Zambia is a beautiful, landlocked country in Africa. It is famous for its wildlife and offers a great safari experience.
However, this southern African nation ๐ has many other interesting facts that amaze you, such as this stunning country being famous for its copper, rich culture, and beautiful history. So, in this article, let us closely examine the interesting Zambia Facts.
Incredible Zambia Facts The Land of Natural Wonders
Zambia is home to the most well-preserved fossil of Homo heidelbergenesis
The “broken hill skull” was discovered in 1921 in Northern Rhodesia, famous today as Zambia. This archaeological artifact is thought to be around 300000 years old ๐ .
This skull is also believed to be one of the most well-preserved fossils of the ancient human species of Homo heidelbergenesis. Moreover, many think that the modern species homo sapiens have resided in present-day Rwanda since 20000 BC.
It was known as Northern Rhodesia.
Zambia was previously called Northern Rhodesia before independence. From 1889 to 1964, it was a British colony. After achieving independence in 1964, the nation changed to Zambia from Northern Rhodesia ๐.
Zambia is a landlocked nation, meaning it is enclosed by land and has no access to the open sea. Seven countries border Zambia to the west, east, north, and south ๐. These include Mozambique, Malawi, DR Congo, Namibia, Tanzania, Angola, and Zimbabwe.
Once the British established their control over this African country
The British established control over Zambia in 1889, calling it Northern Rhodesia after a person named Cecil Rhodes. Rhodes and his British South Africa Company ๐ข utilized a British mandate to support and lead the colonization of Zambia and Zimbabwe during the 19th century.
In 1964, Northern Rhodesia gained independence and was called Zambia, ending the British rule of 73 years.
The name Zambia originated from the Zambezi River ๐, which flows through this country’s western part and creates its southern border with Zimbabwe.
Kenneth Kaunda: The first president of Zambia
Kenneth Kaunda was the first individual to lead the nation of Zambia as its first president after independence ๐ฉ. The country was under his rule between 1964 and 1991, which was 27 years.
Also, today, Zambia has one of the fastest-growing populations in the world. According to the UN projection, its population will triple about 2050 from 13 million in 2011 ๐.
The Big Five of Zambia
A fascinating fact about Zambia is that it is one of the several nations in the continent of Africa where you can see “The Big Five.” Thus, this country is an excellent place for a safari. Therefore, here, you can see the five animals: elephants ๐, buffalos ๐, lions ๐ฆ, leopards ๐, and rhinos ๐ฆ.
More than 30% land of the country is dedicated to National Park, so many people love to visit Zambia to enjoy a great safari๐ฆ.
The most prominent waterfalls in the world
Zambia is a unique country that co-hosts one of the world’s biggest waterfalls๐. Even the famous Victoria Falls is located on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
This famous waterfall is almost 108 meters tall and was named after Queen Victoria II in 1855 by Scottish explorer David Livingstone. Also, it is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
It is known as “Mosi-oa-Tunya” among the people of Zambia. It means the “smoke that thunders,” according to their local dialect. This falls spans the entire breadth of the Zambezi River and is 1700 m wide ๐.
The Samfya Beach of Zambia
Though Zambia has no coastline, it still has some beautiful beaches. The different shores of the country Zambia offer their unique kind of serenity.
One of the most famous names among those beaches ๐๏ธ is the Samfya beach of the Samfya Lake. This beach with beautiful white sand is situated on the shores of the beautiful Samfya Lake.
So, if you love beaches, you must visit this nation at least once ๐.
Zambia is home to the world’s largest artificial lake.
Another interesting fact about Zambia is that it is home to the famous Lake Kariba ๐๏ธ. It is the world’s largest artificial lake. According to some people, this lake belongs to the country of Zimbabwe, but both Zimbabwe and Zambia own it.
Lake Kariba is a large water reservoir ๐, mainly 226 km long and around 40 km wide in some areas. It is located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and is a great source of electricity for countries. Moreover, Lake Kariba mainly hosts a lucrative commercial industry of fish farming ๐.
Here you can see the endangered wild dogs.
Zambia is one of those six nations where you can see endangered wild dogs. You can see these attractive animals in the Luangwa National Park in the country’s southern region.
