Overview
Zambia is a landlocked country surrounded by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania.
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 when it became independent in 1964.
The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy Mwanawa.
The new president launched a far-reaching anti-corruption campaign in 2002, which resulted in the prosecution of former President Frederick Chiluba and many of his supporters in late 2003.
Opposition parties currently hold a majority of seats in the National Assembly.
In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy.
In the late 1960s, after the United States and the then Soviet Union, Zambia was the third largest producer of copper in the world.
With the collapse of copper prices in 1975 the Zambian economy was devastated. The industry was privatised in the 1990s and at present there is an ever growing demand for copper, which promises to help the economy.
Zambia is sparsely populated and there are 70 ethnic groups within the country. Read more...
