Zambia
Zambia has moved from being a major copper producer and potentially one of the continent's richest countries at independence in 1964 to one of the world's poorest. A colonial legacy, mismanagement, debt and disease are said to have contributed to the country's tribulations.
Politically, it switched from colonial government into an era of one-party rule lasting 27 years. A multi-party system emerged in the early 1990s.
The country is landlocked and sparsely populated by more than 70 ethnic groups, many of them Bantu-speaking. It is known for its spectacular scenery in places such as the Victoria Falls along the Zambezi river, the Bangweulu Swamps and the Luangwa river valley.
In the late 1960s Zambia was the third largest copper miner, after the United States and the Soviet Union. World copper prices collapsed in 1975 with devastating effects on the economy. Even so, Zambia still receives most of its foreign earnings from copper and is optimistic about the future of the industry, which was privatised in the 1990s. Electronics manufacturers have fuelled demand and investment in the sector has grown.
HIV/Aids is blamed for decimating the cream of Zambian professionals - including engineers and politicians - and malaria remains a major problem. Three-quarters of Zambia's population lives below the World Bank poverty threshold of $1 a day.
Throughout the years Zambia has hosted tens of thousands of refugees who have fled fighting in countries around it.
Source: BBC News
- Fact Sheet…basic info about the country
- CLWR's Involvement…a description of CLWR's program
- Projects…information about specific projects
- Photo Gallery…photos from CLWR program locations and the country in general
- Donate to Zambia…direct link to online donation
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