Zambia
 

30 Oct 1888 - 1892; 25 Apr 1924 - 24 Oct 1964 1892 - 25 Apr 1924 British South Africa Company Flag   16 Aug 1939 - 24 Oct 1964 24 Aug 1954 - 31 Dec 1963 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland 24 Oct 1964 - 1996   Adopted 1996 Map of Zambia Hear National Anthem "Lumbanyeni Zambia" (Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free) Adopted 14 Sep 1973 Former National Anthem "God Bless Africa" (24 Oct 1964-14 Sep 1973) Constitution  (24 Aug 1991) --------------------------------- Former Constitution (1964-1973) Capital: Lusaka (Livingstone 1911-1935; NE Rhod.- Fort Jameson  1900-1911, Abercorn 1895-1900; NW Rhod.- Livingstone 1907-1911, Kalomo 1897-1907) Currency: Zambian Kwacha (ZMK); 1964-68  Zambian Pound (ZMP); 1956-1965 Rhodesia & Nyasaland Pound (RHFP);  1940-1965 Southern Rhodesia Currency Board Pound (RHSP);  1911-1940 British Pound (GBP) National Holiday: 24 Oct  (1964) Independence Day Population: 20,799,116 (2024) GDP: $79.2 billion (2024) Exports: $11.5 billion (2023) Imports: $10.9 billion (2023) Ethnic groups: Bemba 21%, Tonga 13.6%, Chewa 7.4%, Lozi 5.7%, Nsenga 5.3%, Tumbuka 4.4%, Ngoni 4%, Lala 3.1%, Kaonde 2.9%, Namwanga 2.8%, Lunda (north Western) 2.6%, Mambwe 2.5%, Luvale 2.2%, Lamba 2.1%, Ushi 1.9%, Lenje 1.6%, Bisa 1.6%, Mbunda 1.2%, other 13.4%, unspecified 1% (2010) Total Active Armed Forces: 17,100 (2025) Merchant marine: 2 ships (2023) Religions: Protestant 75.3%, Roman Catholic 20.2%, other 2.7% (includes Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha'i),  none 1.8% (2010) note: Zambia is officially a Christian nation. International Organizations/Treaties: ACP, AfCFTA, AfDB, APM, AU, BTWC, C, CCM, COMESA, CTBT, CWC, EITI, ESCR, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, ICSID, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, IRENA, ISA, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, NPT, NTBT, OPCW, OST, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCLOS, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFCC, UNFCC-KP, UNFCC-PA, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Zambia Index Chronology 23 Jan 1894                North Zambesia (area north of Zambesi River                               including the Barotseland protectorate).  3 May 1895                Part of (with South Zambesia [Zimbabwe]) the                               Rhodesia Protectorate (see Zimbabwe);                               administered by the British South Africa                               Company. 29 Jan 1900                Rhodesia divided administration for Northern                              and Southern Rhodesia (see Zimbabwe). 17 Aug 1911                North-Eastern Rhodesia and North-Western Rhodesia                              united as Northern Rhodesia (administered by                              British South Africa Company to 1 Apr 1924).  1 Apr 1924                British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia                              (effective 26 Apr 1924).  1 Aug 1953 - 31 Dec 1963  Part of the Federation of Rhodesia and                              Nyasaland (see Zimbabwe). 22 Jan 1964                Self-rule for Northern Rhodesia. 24 Oct 1964                Republic of Zambia, independence from U.K. Traditional States North Eastern Rhodesia (1895-1911)  North Western Rhodesia (1897-1911) Northern Rhodesia (1911-1964) Map of Rhodesias (1890-1932) Historical Maps of Zambia

Administrators of North-Eastern Rhodesia
 1 Jul 1895 - Jun 1897     Patrick William Forbes (acting)    (b. 1861 - d. 1923)
Jun 1897 - 10 Jul 1898     Henry Lawrence Daly (acting)       (b. 1856 - d. 19..)
11 Jul 1898 - 24 Apr 1907  Robert Edward Codrington           (b. 1869 - d. 1908)
                             (acting to 31 May 1900)
24 Apr 1907 - Jan 1909     Lawrence Aubrey Wallace            (b. 1857 - d. 1942)
Jan 1909 - 16 May 1911     Leicester Paul Beaufort (acting)   (b. 1853 - d. 1926)
16 May 1911 - 16 Aug 1911  Hugh Charles Marshall (acting)     (b. 1867 - d. af.1922)
Administrators of North-Western Rhodesia
 9 Apr 1897 -  8 Apr 1907  Robert Thorne Coryndon             (b. 1870 - d. 1925)
                             (resident in Barotseland to 18 Sep 1900)
Dec 1900 - 1901            Colin Harding (acting for Coryndon)(b. 1863 - d. 1939)
Jul 1903 - Oct 1903        Hugh Marshall Hole                 (b. 1865 - d. 1941)
                             (acting for Coryndon)
Apr 1904 - Jul 1904        Frank Vigers Worthington           (b. 1874 - d. 1964)
                             (acting for Coryndon)
Apr 1906 - Aug 1906        Francis James Newton               (b. 1857 - d. 1948)
                             (acting for Coryndon)
Nov 1906 - Dec 1906        Ernest Charles Baxter              (b. 1861 - d. 1936)
                             (acting for Coryndon)
Apr 1907 - 16 Dec 1908     Robert Edward Codrington           (s.a.)
20 Oct 1907 - Feb 1908     John Carden                        (b. 1870 - d. 1915)
                             (acting for Codrington)
Jan 1909 - 16 Aug 1911     Lawrence Aubrey Wallace (acting)   (s.a.)
Administrators
17 Aug 1911 - 17 Mar 1921  Lawrence Aubrey Wallace            (s.a.)
                             (from 15 Mar 1918, Sir Lawrence Aubrey Wallace)
1920 - 1921                Hugh Charles Marshall              (s.a.)
                             (acting for Wallace)
12 Mar 1921 - 20 Sep 1923  Sir Francis Drummond Percy Chaplin (b. 1866 - d. 1933)
20 Sep 1923 -  1 Apr 1924  Richard Allmond Jeffrey Goode      (b. 1873 - d. 1953)
                             (acting) 
Governors
 1 Apr 1924 - 25 Jul 1927  Herbert James Stanley              (b. 1872 - d. 1955)
                             (from 3 Jun 1924, Sir Herbert James Stanley) 
25 Jul 1927 - 31 Aug 1927  Richard Allmond Jeffrey Goode      (s.a.)
                             (acting) 
31 Aug 1927 -  1 Dec 1932  Sir James Crawford Maxwell         (b. 1869 - d. 1932)
 1 Dec 1932 -  7 Jan 1935  Sir Ronald Storrs                  (b. 1881 - d. 1955)
 7 Jan 1935 - Jul 1938     Sir Hubert Winthrop Young          (b. 1885 - d. 1950)
Jul 1938 -  1 Sep 1938     William Marston Logan (1st time)   (b. 1889 - d. 1968)
                             (acting)
 1 Sep 1938 -  9 Apr 1941  John Alexander Maybin              (b. 1889 - d. 1941)
                             (from 2 Jan 1939, Sir John Alexander Maybin) 
 9 Apr 1941 - 16 Oct 1941  William Marston Logan (2nd time)   (s.a.)
                             (acting)
16 Oct 1941 - 16 Oct 1947  Sir Eubule John Waddington         (b. 1890 - d. 1957)
16 Oct 1947 - 19 Feb 1948  Robert Christopher Stafford        (b. 1899 - d. 1981)
                             Stanley (acting) 
19 Feb 1948 -  8 Mar 1954  Sir Gilbert McCall Rennie          (b. 1895 - d. 1981)
 8 Mar 1954 - 25 May 1954  Alexander Thomas Williams (acting) (b. 1903 - d. 1984)
25 May 1954 - 22 Apr 1959  Sir Arthur Edward Trevor Benson    (b. 1907 - d. 1987)
22 Apr 1959 - 24 Oct 1964  Sir Evelyn Dennison Hone           (b. 1911 - d. 1979)
Presidents
24 Oct 1964 -  2 Nov 1991  Kenneth David Kaunda               (b. 1924 - d. 2021)  UNIP
 2 Nov 1991 -  2 Jan 2002  Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba      (b. 1943 - d. 2011)  MMD
 2 Jan 2002 - 19 Aug 2008  Levy Patrick Mwanawasa             (b. 1948 - d. 2008)  MMD
29 Jun 2008 - 23 Sep 2011  Rupiah Bwezani Banda               (b. 1937 - d. 2022)  UNIP
                             (acting [for Mwanawasa to 19 Aug 2008] to 2 Nov 2008)
23 Sep 2011 - 28 Oct 2014  Michael Chilufya Sata              (b. 1937 - d. 2014)  PF
28 Oct 2014 - 25 Jan 2015  Guy Lindsay Scott (acting)         (b. 1944 - d. 2026)  PF
25 Jan 2015 - 24 Aug 2021  Edgar Chagwa Lungu                 (b. 1956 - d. 2025)  PF
10 Mar 2015 - 13 Mar 2015  Ngosa Simbyakula                   (b. 1954)            PF 
                             (acting for Lungu)
24 Aug 2021 -              Hakainde Hichilema                 (b. 1962)            UPND

