Sojourn to Africa

Background
The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harrassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. The new president launched a far-reaching anti-corruption campaign in 2002, which resulted in the prosecution of former President Frederick CHILUBA and many of his supporters in late 2003. Opposition parties currently hold a majority of seats in the National Assembly.

Population: 10,462,436
note: estimates for this country explicity take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS in Zambia
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 16.5% (2003 est)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.8 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 170,000 (2003 est.)

Natural Resources
Copper, Cobalt, Zinc, Lead, Coal, Emeralds, Gold, Silver, Uranium

Country Name:
Conventional long form: Republic of Zambia
Conventional short form: Zambia
Former: Northern Rhodesia

Government Type: Republic

Capital: Lusaka

Administrative Divisions
9 provinces: Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, Norther-Western, Southern, Western

Economy Overview
Despite progress in privatization and budgetary reform, Zambia's economic growth remains below the 5% to 7% necessary to reduce poverty significantly. Privatization of government-owned copper mines relieved the government from covering mammoth losses generated by the industry and greatly improved the chances for copper mining to return to profitability and spur economic growth. Copper output increased in 2003 and is expected to increase again in 2004, due to higher copper prices. The maize harvest doubled in 2003, helping boost GDP by 4%. Cooperation continues with international bodies on programs to reduce poverty, including a new lending arrangement with the IMF expected in the second quarter, 2004. A tighter monetary policy will help cut inflation, but Zambia still has a serious problem with fiscal discipline.