Zambia: 20 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know

Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Zambia’s neighbors are the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo to the North), Tanzania to the North East, Malawi to the East, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the South, and Angola to the West.

Here are 20 Interesting facts about Zambia

1. The country was formerly known as Northern Rhodesia and gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964.

2. The country declared its independence on the day of the closing ceremony of the 1964 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming the first country ever to have entered an Olympic games as one country, and left it as another.

3. It gets its name from the Zambezi river.

4. Kenneth Kaunda was the first president of the country. He was in power from 1964 until 1991.

5. Hakainde Hichilema is the current president of the country and has been in office since August 2021.

6. David Livingstone saw the Victoria Falls on the current Zimbabwe border for the first time in 1855. Victoria Falls is known as locally as “Mosi-oa-Tunya” (meaning “the thundering smoke”).

7. Victoria Falls is 108 metres (354 feet) in height. That’s almost double the height of Niagara Falls (in Canada).

8. Lusaka is the capital and largest city in the country with an estimated population of +/- 3.1 million people (according to 2023 estimates).

9. The country has a population of almost 20.5 million people (according to 2023 estimated figures).

10. Corné Krige and George Gregan, who served as captains for the South African and Australian rugby union teams during both the 2002 and 2003 Tri Nations Series, share an interesting coincidence — they were born in the same hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.

11. The Kwacha is the Zambian monetary unit. However, most of the ATMs give out US dollars which you can use for larger purchases or when paying at hotels and restaurants.

12. Zambia’s main export is copper. They produce around 1.5 million tons a year.

13. With a land area of 464,937 square kilometers (179,504square miles),, Zambia is a sizable nation, roughly equivalent in size to the combined territories of France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland.

14. Lusaka derives its name from Chief Lusaka, who once ruled the area before Zambia gained independence.

15. Lusaka’s largest sports facility is the National Heroes Stadium, constructed with support and funding from China. Dedicated to the memory of those who perished in the 1993 Zambia national football team plane crash, this stadium was inaugurated in 2014 and can accommodate up to 60,000 spectators.

16. The tallest building in Zambia is FINDECO House, a skyscraper located in Lusaka. It has 23 floors.

17.  The Mafinga Hills, found on the Zambia-Malawi border, constitute a plateau adorned with hills. Comprising quartzites, phyllites, and feldspathic sandstones of sedimentary origin, these hills boast the highest elevation in the country, reaching 2,339 meters (7,674 feet) at Mafinga Central.

18. Roy Mudenda is considered Zambia’s most infamous multi-activity criminal in recent memory, known for committing heinous acts of inhumanity, including armed robbery, burglary, terrorism, murder, and rape, particularly in the City of Lusaka in the early 1970s.

Despite numerous encounters with the police, he managed to escape arrest several times. Upon his eventual capture, he faced trial and was sentenced to death. His execution by hanging at Mukobeko Maximum Prison was met with a sense of relief throughout the nation.

19. Adamson Mushala, a Wildlife Warder, believed he contributed significantly to Zambia’s liberation struggle, though unacknowledged in history books. Despite Kaunda’s training in an Eastern bloc country and hopes for a top post after Zambia’s independence, he grew disillusioned. Inspired by Jonas Savimbi, he waged war against Kaunda, seeking the secession of North Western Province.

Engaging in terrorism, including burning villages and recruiting child soldiers, Mushala was known for seemingly magical escapes from government soldiers. Eventually tracked and killed by a Zambian corporal after a tip-off, the unusual advice of stripping naked proved effective, and Mushala’s body was publicly displayed. The army was commended for accomplishing the mission.

20. The Mailoni brothers, a trio infamous for serial killings in which three brothers fell victim, were believed to be responsible for numerous murders in the Luano Valley of Central Province. In 2013, a team of Zambia Army Commandos successfully neutralized them. Officially, the brothers were attributed to the deaths of 12 people, marking the culmination of their crime spree that commenced on April 27, 2007.

Well, there you have it, 20 facts you might not have known about Zambia. If I’ve left out anything important about Zambia, please comment on this post.

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