Zambia-

Region: Eastern Africa

Capital: Lusaka

Official Language/s: English

Population: 10812000

Currency: Kwacha

Government: Republic

Education: Zambia’s education system is divided into three levels. These are: primary comprising of years one to seven, junior secondary encompassing years eight to nine and lastly upper secondary takes in years ten to twelve. Higher education is very limited and concentrated on the five universities in Zambia. Some schools provide education from only years one to nine, as this is considered to be an appropriate level of education. Although UNESCO estimates that 80% of children attend primary, school tuition is only free until year seven, this has meant many children are withdrawn before fees must be paid.

Economy: The UN estimates that 68% of Zambians live below the accepted national poverty line. This can be divided into rural poverty which stands at 78% and urban poverty at 53%. This has been further escalated since Zambia received independence as the per capita annual income has halved to $395. Similarly social indicators are continuing to decline with life expectancy being lowered to 40.9 years and maternal mortality rising to 830 deaths for every 100,000 pregnancies. As a result of slow economic growth Zambia cannot support rapid population growth or the costs linked to HIV/AIDS such as medical expenses and lowered worker productivity.

Demographics: Zambia is one of the most urbanized countries in sub-Saharan Africa with 44% of the population condensed into a few urban areas. Rural areas are quite sparsely populated with most being subsistence farmers. As a result unemployment and underemployment are major issues in the rural areas. Zambia’s population is made up of approximately 72 different ethnic groups, most of which speak Batu.

Culture: The culture of Zambia is mainly a mix of the indigenous Bantu culture with European influences. Before modern Zambia was established, indigenous Zambians lived in separate, independent tribes, each living differently to the next. This changed during the colonial era, as urbanization started and different tribes started to live together in towns and cities, influenced by each other as well as the Europeans. In rural areas, the original cultures have mostly survived whilst in the urban setting there is a continuous integration and evolution of these cultures to produce what is now called “Zambian culture”.