Zambia is an African country located in the Southern-Central region of the continent of Africa. This country shares its northern border with Congo, the north-eastern border with Tanzania, eastern border with Malawi, and southern border with Zimbabwe and Botswana. Zambia has a population of around 17.3 million. The majority of the people in the country are Christians. Muslims make only 0.5% of the total population of the country. Zambia also has a unitary presidential constitutional system. The legislative body in the country is called the national assembly. English is the official language of the country. In this article, we will discuss some interesting facts about Zambia.
Zambia Facts
1. Zambia is a land-locked country
Like many other countries in Africa, Zambia is a land-locked country. It shares all its borders with other African countries. If you look at the map of the world, you will find Zambia as trapped between other African countries. Most of the people in Zambia have never been to a beach. Zambia depends on other African countries for sea-trade. Most of the trade is done by the country via the dry ports.
2. It has a Waterfall shared with Zimbabwe
Zambia has a waterfall shared among the two countries known as Victoria Falls. This waterfall, formed by the Zambezi river, is located at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. When combined both height and width, this waterfall is considered to be the largest in the world, an interesting fact about Zambia. It is known as the largest sheet of falling water present in the world. Victoria Falls is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is one of the main tourist attraction sites both in Zambia as well as Zimbabwe.
3. It has a National Park that provides heritage to a number of species
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, the most famous park in Zambia, is located in the southern part of the country at the border with Zimbabwe. The name means ‘the smoke which thunders’. The name of the park is the official name of Victoria Falls one half of which is located in it. Because of the Victoria Falls, this national park is considered a World Heritage site by UNESCO. It covers a total area of over 66 km2 providing heritage to a number of rare and endangered species of animals as well as plants. The most common animals found in the park are lions, elephants, zebras, and rhinos. This park is an important tourist destination in Zambia.
4. Zambia is home to Devil’s Pool
Devil’s Pool is a naturally formed rock pool near the edge of Victoria Falls on the Zambian side. It is considered to be formed after the erosion of the rocks by continuously flowing water. The flow of the Zambezi river is slow during the months between September and December. During these months, a rock barrier forms a pool near the edge of Victoria Falls. The Devil’s Pool provides an opportunity for the adventurous swimmers to come and enjoy the beautiful scenery offered by Victoria Falls. Many people visit this country to enjoy the scenery at the Devil’s Pool, an interesting fact about Zambia. Although the pool is considered safe, occasional deaths have been reported because of the slipping over of the people over the rock barrier.
5. It has the world’s largest Man-made Lake
Kariba Lake, located in Zambia, is considered the largest man-made lake in the world. It is located along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. This lake is 223 km long and around 40 km wide. It was filled following the construction of Kariba Dam, constructed at the northeastern end of the lake. The Kariba Lake covers a total area of around 5,580 km2 and has a storage capacity of around 185 cubic kilometers.
6. Zambia is one of the top Copper producing Countries
Copper mining has been the top industry of Zambia since its birth. The economy of the country is mostly dependent on copper mining. Large amount of copper reserves present in the country is one of the many reasons it was colonized by the United Kingdom. As of today, this country is one of the top 10 copper-producing countries in the world, an interesting fact about Zambia. Copper mining in Zambia creates jobs and directly contributes to the GDP of the country.
7. This country has an old museum called Livingstone Museum
Livingstone Museum is the largest and the oldest museum present in Zambia near Victoria Falls. Artifacts related to the history of the locals as well as prehistoric artifacts are being displayed at this museum along with ancient photographs and musical instruments etc. It also displays the things that have been under the use of David Livingstone.
David Livingstone was an explorer and missionary in Zambia. He was a Scottish physician and missionary who came to Africa in 1839. Livingstone is famous for discovering the Victoria Falls in 1855.
8. Zambia has been ruled by a single party for 27 years
After its independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, the administration of Zambia came into the hands of a socialist party known as the United National Independence Party (UNIP). This party ruled the country for 27 years from 1964 till 1991. Kenneth Kaunda was the chairman of UNIP. When the UNIP assumed power in 1964, Kaunda became president and served the country for 27 years till 1991.
Conclusion
Zambia is an African country located in the neighborhood of Zimbabwe, Congo, Tanzania, and Malawi. Zambia has great potential for tourism because of the tourist attraction sites such as Devil’s Pool, Victoria Falls and Livingstone Museum, etc. Zambia is considered to be the safest African country for foreigners. The law and order situation in the country is very much controlled. The tourism department of the country is making efforts to strengthen tourism in the country.
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