ZAMBIA. Republic of Zambia
A country in Central Africa. Area - 752.6 thousand km². Capital - Lusaka (approx. 2 million), largest cities: Ndola, Livingstone, Kabwe, Kitwe-Nkana, Chingola. Administrative-territorial division - 9 provinces. Population - 10.4 million (2000); of which 99% are Africans, mainly Bantu (Bemba, Tonga, Lozi, Lunda, Malawian, etc.). Europeans and people of Asian descent - about 100 thousand. Official language - English. Religion: about 80% of the population are Christians (mostly Anglican), many of whom simultaneously maintain adherence to traditional African beliefs. Currency - kwacha.
Has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on October 30, 1964).
National holiday - October 24 - Independence Day (1964).
According to the current constitution adopted in 1996, Zambia is a presidential republic. The President (since 2001 - L. Mwanawasa) holds the full legislative and executive power. He is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the country. Elected by universal direct suffrage for a term of 5 years. The President heads the government (cabinet of ministers). Legislative power is exercised by the President and the unicameral parliament - the National Assembly (150 deputies elected by universal elections, a speaker, and no more than 8 deputies appointed by the President). The constitution provides for a House of Representatives (chiefs of provinces) - an advisory body to the President.
Leading political parties: Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) - founded in 1991, party president - L. Mwanawasa, ruling party (81 seats in the National Assembly), advocates for the development of a market economy and democratization of public life; United National Development Party (UNDP) - founded in 1998, chairman - A. Mazoka, has 42 seats in parliament; United National Independence Party (UNIP) - founded in 1959, ruling party from 1972 to 1991 (president - K. Kaunda), has 13 seats in the National Assembly; Forum for Democracy and Development - founded in 2001, chairman - K. Tembo, 12 seats in parliament; Heritage Party - founded in 2001, chairman - G. Miyanda, 2 seats; Patriotic Front - founded in 2001, chairman - M. Sata, 2 seats.
The trade union movement is represented by the Congress of Trade Unions of Zambia (CTUZ), which unites 18 sectoral trade unions, and the Confederation of Free Trade Unions (CFTU), which includes 5 sectoral trade unions that separated from CTUZ in 1994.
On the territory of modern Zambia, prior to the arrival of Europeans, there were several tribal associations with elements of statehood. In the late 13th century, the Portuguese penetrated here, but in the 19th century, they were displaced by the British. From the late 19th century, it was under the rule of the British crown, and until 1924, the country, named Northern Rhodesia, was governed by the British monopoly "British South Africa Company." From 1924 to 1964 - a British protectorate. From 1953 to 1963, it was part of the colonial federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Northern and Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland). The resistance of the Zambian people to colonial rule reached its peak after World War II. Initially, the liberation movement was led by the African National Congress (ANC), established in 1948, and from the late 1950s - by the United National Independence Party (UNIP), founded by radical members of the left wing of the ANC led by K. Kaunda. On December 31, 1963, the federation was dissolved. On October 24, 1964, the country achieved independence and was renamed the Republic of Zambia. In December 1972, a one-party system was introduced in the country. In August 1973, the constitution of Zambia was adopted, which enshrined the leading role of UNIP.
In 1990, the process of transitioning from a one-party system to multi-partyism began in Zambia. On December 17, 1990, a series of amendments to the constitution were adopted, resulting in the formation of several opposition political parties, the most influential of which became the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy led by F. Chiluba. On December 31, 1991, in the first multi-party general elections in the country's history, F. Chiluba, supported by trade unions, was elected President of Zambia. A new constitution was adopted in 1996.
Zambia is a member of the UN (since 1964), the African Union, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and is part of the Commonwealth led by the United Kingdom.
The country is rich in various minerals - copper (4th in the world), zinc, lead, and cobalt. There are enterprises in light, food, forestry, and chemical industries, as well as cement plants. Copper exports provided good revenues to the treasury in the 60s and 70s. In the mid-70s, due to a significant increase in oil import costs and a fall in copper prices on the world market, Zambia faced a number of financial and economic problems. The ongoing period of economic decline has placed the country among the poorest states. The new leadership of Zambia is making efforts to curb negative economic development trends and is taking radical measures to restructure the economy. The main focus is on attracting foreign capital.
GDP in 2002 - $4.04 billion, income per capita - about $400.
The leading place in industrial production is occupied by copper mining (409 thousand tons), cobalt, and a number of other minerals. The country has oil refining, automobile assembly, tire, and other factories, as well as agricultural processing enterprises. The share of industrial production in GDP (including copper) is 26%.
Agriculture, in which over 60% of the Zambian population is employed and which accounts for 17% of GDP, is inefficient; it is conducted mainly by primitive methods. Therefore, the country periodically faces the threat of famine.
Over 90% of exports come from the mining industry, with copper taking a leading role. Machinery and equipment, petroleum products, and food are imported. The main trading partners are the United Kingdom, the USA, Japan, Germany, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
The rich flora and fauna of Zambia, the famous Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River, and relatively favorable climatic conditions make this country particularly attractive to foreign tourists. However, the development of this sector is hindered by a lack of necessary financial resources.
The total length of railways is over 2 thousand km. The road network is 38 thousand km, of which about 6 thousand km are paved. There are international airports in Lusaka, Livingstone, Ndola, and Mfuwe.
Since 1990, paid education has been introduced in Zambia (except for primary education). There is a dense network of state and private schools and educational institutions; however, their equipment with educational tools and materials remains at a low level due to a lack of funds. The University of Zambia (with a branch in Kitwe-Nkana) is located in Lusaka - one of the largest higher education institutions in Southern Africa. The literacy rate is 70%.
The country has daily newspapers in English: "Times of Zambia" and "Zambia Daily Mail," "Post," as well as several newspapers in local languages. There is state television and several radio broadcasting stations. The government operates the Zambia National Information Agency (ZANA).
