Description of Zambia
Located in the Southern Africa Sub-region, Zambia is a landlocked country covering an area of 752,614 square kilometres. It is bordered by Tanzania (in the North-West), Malawi (in the East), Mozambique (in the South-East),
Zimbabwe (in the South), Botswana and Namibia (in the South-West) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (in the North).
The country has an estimated population of 12.2 million (2007 estimate) and its annual population growth rate is estimated at 3.1 %.
It is estimated that about 46 % of the population, representing an active and productive workforce, are between 15 and 64 years of age.
Political and legal system
A multi-party democratic system of government with a distinct separation of powers between the legislative (parliament),
executive (cabinet) and judiciary (courts of law) organs of Government govern Zambia.
A multi-party democratic system of government with a distinct separation of powers between the legislative (parliament),
executive (cabinet) and judiciary (courts of law) organs of Government govern Zambia.
Zambia’s main political parties include the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD),
the Patriotic Front (PF), and the United Party for National Development (UPND).
Other smaller parties include the United National Independence Party (UNIP),
Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), the Heritage Party and the Reform Party.
Both the President (who must belong to a registered political party) and members of parliament are
elected by the people and the President appoints, from within the elected and nominated members of parliament, the cabinet ministers.
The Parliament, headed by the Speaker of the National Assembly, comprises 150 members and up to 8 members nominated by the President.
The Supreme Court is the highest court of appeal and is headed by the Chief Justice.
Population
Zambia’s population, predominantly rural, is made up of more than 70 ethnic groups,
many of them Bantu-speaking. Most groups are small; the largest are the Bemba, Nyanja,
and Tonga peoples.
The population of Zambia at the time of the 1990 census was 7,818,447.
A 2005 estimate was 11,261,795, giving the country an overall population density of 15 persons per sq km (39 per sq mi);
much of the northeast and west is sparsely inhabited.