In Community Care for Orphans

Zambia

For a more detailed map of Zambia click on the region.

President: Frederick T. J. Chiluba (1991)

Area: 290,586 sq. mi. (752,610 sq. km)

Population (2000 est.): 9,582,418 (average annual rate of natural increase: 2%); birth rate: 41.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 92.4/1000; density per sq. mi.: 33

Capital: LusakaLargest cities (1997): Lusaka, 1.6 million; (1990 est.) Kitwe, 338,207; Ndola, 376,311; Chingola, 167,954

Monetary unit: Kwacha

Languages: English and local dialects

Ethnicity/race: African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%

Religions: Christian, 50-75%; Islam and Hindu, 24-49%; remainder indigenous beliefs

Literacy rate: 73% (1990)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (1998 est.): $8.3 billion; $880 per capita. Real growth rate: -2% (1998 est.). Inflation: 43.9% (1996).

Unemployment: 22% (1991).

Arable land: 7%. Agriculture: corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, beef, pork, poultry meat, milk, eggs, hides. Labor force: 3.4 million: agriculture, 85%; transport and services 9%; mining, manufacturing, and construction 6%. Industries: copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer. Natural resources: copper, zinc, lead, cobalt, coal.

Exports: $905 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.): copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, tobacco. Imports: $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.): machinery, transportation equipment, foodstuffs, fuel, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer.

Major trading partners: Japan, South Africa, U.S., Saudi Arabia, India, Thailand, Malaysia, U.K., Zimbabwe. Member of Commonwealth of Nations.

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 77,935 (in addition there are about 40,000 fixed telephones in wireless local loop connections) (1997); mobile cellular: 6,000 (1998). Radio broadcast stations: AM 19, FM 5, shortwave 4 (1998). Radios: 1.03 million (1997). Television broadcast stations: 9 (1997). Televisions: 277,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 3 (1999).

Transportation: Railways: total: 2,164 km (1995). Highways: total: 66,781 km; paved: n.a. km; unpaved: n.a. km (1997 est.). Waterways: 2,250 km, including Zambezi and Luapula rivers, Lake Tanganyika. Ports and harbors: Mpulungu. Airports: 112 (1999 est.).

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