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Kinda looks like Geodude, isn't it?
”Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”
H. M. Stanley

The Republic of Zambia is an East African nation, home of the Victoria Falls (one of the World's Seven Natural Wonders) and one of the places seen by Dr. David Livingstone.

The country was a British colony for a long time, then known as Northern Rhodesia (there was a Southern Rhodesia, now named Zimbabwe, infamously known for its president, Robert Mugabe, and his unlikely politics). The British held partly because it completed the belt of territory for the (never-achieved) dream of connecting Cape Town and Cairo with a road or other transportation link (a remnant of which is that one of the major roads in Lusaka is called "Cairo Road"); the Brits also found vast deposits of copper in the country's northern part, which drove further investment. "Northern Rhodesia" achieved its independence in 1964 and was renamed Zambia (after the Zambezi river). Kenneth Kaunda assumed the presidency, holding onto it firmly until 1991. With its copper mines and good agricultural land, Zambia seemed to be in a good position.

However, as time went on Zambia had a lot of troubles. Although relatively stable and peaceful itself, Zambia suffered tremendously from the civil wars, communist regimes and political pressures from its neighboring countries. All that, along with the collapse in the copper market in the 1970s leading to drastically reduced copper prices and a massive reduction in national income, threw the country into an economic hellhole with rampant inflation and unemployment, which eventually brought the downfall of Kaunda’s government.

Zambia finally managed to recover itself by the turn of the millennium, controlling the inflation and starting to exploit the mining resources again (helped by increased copper demand from the developing economies of Asia). There has been a large influx of Zimbabweans fleeing their country in Zambia. The Zambian government has begun offering land to white Zimbabwean farmers who were chased off their lands by Mugabe's thugs.

The main problem Zambia has today is the presence of AIDS in the population, almost 17% of the population is infected.

The society is highly patriarchal, with older men receiving more respect than younger men and men receiving more than women. Curiously, as a colonial remnant, it's possible for a white man to receive even more respect.


Famous Zambians:

  • Emeli Sande was born in the UK to a Zambian father and an English mother.
  • Emmanuel "Jagari" Chanda (Witch) and Rikki Ililonga (Musi-O-Tunya) are some of the most famous musicians in 70s Zambia, being frontmen of some of the popular bands in the local rock music scene known as Zamrock.
  • Jessica Henwick is a Brit born to a white Zambian father and a Singaporean mother.
  • Robert John "Mutt" Lange: Producer for bands such as Def Leppard, Foreigner and Shania Twain.

The Zambian flag
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_zambia_6.png
The flag is unusual in that the heraldic eagle and the block of stripes are placed at the fly (right side) instead of the hoist (left) side. The green field symbolizes flora, the red, black and orange stripes stand for the struggle for freedom, the Zambians, and natural and mineral resources, above which is an eagle, symbolizing the Zambians' unwavering nature.

Coat of arms of Zambia
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/coat_of_arms_of_zambia.png
The coat of arms consists of two Zambian farmers (representing the the power of men and women) holding the shield representing the Victoria Falls (the white water flowing over the black rock) and the Zambezi river (where the country got its name from), the pick and hoe (representing agriculture and mining that influenced the country's evolution and nature), a maize (one of the country's exports), a zebra (representing wildlife), a mill (again, representing agriculture), the African fish eagle (representing freedom and the future of the country. Due to this, it is considered the country's national animal.) and a ribbon with the country's motto ("One Zambia, One Nation"). Together, the coat of arms represents minerals and mining, agriculture and wildlife.

The Zambian national anthem

Stand and sing of Zambia, proud and free,
Land of work and joy in unity,
Victors in the struggle for our rights,
We've won freedom's fight.
All one, Strong and Free.

Africa is our own motherland,
Fashion'd with and blessed by God's good hand,
Let us all her people join as one,
Brothers under the sun.
All one, Strong and Free.

One land and one nation is our cry,
Dignity and peace 'neath Zambia's sky,
Like our noble eagle in its flight,
Zambia, praise to thee.
All one, Strong and Free.

Praise be to God,
Praise be, praise be, praise be,
Bless our great nation,
Zambia, Zambia, Zambia.
Free men we stand
Under the flag of our land.
Zambia, praise to thee!
All one, Strong and Free.

Government
  • Unitary presidential constitutional republic
    • President: Hakainde Hichilema
    • Vice President: Mutale Nalumango

Miscellaneous
  • Capital and largest city: Lusaka
  • Population: 17,351,708
  • Area: 752,618 km² (290,587 sq mi) (38th)
  • Currency: Zambian kwacha (K) (ZMW)
  • ISO-3166-1 Code: ZM
  • Country calling code: 260
  • Highest point: Mafinga Central (2329 m/7,641 ft) (114th)
  • Lowest point: Zambezi (329 m/1,079 ft) (67th)

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