1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)
Coastline
none - landlocked
Comparative area
slightly larger than Texas
Disputes
quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement; Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be indefinite since it is reported that the indefinite section of the Zaire-Zambia boundary has been settled
Environment
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification
Land area
740,720 km2
Land boundaries
5,664 km total; Angola 1,110 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zaire 1,930 km, Zimbabwe 797 km
Land use
arable land 7%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 47%; forest and woodland 27%; other 19%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
none - landlocked
Natural resources
copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower potential
Note
landlocked
Terrain
mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
Total area
752,610 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
48 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
11 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%
Infant mortality rate
77 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
2,455,000; agriculture 85%; mining, manufacturing, and construction 6%; transport and services 9%
Languages
English (official); about 70 indigenous languages
Life expectancy at birth
55 years male, 59 years female (1992)
Literacy
73% (male 81%, female 65%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Zambian(s); adjective - Zambian
Net migration rate
-2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
about 238,000 wage earners are unionized
Population
8,745,284 (July 1992), growth rate 3.5% (1992)
Religions
Christian 50-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24-49%, remainder indigenous beliefs 1%
Total fertility rate
6.9 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western
Capital
Lusaka
Chief of State and Head of Government
President Frederick CHILUBA (since 31 October 1991)
Constitution
NA August 1991
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador (vacant); Chancery at 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-9717 through 9721 US: Ambassador Gordon L. STREEB; Embassy at corner of Independence Avenue and United Nations Avenue, Lusaka (mailing address is P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka); telephone [2601] 228-595, 228-601, 228-602, 228-603; FAX [2601] 251-578
Executive branch
president, Cabinet
Flag
green with a panel of three vertical bands of red (hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the outer edge of the flag
Independence
24 October 1964 (from UK; formerly Northern Rhodesia)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Legal system
based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly
Long-form name
Republic of Zambia
Member of
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-19, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National Assembly
last held 31 October 1991 (next to be held mid-1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (150 total) MMD 125, UNIP 25
National holiday
Independence Day, 24 October (1964)
Political parties and leaders
Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), Frederick CHILUBA; United National Independence Party (UNIP), none; elections pending
President
last held 31 October 1991 (next to be held mid-1995); results - Frederick CHILUBA 84%, Kenneth KAUNDA 16%
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
multiparty system; on 17 December 1990, President Kenneth KAUNDA signed into law the constitutional amendment that officially reintroduced the multiparty system in Zambia ending 17 years of one-party rule
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 17% of GDP and 85% of labor force; crops - corn (food staple), sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava; cattle, goats, beef, eggs
Budget
revenues $665 million; expenditures $767 million, including capital expenditures of $300 million (1991 est.)
Currency
Zambian kwacha (plural - kwacha); 1 Zambian kwacha (ZK) = 100 ngwee
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-89), $4.8 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $60 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $533 million
Electricity
2,775,000 kW capacity; 12,000 million kWh produced, 1,400 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Zambian kwacha (ZK) per US$1 - 128.2051 (March 1992), 61.7284 (1991), 28.9855 (1990), 12.9032 (1989), 8.2237 (1988), 8.8889 (1987)
Exports
$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: copper, zinc, cobalt, lead, tobacco partners: EC, Japan, South Africa, US, India
External debt
$8 billion (December 1991)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $4.7 billion, per capita $600; real growth rate -2% (1991)
Imports
$1.3 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, foodstuffs, fuels, manufactures partners: EC, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, US
Industrial production
growth rate -2% (1991); accounts for 50% of GDP
Industries
copper mining and processing, transport, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, and fertilizer
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
100% (1991)
Overview
The economy has been in decline for more than a decade with falling imports and growing foreign debt. Economic difficulties stem from a sustained drop in copper production and ineffective economic policies. In 1991 real GDP fell by 2%. An annual population growth of more than 3% has brought a decline in per capita GDP of 50% over the past decade. A high inflation rate has also added to Zambia's economic woes in recent years.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
117 total, 104 usable; 13 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
12 major transport aircraft
Highways
36,370 km total; 6,500 km paved, 7,000 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; 22,870 km improved and unimproved earth
Inland waterways
2,250 km, including Zambezi and Luapula Rivers, Lake Tanganyika
Pipelines
crude oil 1,724 km
Ports
Mpulungu (lake port)
Railroads
1,266 km, all 1.067-meter gauge; 13 km double track
Telecommunications
facilities are among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa; high-capacity microwave connects most larger towns and cities; broadcast stations - 11 AM, 5 FM, 9 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Air Force, Police, paramilitary
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 1,818,545; 953,718 fit for military service