Zambia, a landlocked country in south-central Africa, is about one-tenth larger than Texas. It is surrounded by Angola, Zaire, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. The country is mostly a plateau that rises to 8,000 ft (2,434 m) in the east.
Population
11,502,010 (growth rate: 2.1%); birth rate: 41.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 86.8/1000; life expectancy: 40.0; density per sq mi: 40
Land Area
285,994 sq mi (740,724 sq km); total area: 290,586 sq mi (sq km)
Monetary unit
Kwacha Language
English (official); major vernaculars: Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga; about 70 other indigenous languages
Ethnicity African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%
Religion Christian 50%–75%, Islam and Hindu 24%–49%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Transportation Railways: total: 2,173 km (2002). Highways: total: 66,781 km; paved: n.a.; unpaved: n.a. (1999 est.). Waterways: 2,250 km, including Zambezi and Luapula rivers, Lake Tanganyika. Ports and harbors: Mpulungu. Airports: 109 (2002).
