Geography
The Republic of Zambia is in Southern Africa. Neighbouring countries are Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Lusaka is the capital city. Other important cities include Kabwe, Kitwe and Ndola.

Zambia's terrain consists of high plateau with some hills and mountains. The Zambezi is the main river.

The country has a tropical climate with temperatures varying according to altitude. The rainy season is from October to April.

Environment
National Parks in Zambia are Bangweulu Swamps, Kafue, Kasanka, Liuwa Plain, Lower Zambezi, Luambe, Lochinvar, Nyika, Sioma Ngwezi, North Luangwa, South Luangwa, Sumbu and Victoria Falls.

The Victoria Falls, known locally as Mosi-O-Tunya, are on the Zambezi between the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Falls became a World Heritage site in 1989.

At the end of the 1950s the Zambezi was dammed at Kariba to provide hydroelectric power to Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba is one of the world's largest man-made lakes.

Other lakes in Zambia are Lake Bangweulu, Lake Mweru shared with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Lake Tanganyika, also shared with the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as Tanzania.

Wildlife found in Zambia includes baboons, antelopes, cheetahs, giraffes, elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, cheetahs, leopards and lions.

Architecture
Traditional buildings in Zambia were constructed from materials such as bamboo, mud and thatch.

Colonialists introduced European styles of architecture and today examples of Edwardian Colonial architecture can still be seen in Livingstone.

Architecture in the capital city, Lusaka, is westernised with modern buildings and skyscrapers.

Population
The population of Zambia was estimated at 19.47 million in 2021.

Languages
English is the official language but around seventy languages are spoken.

Religion
A significant percentage of the people are Christians. Some Zambians have indigenous religious beliefs and a number of people are Hindus and Muslims.

Food
Maize is the staple food crop for much of the population. The more drought resistant millet and sorghum are also grown. Other produce includes cassava (a root vegetable), cowpeas, peanuts, pumpkins and sweet potatoes. Fish is available from lakes and rivers and cattle, pigs and poultry are reared.

During times of drought, villagers supplement their diet by collecting wild fruit and vegetables.

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