|RNational holiday:|N Independence Day, October 24.
|RNature and climate:|N Most land is an even highland plateau between 1000 and 1500 m.a.s.l. This plateau slowly slopes to the south and the border to Zimbabwe. The plateau rises towards northeast and the Muchinga mountains, whose highest peak reaches 1898 m.a.s.l.
The plateau is crossed by several deep fault valleys, the best known are the Great Rift Valley and the 560 km long valley of the Luangwa River.
Forested savannah is the most common type of vegetation, but more and more of the land is cultivated. This cultivation threatens the big animals, but still there are plenty of elephants, hyenas, jackals, leopards, lions, hippopotamus, zebras, rhinocerus and giraffes, just to mention a few.
Climate is tropical with an average temperature between 17 and 26°C throughout the year.
Percipitation between 700 and 1300 mm.
|RPeople:|N More than 75 ethnic groups live in Zambia, most of them different Bantu-tribes. The traditional tribal organization still plays an active role in every day life and many old customs are still in practice.
|REconomy:|N Zambia is rich on minerals such as copper, cobalt, zinc, lead and coal, but its location in the middle of the African continent without a harbour makes transportation hard and costly. Still copper accounts for the biggest export revenues.
Mining is the most important industry occupying only 6% of the labour force, while agriculture occupies 85%.
The most important crops are corn, tobacco and cotton.
Zambia is a net importer of most important food products.
|RHistory:|N Different Bantu-tribes invaded and took control of the area from the beginning of the 15th century to the 19th century. In the early 19th century they founded the Maratse-Mambunda realm.
By mid 19th century their chief asked for British protection against Arabic slave traders.
By the end of the century Sir Cecil Rhodes received concession for mineral extraction by several local chiefs, which was confirmed by Queen Victoria in 1889, as the area had become a British protectorate in 1888.
1895 Zimbabwe, Zambia and Nyasaland was named Rhodesia after Cecil Rhodes and united in one colony, which de facto was governed by the British South Africa Company.
In 1923 Rhodesia was divided in the two colonies North Rhodesia, Zambia and Nyasaland, Malawi and South Rhodesia became a self-governing part of the British empire.
In 1953 the three parts were united once again, now in the Central African Federation. But there was severe antagonism between the black majority who demanded political influence and the white minority trying to maintain their privileges. In 1963 the federation was dissolved and North Rhodesia became the independent country Zambia.
Since independence the president have seized powers and Zambia has de facto become a one-party-state, though with public and free elections and a comparably free press.
Decreasing prices of copper on the world market strains the Zambian economy and makes development hard.
In 1987 South African troops made raids into Zambia against ANC-bases.