However, the Zambian government tries its very best to protect these animals, which can prevent these rarer animals from going extinct ๐ฆฎ.
It is home to Ansell’s mole rats.
The country of Zambia is home to the special called Ansell’s mole rats which are near-blind animals. These animals can sense magnetic fields with their eyes ๐ญ. These unique mole rats live in complex underground tunnels almost 1.7 meters or 2.8 km long.
The national dish of Zambia is Nshima.
Zambia has many delicious dishes, but Nshima is the country’s most famous national dish ๐. This dish is typical among many ethnic groups across Zambia.
You can even get to see this dish across the entire African continent. This dish is made from maize flour and hot water and pasted until it thickens. It is made so thick that it can be molded with ease. Nshima is usually served with relish soup famous as Ndiwo in Zambia. Sometimes, it is even filled with fish or meat.
The flag of Zambia
The flag of Zambia has a beautiful green background with vertical stripes of red and an orange eagle. It has the colors orange and black at the fly end.
Green ๐ข represents agriculture, black represents the African people, and orange represents copper. The eagle symbolizes freedom and the ability of the citizens of Zambia to rise above national issues.
Languages in Zambia
There are around 70 distinct languages spoken ๐ฃ๏ธ in the country of Zambia, with more than 70 ethnic groups in the country accounting for them. However, Zambia’s official languages are Nyanja, English, and Bemba.
Although languages like Lozi, Tonga, Luvale, and Konde are taught in schools across the nation, Bemba is the common language of the lingua franca in Zambia.
The capital city of Zambia is Lusaka.
The largest and the capital city of Zambia is Lusaka. This city ranks as southern Africa’s fastest-developing city. The capital is home to over 10% of the nation’s population ๐๏ธ.
It is the nation’s central point and acts as its economic hub. The city of Lusaka has an elevation of almost 1279 meters above sea level and a land area of 360 square kilometers.
However, in 2017, the planning minister of Zambia wanted to move the capital city to Ngabwe from Lusaka. However, it did not happen, as Ngabwe needed proper infrastructure and roads ๐๏ธ.
It is home to Africa’s second-largest waterfall.
Not only the UNESCO-listed Victoria Falls but this country’s name is also associated with the second-largest waterfall in Africa ๐.
In the country of Zambia, you will get to see the second-largest waterfall in Africa. This fall is called Kalambo Falls, which is twice as high as Victoria Falls. It comes after the Tugela Falls in South Africa ๐.
It is named after a river.
The country’s name came from an African river called “The Zamberi.” It is the fourth largest river in Africa, which comes only after the Nile River ๐, Congo River, and Niger River.
Another interesting fact about Zambia is that here you can see termite hills almost the size of a small house.
Labola: An exciting part of Zambia’s culture
Lobola is a vital part of the culture of Zambia. In other countries, it is famous as the bride price or dowry ๐. This is a common tradition in many African nations.
Labola is a specific price the groom is asked to pay as a token of appreciation to the bride’s family. It is a way to show your respect to them for raising your future bride well. In rural areas, it comes in the form of livestock, while in urban areas, it is often monetary.
Here it is rude to reject food.
You must only visit people in Zambia if you feel like eating ๐ฝ๏ธ, as rejecting food in this country is considered rude. Interestingly, leaving it is still regarded as impolite if you have eaten before it is offered.
Also, here, not finishing your meal is not a good act. The people of Zambia serve many of their traditional food ๐ฝ๏ธ in a buffet style. So, you must start eating only if you are sure that you can finish it.
The currency of Zambia is the kwacha
The local currency of the country Zambia is kwacha, which can be translated as ‘dawn.’ Most ATMs offer US dollars ๐ฐ which visitors can use while paying at restaurants and hotels.
Also, the country of Zambia relies on copper to a great extent, as this country is one of the leading exporters of copper. The nation of Zambia usually produces about 1.5 million tonnes of copper per year.
So, Zambia has many fascinating facts, such as exciting history, rich culture, delicious cuisine, famous wildlife, and many more.
At the end of this article, we learned 19 exciting facts that offer us a clear picture of this beautiful African country, Zambia. You can see our website if you want to know some additional points.
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