Zambia: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Zambia is a landlocked country in southern Africa. It borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Angola. The capital, Lusaka, lies on a high plateau in the south-central part of the country. The mighty Zambezi River, which gives Zambia its name, forms much of its long southern border.

Zambia is known for Victoria Falls, walking safaris and wild rivers full of hippos and crocodiles. On the globe you can find Victoria Falls, known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, 'the smoke that thunders', which Zambia shares with Zimbabwe, along with leopards, blue wildebeest and African buffalo.

Geography and nature

Most of Zambia is a high plateau covered with woodland and grassland, cut by rivers such as the Zambezi, Kafue and Luangwa. At Victoria Falls, the Zambezi plunges more than 100 metres into a narrow gorge, sending up spray that can be seen from far away. Lake Kariba, shared with Zimbabwe, is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. South Luangwa and Kafue national parks are full of leopards, lions, elephants and buffalo, and huge herds of wildebeest roam the Liuwa Plain.

People, languages and culture

Zambia has more than 70 ethnic groups. English is the official language, and Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga and Lozi are widely spoken. Most Zambians are Christian. The everyday food is nshima, a thick maize porridge eaten by hand with vegetables, beans, fish or meat. Traditional ceremonies are important: in the Kuomboka, the Lozi king travels by a great royal barge from the flooding Zambezi plains to higher ground, accompanied by drummers and paddlers. Football is the most popular sport.

History in a nutshell

Bantu-speaking peoples settled the region over many centuries and formed kingdoms such as Barotseland. In 1855 the Scottish explorer David Livingstone saw the great falls and named them after Queen Victoria. In the late 1800s the British South Africa Company took control, and the land became the British colony of Northern Rhodesia. Copper mining grew in the Copperbelt region. Zambia became independent on 24 October 1964, with Kenneth Kaunda as its first president.