| Zambia is a landlocked country in south-central
Africa. It is a little larger than Alberta and is shaped like a giant butterfly.
Eight countries share a border with Zambia: the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (formerly Zaire) to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast,
Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the southeast, Zimbabwe, Botswana and
Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The country is divided into
nine provinces and 31 districts.
The sources of two of Africa's largest rivers,
the Congo and the Zambezi, are in Zambia. The Zambezi and its main tributaries
(the Kafue and the Luangwa) flow through fertile valleys. The valley of
the Luangwa River is part of the Great African Rift Valley. Zambia has
two spectacular waterfalls, Victoria Falls in Livingstone in the south
and Kalambo Falls on Lake Tanganyika in the north. |
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| The Muchinga Escarpment in eastern Zambia rises
to 1,800 metres at its highest point. Three large lakes lie in the north:
Mweru, Bangweulu and Tanganyika. The southern tip of Lake Tanganyika forms
part of the border with Tanzania. Lake Kariba, one of the world's largest
artificial lakes, lies along the Zambezi at the Zimbabwe border. A second
artificial lake, Iteshi-Teshi, stretches along the Kafue River in Kafue
National Park. Both lakes were created by river dams built for hydroelectricity,
one of Zambia's important resources. |
| The
African name for Victoria Falls is Mosi-oa-Tunya, "the smoke that thunders."
This World Heritage Site is twice as high as Niagara Falls and one-and-a-half
times as wide. It is said to be the longest curtain of water on earth. |
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| As most of the country lies about 1,300 metres
above sea level, the climate is mild and pleasant. Zambia has a rainy season
(November to March), a cool dry season (April to July) and a hot dry season
(August to October). Although the temperature in October, the hottest month,
can rise above 35°C in the river valleys, most of the country has comfortable
daytime temperatures and cool nights. In winter, frost is possible.
Most of the country is open woodland or savanna
with acacias, baobabs, thorn bushes and tall grasses. In the south, the
vegetation is sparser. Zambian teak, a valuable hardwood, grows in the
southwest. A thin forest covers the north and east. |
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| Zambia has 19 national parks and 33
game management areas that help to protect its diverse wildlife. More than
150 species of reptiles, 200 types of mammals, 740 kinds of birds, and
thousands of insect species live in these areas. Herds of buffalo, impala,
elephant and zebra roam the national parks, especially those in the Luangwa
river valley. Many rare and endangered species, such as Thornicroft's giraffe,
Cookson's wildebeest and the red lechwe (a type of antelope), are unique
to Zambia. |
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