Prime ministers
22 Jan 1964 - 24 Oct 1964  Kenneth David Kaunda               (s.a.)               UNIP
24 Oct 1964 - 25 Aug 1973  Post abolished
25 Aug 1973 - 27 May 1975  Mainza Mathias Chona (1st time)    (b. 1930 - d. 2001)  UNIP
27 May 1975 - 20 Jul 1977  Elijah Mudenda                     (b. 1927 - d. 2008)  UNIP
20 Jul 1977 - 15 Jun 1978  Mainza Mathias Chona (2nd time)    (s.a.)               UNIP
15 Jun 1978 - 18 Feb 1981  Daniel Lisulo                      (b. 1930 - d. 2000)  UNIP
18 Feb 1981 - 24 Apr 1985  Nalumino Mundia                    (b. 1927 - d. 1988)  UNIP
24 Apr 1985 - 15 Mar 1989  Kebby Musokotwane                  (b. 1946 - d. 1996)  UNIP
15 Mar 1989 - 31 Aug 1991  Malimba Masheke                    (b. 1941)            UNIP
31 Aug 1991 -              Post abolished

Territorial Disputes: Because the straight-line segments along the left bank (Zambian side) of the Cuando/Kwando River do not conform with the physical alignment of the unstable shoreline, Zambian residents in some areas have settled illegally on sections of shoreline that fall on the Angolan side of the boundary; boundary commission continues discussions over Congolese-administered triangle of land on the right bank of the Lunkinda River claimed by Zambia near the DRC village of Pweto; some drug smuggling may take place across the Zambia-Tanzania border; there are no known current territorial issues, as both states have continued to recognize the colonial boundaries last modified in 1937; the boundary in Lake Tanganyika remains undefined; in 2004, Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river; in May 2021, Botswana and Zambia agreed in principle to let Zimbabwe be a partner in the bridge project as it enters its lasts phase.

Party abbreviations: MMD = Movement for Multi-party Democracy (social-democratic, reformist, est.1990); PF = Patriotic Front (social-democratic, split from MMD, est.2001); UNIP = United National Independence Party (socialist, authoritarian, 1973-1990 only legal party, est.1959); UNPD = United Party for National Development (centrist, social liberal, est.Dec 1998)