Zambia
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
The Republic of Zambia is a country in southern Africa. It shares its borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. It was called Northern Rhodesia and it is currently named after the Zambezi River.
The capital of Zambia is Lusaka, which is also the largest city in the country. It current president is Levy Mwanawasa and has been independent since 24 October 1964. Its motto is One Zambia, One Nation and its national anthem is Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free. Its official language is English.
[change] History
Zambia originated from Northern Rhodesia which was a colony of Great Britain. It got its independence in 1965. The first president was Kenneth Kaunda, who ruled Zambia for 30 years with his party UNIP. Zambia was a one party democracy. UNIP was the only legal party and all other partys were banned.
After protests, democratic elections were held in 1991. Kenneth Kaunda lost the elections and gave away his power in a orderly manner to his successor Frederick Chiluba, a former union leader.
Zambia is now a multi-party democracy. It has had three democratic elections since 1991. The latest presidential election was in 2006, which was won by Levy Mwanawasa.
[change] Economy
In the 1960's, Zambia was a well to do state because of the copper deposits that were mined in Copperbelt province. When the price of copper lowered in the 1970's, the economy dwindled. It is said that Zambia was born with a copper spoon in its mouth.
Today, Zambia is a poor country. It does not have many industries. Copper is still its main export. Commercial farming is a growing industry as well.
Countries and territories of Africa | |
---|---|
Independent | Algeria • Angola • Benin • Botswana • Burkina Faso • Burundi • Cameroon • Cape Verde • Central African Republic • Chad • Comoros • Democratic Republic of the Congo • Republic of the Congo • Côte d'Ivoire • Djibouti • Egypt • Equatorial Guinea • Eritrea • Ethiopia • Gabon • The Gambia • Ghana • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Kenya • Lesotho • Liberia • Libya • Madagascar • Malawi • Mali • Mauritania • Mauritius • Morocco • Mozambique • Namibia • Niger • Nigeria • Rwanda • São Tomé and Príncipe • Senegal • Seychelles • Sierra Leone • Somalia • Somaliland • South Africa • Sudan • Swaziland • Tanzania • Togo • Tunisia • Uganda • Zambia • Zimbabwe |
Governed by other countries |
Canary Islands • Ceuta and Melilla • Madeira Islands • Mayotte • Réunion • Saint Helena and dependencies • Western Sahara |