Zambia

• tropical;
• modified by altitude;
• rainy season (October to April)

total:

1.74 cu km/yr (17%/7%/76%)

per capita:

149 cu m/yr (2000)

• air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region;
• chemical runoff into watersheds;
• poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations;
• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• desertification;
• lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.7 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and plague are high risks in some locations

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2009)

noun:

Zambian(s)

adjective:

Zambian

conventional long form:

Republic of Zambia

conventional short form:

Zambia

former:

Northern Rhodesia

name:

Lusaka

geographic coordinates:

15 25 S, 28 17 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 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

chief of state:

• President Rupiah BANDA (since 19 August 2008);
• Vice President George KUNDA (since 14 November 2008);
• note - President BANDA was acting president since the illness and eventual death of President Levy MWANAWASA on 18 August 2008, he was then elected president on 30 October 2008 to serve out the remainder of MWANAWASA's term;
• the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Rupiah BANDA (since 19 August 2008); Vice President George KUNDA (since 14 November 2008)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held 30 October 2008 (next to be held in 2011);
• vice president appointed by the president;
• note - due to the death of former President Levy MWANAWASA, early elections were held to identify a replacement to serve out the remainder of his term

election results:

Rupiah BANDA elected president; percent of vote - Rupiah BANDA 40.1%, Michael SATA 38.1%, Hakainde HICHILEMA 19.7%, Godfrey MIYANDA 0.8%, other 1.3%

• Forum for Democracy and Development or FDD [Edith NAWAKWI];
• Heritage Party or HP [Godfrey MIYANDA];
• Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [vacant];
• Patriotic Front or PF [Michael SATA];
• Party of Unity for Democracy and Development or PUDD [Dan PULE];
• Reform Party [Nevers MUMBA];
• United Democratic Alliance or UDA (a coalition of RP, ZADECO, PUDD, and ZRP);
• United Liberal Party or ULP [Sakwiba SIKOTA];
• United National Independence Party or UNIP [Tilyenji KAUNDA];
• United Party for National Development or UPND [Hakainde HICHILEMA];
• Zambia Democratic Congress or ZADECO [Langton SICHONE];
• Zambian Republican Party or ZRP [Benjamin MWILA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA

chancery:

2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719

FAX:

[1] (202) 332-0826

chief of mission:

Ambassador Donald E. BOOTH

embassy:

corner of Independence and United Nations Avenues, Lusaka

mailing address:

P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka

telephone:

[260] (211) 250-955

FAX:

[260] (211) 252-225

agriculture:

85%

industry:

6%

services:

9% (2004)

lowest 10%:

1.2%

highest 10%:

38.8% (2004)

• corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), coffee;
• cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides

general assessment:

facilities are aging but still among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa

domestic:

• high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities;
• several cellular telephone services in operation and network coverage is improving;
• Internet service is widely available;
• very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated by private firms

international:

country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

total:

2,157 km

country comparison to the world: 70

narrow gauge:

2,157 km 1.067-m gauge

note: includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) (2008)

total:

91,440 km

country comparison to the world: 54

paved:

20,117 km

unpaved:

71,323 km (2001)

• 18-27 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent);
• Zambian citizenship required;
• mandatory HIV testing on enlistment;
• no conscription (2009)

males age 16-49:

2,678,668

females age 16-49:

2,567,433 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,364,173

females age 16-49:

1,245,220 (2009 est.)

male:

149,567

female:

148,889 (2009 est.)

refugees (country of origin):

• 42,565 (Angola);
• 60,874 (Democratic Republic of the Congo);
• 4,100 (Rwanda) (2007)

current situation:

• Zambia is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation;
• many Zambian child laborers, particularly those in the agriculture, domestic service, and fishing sectors, are also victims of human trafficking;
• Zambian women, lured by false employment or marriage offers abroad, are trafficked to South Africa via Zimbabwe and to Europe via Malawi for sexual exploitation;
• Zambia is a transit point for regional trafficking of women and children, particularly from Angola to Namibia and from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to South Africa for agricultural labor

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - Zambia is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking, particularly in regard to its inability to bring alleged traffickers to justice through prosecutions and convictions;
• unlike 2006, there were no new prosecutions or convictions of alleged traffickers in 2007;
• government efforts to protect victims of trafficking remained extremely limited throughout the year (2008)

• transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone, small amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for southern Africa and possibly Europe;
• a poorly developed financial infrastructure coupled with a government commitment to combating money laundering make it an unattractive venue for money launderers;
• major consumer of cannabis