NIE ACTIVITY
GEOGRAPHY CONNECTIONS
ZAMBIA
This year-long series is presented in collaboration with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance.
By Sheila Adams, Connecticut
Geographic Alliance
Country View
The government of Zambia is a
republic, with a president being popularly
elected for up to two 5-year terms. The
people of Zambia are mostly Bantu,
with 99.5% of residents being African.
Surprisingly, the official language of
Zambia is English, but there are still over
70 other indigenous languages spoken.
The region is well-known for its copper
mining.
A trip to Zambia would be a real
thrill! With a variety of game parks and
nature preserves, a traveler would be
assured of seeing many of the animals
most associated with Africa such as
elephants, hippos, and lions. From the
many safari options and white water
rafting trips on the Zambezi River, an
adventurous tourist would certainly
have plenty to choose from. Victoria
Falls is a must-see on your Zambian
adventure. Hundreds of thousands of
visitors from around the world come to
see the falls each year. With new resorts,
restaurants, and shopping; this will
surely help the Zambian economy in the
future. Perhaps one day you will choose
to take a Zambian trip of your own!
TAKE 5
Location: A landlocked country lying at
15 S latitude and 30 E longitude on the
continent of Africa. The population in 2012
was just under 14,000,000, which is a
4 million person increase over the last 10
years. The capital city is Lusaka. Other
large cities include Ndola, Kitwe, and
Livingstone.
Place: Zambia is located in a high plains
region and has a sub-tropical climate. There
are 3 seasons: Hot (September – November)
with temperatures ranging from 23 to 28C,
Wet (November – April) with average annual
rainfalls of 25 to 30 inches, and Cool (May
– August) with temperatures ranging from
5 to 17C. The elevation of Zambia helps
keep it cooler than other regions in southern
Africa.
Human/Environment Interaction: Zambia
has relied heavily on mining in the past,
focusing efforts on the Copper Belt in the
north. Today, they continue to mine copper,
as well as cobalt and zinc. Other economic
resources are needed, however, to improve
the economy and livelihood of the people
in Zambia. They have few trade partners
at this point, but they do trade tobacco and
corn as well. Mining remains half of their
Gross National Product, and 90% of their
export revenues come from copper and
cobalt. What Zambia lacks in agricultural
resources, they make up for in water;
Zambia’s energy needs are almost entirely
met by the waterpower reserves of Lake
Kariba on the Zambian-Zimbabwe border.
Lake Kariba is actually the world’s largest
reservoir and Zambia ranks 4th in the world
in its use of hydro-electric power.
Movement: The country has about 90,000
km of roads, only 20,000 of which are
paved. There are also 88 airports, 8 of
which have paved runways. Zambia has
about 2,100 km and 2,200 km of railways
and waterways respectively
Region: The country of Zambia is 294,000
square miles, slightly larger than the state
of Texas. It is most notably bordered by
Zimbabwe, sharing the famed Zambezi
River to Zambia’s south. It is also bordered
by Tanzania, Mozambique, Namibia, Malawi,
Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo.
National Flag:
DID YOU KNOW?
• Zambian people have 10 times as many cellular phones than land lines
• Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi river, is over 1 mile wide, and boasts the largest ‘sheet’ of
falling water in the world – the spray can be seen from more than 10 miles away
• During the rainy season, over 300,000 gallons of water per second fall over the Victoria
Falls escarpment
• The indigenous name of this “Natural Wonder of the World” is Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning
“smoke that thunders”
• The Zambian currency, Kwacha, was revalued in 2011; prior to that, $1 = 5,000 Kwacha,
now $1 = 5 Kwacha – that’s much easier for American tourists!
• Zambia is the world’s largest consumer of second-hand clothing
MAPPING ACTIVITY
• Research population data for Zambia over the past 30 years and create a graph
to show the population trend in this country. Use different colored lines for
different age groups.
• After creating the graph, write a summary of the data and how the impact of
HIV/AIDS can be seen in the data by age groups.
• What do you think is meant by the term ‘Copper Belt’?
• Name two ways that the Zambezi River helps the country and people of Zambia.
For students who are blind, learning disabled or print challenged, visit CRIS Radio at
http://www.chrisradio.org and click Kids On-Demand for a free audio version of Geography Connections.