officially Republic of Zambia formerly Northern Rhodesia
Landlocked country, south-central Africa.
Area: 290,586 sq mi (752,614 sq km). Population (2002 est.): 9,959,000. Capital: Lusaka . The population is composed almost entirely of Zambezi (including Victoria Falls ), {{link=Kafue River">Kafue , and Luangwa rivers flow. Lake Bangweulu is within northern Zambia, while lakes Mweru and Tanganyika touch its northern boundaries. The Bangweulu Swamps form one of the largest inland wetlands in the world. The Muchinga Mountains in the east include the highest point (7,100 ft [2,200 m]) in the country. There are valuable forests of Zambezi teak in the southwest. Zambia's economy is heavily dependent on the production and export of copper. Other important mineral resources include lead, zinc, cobalt, coal, and gold. Agriculture also is important. There is some manufacturing. Zambia is a republic with one legislative house; its head of state and government is the president. Archaeological evidence suggests that early humans roamed present-day Zambia one–two million years ago. Ancestors of the modern Tonga reached the region early in the 2nd millennium AD, but other modern peoples from Congo (Kinshasa) and Angola reached the country only in the 17th–18th centuries. Portuguese trading missions were established early in the 18th century. Emissaries of Cecil Rhodes and the British South Africa Company concluded treaties with most of the Zambian chiefs during the 1890s. The company administered the region known as Northern Rhodesia until 1924, when it became a British protectorate. It was part of the Central African Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1953–63. In 1964 Northern Rhodesia became independent as the Republic of Zambia. A constitutional amendment was passed in 1990 allowing opposition parties. Political tension continued into the beginning of the 21st century.