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Background:
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The territory of Northern Rhodesia
was administered by the South Africa Company from
1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923.
During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining
spurred development and immigration. The name was
changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the
1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a
prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in
1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the
subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of
opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked
by administrative problems with at least two parties
filing legal petitions challenging the results.
Opposition parties currently hold a majority of
seats in the National Assembly. |
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Location:
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Southern Africa, east of Angola
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Ethnic groups:
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African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other
0.2% |
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Religions:
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Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu
24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1% |
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Languages:
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English (official), major vernaculars
- Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga,
and about 70 other indigenous languages |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 78.9%
male: 85.7%
female: 72.6% |
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Currency:
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Zambian kwacha (ZMK) |
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Currency code:
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ZMK |
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Exchange rates:
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Zambian kwacha per US dollar -
3,848.65 (January 2002), 3,610.94 (2001), 3,110.84
(2000), 2,388.02 (1999), 1,862.07 (1998), 1,314.50
(1997) |
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