, rabies, typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Malaria occurs in Zimbabwe, so take malaria pills with you, sleep under a mosquito net and make sure you have enough DEET. If you use medicines, it is wise to take more than enough of these with you, as there are virtually no medicines available in Zambia.
Info table
| Capital city | Lusaka |
| Phone (country code) | 260 |
| Internetdomein | .zm |
| Language(s) (official) | Engels |
| Language(s) (colloquial) | English and 73 native languages |
| Religion(s) | Syncretic and Christian |
| Time zone(s) | UTC+2 |
| Time difference summer | time in Zambia is the same as in the Netherlands |
| Time difference winter | in Zambia it is 1 hour later than in the Netherlands |
| Daylight Saving Time Control | nee |
| Currency | It’s early morning |
