The Republic of Zambia is a landlocked country situated in Southern Africa.
It occupies an total area of: 752,610 sq. km (land: 740,720 sq. km;water: 11,890 sq. km).

Its neighboring countries are: in the North: the Democratic Republic of the Congo over 1,930 km; in the Northeast: Tanzania over 338 km; in the East: Malawi over 837 km; in the Southeast: Mozambique over 419 km; in the South: Zimbabwe over 797 km; in the Southwest Namibia over 233 km; and in the West: Angola over 1,110 km.
Quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe in the Southwest.

Population: 9,663,535 (July 1999): 10,307,333 (July 2003 est.) Growth rate: 2.12% (1999);1.52% (2003 est.)

Independence from United Kingdom: October 24, 1964
National holiday: October 24

Natural resources: copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower.

Agriculture production:corn, fresh cut flowers, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca); cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, beef, pork, poultry meat, milk, eggs, hides.

Industry production: copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer. Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (2000).

The privatisation of the huge government-owned Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) is arguably Zambia's biggest commitment to promoting a free market economy. After decades (since independence in 1964) of dependence on the mining sector the government of Zambia recently unveiled a three year US$1.2 billion program focusing on agriculture, tourism, mining and reviving the manufacturing sector.

This is no easy task for Mr. Levy Mwanawasa considering that there is now a vacuum in the mining industry with Anglo American pulling out of Nchanga and Konkola copper mines and many industries still shut after a decade of reckless policies by former President Frederick Chiluba's government.

Mr. Mwanawasa's US$1.2 billion broad based economic program is expected to be largely financed from funds gained from debt relief and targeted at economic growth at 4% by 2004. His government is already talking to other mining investors who are willing to fill the gap left by Anglo American Corporation.

However, since six years running, the economy is in a sluggish stated with inflation running in the range of 17% (17.4 in 2004's first term) a year for economic growth rate below 5% per annum. Consequently there is no wealth building and almost 85 percent of Zambians live below the World Bank poverty threshold of a dollar a day.

There is something wrong in the economic strategy advised by the World Bank and the IMF (Privatization, deregulation, macroeconomics equilibrium). Right Click here and choose "Save As" to get: Zambia Condemned to Debt By Lishala C. Situmbeko and Jack Jones Zulu.

The IMF and the World Bank policy is not yielding any positive result as far as fight against poverty is concerned. There is an absolute need to stage in Zambia an developing strategy that yields double digit growth rate

There are business opportunities in agribusiness, food processing, mining, low cost housing schemes. Etc.

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GNP: US$ 3.20 billion (2000); 3.33 billion (2001); 3.45 billion (2002); 3.54 billion (2003)
GNP-growth rate: - 2% (1999); 4% (2000); 3.8% (2001); 2.3% (2002); 4% (2003)
GNP-per capita: US$ 330 (2000): 343 (2003)

Click here for the difference between GNP and Parity Purchasing Power

GNP-composition by sector

1. agriculture: 22%
   

2. industry: 26%
   
3. services: 52%

Exports: US$ 928 million (f.o.b., 2000); 709 million f.o.b. (2001); 709 million f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, tobacco
Exports - partners: Malawi 10.3%, Thailand 9.2%, Japan 9.1%, Saint Pierre and Miquelon 9.1%, Taiwan 8.5%, South Africa 7.8%, Egypt 6.4%, China 6.3%, Netherlands 5.5%, Tanzania 4.5% (2002)

Imports: US$ 1.05 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, foodstuffs, fuels, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer.
Imports - partners: South Africa 64.4%, US 3.7%, China 3.6% (2002)

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A passport valid six months beyond sojourn duration and a visa are required for most nationalities as well as tickets and documents for return or onward travel. An international certificate of vaccination for yellow fever is required if arriving from an infected area within five days.

Declaration of currencies might be expected at the airports and it is essential that all exchange receipts are collected for departure purposes.

Zambia National Tourist Board P.O. Box 30017 Lusaka Tel: +(260) 1 229087-90 Fax: +(260) 1 225174 Zantb@zamnet.zm http://www.zambiatourism.com	Ministry of Foreign Affairs Charter House, P O Box 50069 Lusaka Tel: +(260) 1 252708 / (260) 1 252666/ (260) 1 252675 Fax: +(260) 1 252718 mfalus@zamnet.zm foreignlsk@@zamnet.zm
Zambia- Ministry of Tourism P.O. Box 30575 Lusaka, Zambia Tel: +(260) 1 227645-8 Fax: +(260) 1 222189 Mintour@zamnet.zm	High Commission of Zambia 2 Palace Gate, London W8 5NG Tel: +(44) 171 5896655 Fax: +(44) 171 5811353

Zambia has good air linking connection with Europe and other Southern Africa capital cities.

International passengers as well as cargo planes land and take off at Lusaka. Flights to London, Rome, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Bombay, Johannesburg (South-Africa), Nairobi, Harare (Zimbabwe) and Gaborone (Botswana) are available from Lusaka.

Because the country is landlocked, all imported and exported goods are transshipped through the ports of Durban in South Africa and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania over a well kept network of roads and railways tracks.

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All over the country there are good accommodation establishment. The following are the most commonly used in Lusaka - the capital city - by International travelers.