Attribute | Value |
---|---|
Geography | |
Area | 752,618 km² |
Continent | Africa |
Land area | 743,398 km² |
Water area | 9,220 km² |
Land boundaries | 6043.15 km |
Border countries |
|
Coastline | 0 km |
Mean elevation | 1,138 m |
Lowest point | 329 m |
Highest point | 2,301 m |
People | |
Population | 17,426,623 |
Official languages |
|
Religion | Protestant |
Government | |
Long country name | Republic of Zambia |
Short country name | Zambia |
Long local name | Add |
Short local name | Add |
Former name |
|
Government type | Presidential republic |
Capital | Lusaka |
Economy | |
GDP (PPP) | 68,930,000,000 USD |
GDP (OER) | 25,710,000,000 USD |
GDP (real growth rate) | 3.4 % |
GDP - per capita (PPP) | 4,000 USD |
Gross national saving | 38.3 % of GDP |
Labor force | 6,898,000 |
Unemployment rate | 15 % |
Population below poverty line | 54.4 % |
Budget revenues | 4,473,000,000 USD |
Budget expenditures | 6,357,000,000 USD |
Military expenditures | 1.25 % of GDP |
Taxes and other revenues | 17.4 % of GDP |
Budget surplus or deficit | -7.3 % of GDP |
Public debt | 63.1 % of GDP |
Inflation rate | 6.6 % |
Central bank discount rate | 9.1 % |
Commercial bank prime lending rate | 12.5 % |
Stock of narrow money | 1,764,000,000 USD |
Stock of broad money | 1,764,000,000 USD |
Stock of domestic credit | 5,401,000,000 USD |
Market value of publicly traded shares | 3,004,000,000 USD |
Current account balance | -1,006,000,000 USD |
Exports | 8,216,000,000 USD |
Imports | 7,852,000,000 USD |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 2,082,000,000 USD |
External debt | 11,660,000,000 USD |
National currency | Zambian kwacha |
National currency (code) | ZMK |
National currency (symbol) | ZK |
National currency rate to USD | 9.2 |
The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the former British South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices, economic mismanagement, and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule and propelled the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) to government. The subsequent vote in 1996, however, saw increasing harassment of opposition parties and abuse of state media and other resources. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems, with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair. Upon his death in August 2008, he was succeeded by his vice president, Rupiah BANDA, who won a special presidential byelection later that year. The MMD and BANDA lost to the Patriotic Front (PF) and Michael SATA in the 2011 general elections. SATA, however, presided over a period of haphazard economic management and attempted to silence opposition to PF policies. SATA died in October 2014 and was succeeded by his vice president, Guy SCOTT, who served as interim president until January 2015, when Edgar LUNGU won the presidential byelection and completed SATA's term. LUNGU then won a full term in August 2016 presidential elections.