Upgrade your Encarta experience

Also on Encarta

Also on MSN
Zambia Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Republic of Zambia
Capital Lusaka
Area 752,614 sq km
290,586 sq mi
Zambia: Flag and Anthem
Zambia: Flag and Anthem
Expand
People
Population 11,477,447 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 1.66 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 14,829,985 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 18,435,053 (2007 estimate)
Population density 16 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)
40 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 35 percent (2003 estimate)
Share rural 65 percent (2003 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Lusaka 1,640,000 (2000 estimate)
Kitwe 376,124 (2000)
Ndola 374,757 (2000)
Chingola 241,612 (2000)
Kabwe 233,197 (1999 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga, many others
Languages
English (official), Bemba, Luapula, Nyanja, Tonga, Lozi, Kikaonde, Lunda, Luvale
NOTE: There are about 70 indigenous languages.
Religious affiliations
Roman Catholic 33 percent
Protestant 30 percent
Independent Christian 17 percent
Ethnoreligionist or indigenous beliefs 14 percent
Baha'i 2 percent
Other 4 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 38.4 years (2007 estimate)
Female 38.5 years (2007 estimate)
Male 38.3 years (2007 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 101 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)
Population per physician 14,493 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed Not available
Literacy rate
Total 82.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 76.8 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 87.7 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 2.5 percent (1998-1999)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 7 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 43 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government Republic
Head of state President
Head of government President
Legislature Unicameral legislature
National Assembly: 159 members
Voting qualifications Universal at age 18
Constitution 28 May 1996
Highest court Supreme Court
Armed forces
Total number of military personnel 15,100 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 0.6 percent (2003)
First-level political divisions 9 provinces
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $7.3 billion (2005)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $623.10 (2005)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 18.5 percent (2005)
Industry 25.1 percent (2005)
Services 56.3 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers 4,949,675 (2005)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 70 percent (1998)
Industry 7 percent (1998)
Services 23 percent (1998)
Unemployment rate 12 percent (1998)
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $599 million (1999)
Total expenditure $546 million (1999)
Monetary unit
1 Zambian kwacha (K), consisting of 100 ngwee
Major trade partners for exports
South Africa, Malawi, Thailand, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Japan
Major trade partners for imports
South Africa, China, United Kingdom, Japan, and India
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 0.56 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 99.44 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 149 (1999 estimate)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 8 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 142 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 1.7 (2003)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 14 (1996)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 26 (1997)
Paved road as a share of total roads 22 percent (2001)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
© 2008 Microsoft