Zambia

American  

[zam-bee-uh] / ˈzæm bi ə /

noun

1. a republic in southern Africa: formerly a British protectorate and part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland; gained independence 1964; a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 288,130 sq. mi. (746,256 sq. km). Lusaka.

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Zambia British  

/ ˈzæmbɪə /

noun

1. Former name (until 1964): Northern Rhodesia.  a republic in southern Africa: an early site of human settlement; controlled by the British South Africa Company by 1900 and unified as Northern Rhodesia in 1911; made a British protectorate in 1924; part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953–63), gaining independence as a member of the Commonwealth in 1964; important mineral exports, esp copper. Official language: English. Religion: Christian majority, animist minority. Currency: kwacha. Capital: Lusaka. Pop: 14 222 233 (2013 est). Area: 752 617 sq km (290 587 sq miles)

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Zambia Cultural  

1. Republic in central Africa, bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo to the north; Tanzania to the northeast; Malawi and Mozambique to the east; Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south; and Angola to the west. Lusaka is the capital and largest city.

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Discover More

In the 1970s, Zambia supported the movement for black majority rule in Rhodesia.

British explorer David Livingstone first visited Zambia in 1851.

Zambia was proclaimed independent from British control in 1964. From 1953 to 1964, it was federated with Rhodesia (then Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe) as Northern Rhodesia.

Other Word Forms

• Zambian adjective

Example Sentences

Last year, it attained a valuation of $2.96 billion and recently finished two years of digitizing maps and other documents from the state archives in neighboring Zambia, where it hit pay dirt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

Zambia has a big gender imbalance in national politics with around 15% of MPs being women.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Mining is driving growth that is forecast by the International Monetary Fund to reach 5.2 percent in 2025 and 5.8 percent this year, which places Zambia among the continent's faster-growing economies.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026

Chinese firms have long dominated the sector in Zambia and control major stakes in key mines and smelters, cementing Beijing's early-mover advantage.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026

“I rarely meet anyone who knows what the languages of Zambia are, much less who can read them.”

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart