Zambia
Pictures
The Victoria Falls, Zambia ©
Fast Facts
- 752,614 square kilometres, three times bigger than the UK
- 11.5 million people, with an average life expectancy of 40 years
- English is the official language, with Bemba, Tonga, Nyanja, Lozi, and many others, also spoken
- 16.5% of the adult population is HIV-positive
- 86% of the population lives below the local poverty line
- 2% are internet users, and 8.2% own a mobile phone
- 91,440km of roads, 22% of them paved
Lay of the land
Much of the country is a relatively smooth plateau, giving way to a gentle descent in the south, punctuated by rivers and lakes
And on the way...
Lake Kariba - until the 1950s this lake was an enormous valley, home to thousands of people and a huge variety of wildlife. The building of a dam to block the Zambezi river flooded the area, and people and wildlife were relocated.
Other highlights
South Luangwa National Park - considered one of the contenders for Africa's best game park. It is full of elephants, lions, buffaloes, antelopes and zebras, as well as Thornicroft's giraffe and Cookson's wildebeest.
Victoria Falls - an exhilarating and awe-inspiring sight as water from the Zambezi River drops 100 metres across a 1.7km span.
Lusaka - the colourful, noisy and vibrant Zambian capital, home to a Unicef project to help drug-addicted street children.
The people
Zambia's population comprises about 72, mostly Bantu-speaking, ethnic groups. But almost 90 per cent of Zambians belong to the nine main ethno-linguistic groups: the Bemba, Nyanja-Chewa, Tonga, Tumbuka, Lunda, Luvale, Kaonde, Nkoya and Lozi.
Did you know...
Livingstone in western Zambia is the adventure capital of Africa - offering white-water rafting, bungee-jumping and abseiling.
Comments
Comments 1 - 10 of 21
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At 12:19:00 PM on 31/05/2007, Kirsty de Wet (Livingstone, Zambia) wrote:
Falls View Farm
Please let us know when you are coming and stop in for a cuppa ? We live on a farm 30km from Livingstone on the road to Lusaka. All us Brits here very excited about the prospect of you coming through so hope you stay with us in Livingstone a few days. Also contact if you have any hassle as there is nothing like local knowledge in Africa ! Been expat 15 years, 8 in Livingstone so always good to see a face from home. Kirsty de Wet , Falls View Farm
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At 01:54:11 PM on 07/06/2007, Jason Brogden (Tewkesbury) wrote:
Livingstone
Guys, as you go through Livingstone ask someone to direct you to Grubbies place. Have a beer here with the overlanders.
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At 09:49:06 PM on 08/06/2007, Nora (Galway, Ireland) wrote:
City of Hope Orphanage,Lusaka
My sister and her best friend have just left Ireland to do three months of volunteer work in an orphanage in Lusaka Called the City of Hope. It would be great if you could call in to visit the children while you are in Zambia.
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At 11:06:22 AM on 10/06/2007, Andy (Manchester) wrote:
Livingstone
I grew up in Chingola, Zambia, and went back a few years ago (Not much changed in the 10 year gap). Anyway, if you are going through Livingstone (Vic Falls), I suggest dropping in at Jolly Boys. It's a backpackers place(www.backpackzambia.com), and you'll find genuinely friendly folk there, and Don (if he's around) ran overland trips south into Botswana, so is a wealth of information on the next section of your trip. Most of the backpackers and overlanders have come up from South Africa, so can tell you about borders, etc ahead. Stay safe guys, and hope you fall in love with Africa in the way I did.
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At 11:18:07 AM on 15/06/2007, Albert Lumsden (Perth Scotland) wrote:
Lusaka Zambia
Lived in Lusaka from 1957-64, going to Primary and secondary schools. Lusaka became a City with a new Cathedral with a large Copper roof (as Zambia is famous for Copperbelt). Also check out if the drive-in movie is still there on the outskirts of Lusaka. I remember a family visit to a game reserve just near to Vic Falls. Father drove down a dust road to a waterhole. There was elephants to the Left, Elephants on the road in front and .... yes Elephants to the Right in the bushes. Gulp. In those days it took 4 days, 3 nights by train from Lusaka, past the Vic Falls, to Durban, then 21 days on the Castle Line to Southampton. What happened to the Castle liners.
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At 03:47:35 PM on 13/07/2007, Adrian Bignell (Mazabuka) wrote:
Offroad Offer
I'm a biking enthusiast, and admire what you're doing. We live on a farm 2hrs from Lusaka on the road to Livingstone and would be only to happy to put you all up for a night should you wish. I can arrange offroad bikes for an afternoon or morning ride out into the "hills" around the farm. Keep it on two wheels!!!
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At 01:38:45 AM on 14/07/2007, Dawn (Birmingham) wrote:
Vic Falls
The helicopter flight over Vic Falls is amazing. You get the best views and an exhilarating ride but with somebody else doing the driving
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At 11:36:29 AM on 14/07/2007, Annabel Faulks (Livingstone) wrote:
Coffee
Zig Zag Coffee House in Livingstone, great place to have breakfast and meet all the locals and is run by a Scotsman called Andy
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At 11:48:14 AM on 14/07/2007, Bev (Livingstone) wrote:
Livingstone
The ONLY place for a slap up breakfast in Livingstone is in Zigzag Bed & Breakfast gardens. Run by 2 ex- overland drivers & their 2 year old daughter, Mallie.
At 07:26:37 PM on 13/05/2007, Anumpa Mukherjee (Toronto, Canada) wrote:
When in Lusaka ...
Check out the University of Zambia campus. We lived inside the campus when I was a kid and my dad was teaching AgriScience there. There's even a teaching farm nearby. I have vague but pleasant memories about the place. Looking forward to seeing your trip unfold and substantiate some blurry childhood memories! Hope those tsetse flies and pesky anopheles mosquitoes stay away. Have a blast! P.S. Check out "The Genographic Project" at nationalgeographic.com to see some epic human journeys.
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