Zambia (2002) | British Virgin Islands (2007) | |
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Administrative divisions | 9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 47.1% (male 2,357,581; female 2,335,644)
15-64 years: 50.4% (male 2,497,360; female 2,519,227) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 106,160; female 143,065) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 20.2% (male 2,410/female 2,337)
15-64 years: 74.5% (male 9,004/female 8,534) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 665/female 602) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca); cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides; coffee | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish |
Airports | 111 (2001) | 3 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 11
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 98
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 63 under 914 m: 30 (2002) |
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total: 752,614 sq km
land: 740,724 sq km water: 11,890 sq km |
total: 153 sq km
land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Texas | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with at least two parties filing legal petitions challenging the results. Opposition parties currently hold a majority of seats in the National Assembly. | First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency. |
Birth rate | 41.01 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $1.2 billion
expenditures: $1.25 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
revenues: $204.7 million
expenditures: $180.4 million (2004) |
Capital | Lusaka | name: Road Town
geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April) | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 80 km |
Constitution | 2 August 1991 | 13 June 2007 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Zambia
conventional short form: Zambia former: Northern Rhodesia |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
Currency | Zambian kwacha (ZMK) | - |
Death rate | 21.89 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $5.8 billion (2001) | $36.1 million (1997) |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Martin George BRENNAN
embassy: corner of Independence and United Nations Avenues mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka telephone: [260] (1) 250-955 FAX: [260] (1) 252-225 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Dunstan Weston KAMANA
chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719 FAX: [1] (202) 332-0826 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $651 million (2000 est.) | $NA |
Economy - overview | Despite progress in privatization and budgetary reform, Zambia's economy has a long way to go. Privatization of government-owned copper mines relieved the government from covering mammoth losses generated by the industry and greatly improved the chances for copper mining to return to profitability and spur economic growth. However, low mineral prices have slowed the benefits from privatizing the mines and reduced incentives for further private investment in the sector. In late 2000, Zambia was determined to be eligible for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, but Zambia has not yet finalized its Poverty Reduction Strategy paper. Unemployment rates remain high, but GDP growth should continue at about 4%. Inflation should remain close to 20%. | The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 820,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2005. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since 1959. |
Electricity - consumption | 5.838 billion kWh (2000) | 41.85 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 1.536 billion kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 100 million kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 7.822 billion kWh (2000) | 45 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 1%
hydro: 99% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m
highest point: unnamed location in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
Environment - current issues | air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks | limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments) |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
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Ethnic groups | African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2% | black 83%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed) |
Exchange rates | Zambian kwacha per US dollar - 3,848.65 (January 2002), 3,610.94 (2001), 3,110.84 (2000), 2,388.02 (1999), 1,862.07 (1998), 1,314.50 (1997) | the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002); Vice President Enoch KAVINDELE (since 4 May 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Levy MWANAWASA (since 2 January 2002); Vice President Enoch KAVINDELE (since 4 May 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 27 December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); vice president appointed by the president election results: Levy MWANAWASA elected president; percent of vote - Levy MWANAWASA 29%, Anderson MAZOKA 27%, Christon TEMBO 13%, Tilyenji KAUNDA 10%, Godfrey MIYANDA 8%, Benjamin MWILA 5%, Michael SATA 3% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006)
head of government: Premier Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 23 August 2007) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor |
Exports | $876 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | copper 55%, cobalt, electricity, tobacco, flowers, cotton | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand |
Exports - partners | UK 25.2%, South Africa 24.5%, Switzerland 9.4%, Malawi 7.5% (2000) | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | green with a panel of three vertical bands of red (hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the outer edge of the flag | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful) |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $8.5 billion (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 24%
industry: 25% services: 51% (2000) |
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $870 (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.9% (2001 est.) | 1% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 15 00 S, 30 00 E | 18 30 N, 64 30 W |
Geography - note | landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico |
Highways | total: 66,781 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1997 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 41% (1998) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone, small amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for Southern Africa and possibly Europe; a poorly developed financial infrastructure coupled with a government commitment to combating money laundering make it an unattractive venue for money launderers | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering |
Imports | $12.05 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer; foodstuffs, clothing | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery |
Imports - partners | South Africa 67.1%, UK 9.8%, Zimbabwe 7.5%, US 5.9% (2000) | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006) |
Independence | 24 October 1964 (from UK) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 5.1% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Industries | copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center |
Infant mortality rate | 89.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 18.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 21.5% (2001) | 2% (2005) |
International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 5 (2001) | - |
Irrigated land | 460 sq km (1998 est.) | NA |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (the final court of appeal; justices are appointed by the president); High Court (has unlimited jurisdiction to hear civil and criminal cases) | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction |
Labor force | 3.4 million | 12,770 (2004) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 85%, industry 6%, services 9% | agriculture: 0.6%
industry: 40% services: 59.4% (2005) |
Land boundaries | total: 5,664 km
border countries: Angola 1,110 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,930 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zimbabwe 797 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 7.08%
permanent crops: 0.03% other: 92.89% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005) |
Languages | English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages | English (official) |
Legal system | based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | English law |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - MMD 45.9%, UPND 32.4%, UNIP 8.8%, FDD 8.1%, HP 2.7%, PF 0.7%, ZRP 0.7%, independents 0.7%; seats by party - MMD 68, UPND 48, UNIP 13, FDD 12, HP 4, PF 1, ZRP 1, independents 1; seats not determined 2 |
unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected seats and 1 non-voting ex officio member in the attorney general; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%, independent 15.2%; seats by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 37.35 years
male: 37.05 years female: 37.66 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 76.86 years
male: 75.71 years female: 78.07 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 78.9% male: 85.7% female: 72.6% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Southern Africa, east of Angola | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Army, Air Force, Police, paramilitary forces | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $32.5 million (FY01) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.9% (FY01) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 2,313,567 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 1,228,385 (2002 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 24 October (1964) | Territory Day, 1 July (1956) |
Nationality | noun: Zambian(s)
adjective: Zambian |
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
Natural hazards | tropical storms (November to April) | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) |
Natural resources | copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower | NEGL |
Net migration rate | -0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 1,724 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | Agenda for Zambia or AZ [Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA]; Forum for Democracy and Development or FDD [Christon TEMBO]; Heritage Party or HP [Godfrey MIYANDA]; Liberal Progressive Front or LPF [Roger CHONGWE, president]; Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [Frederick CHILUBA, president]; National Citizens Coalition or NCC [Nevers MUMBA, president]; National Leadership for Development or NLD [Yobert SHAMAPANDE]; National Party or NP [Dr. Sam CHIPUNGU]; Patriotic Front or PF [Michael SATA]; Zambian Republican Party or ZRP [Benjamin MWILA]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Gwendoline Konie]; United National Independence Party or UNIP [Francis NKHOMA, president]; United Party for National Development or UPND [Anderson MAZOKA] | Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 9,959,037
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
23,552 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 86% (1993 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.9% (2002 est.) | 1.923% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Mpulungu | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 19, FM 5, shortwave 4 (2001) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) |
Radios | 1.2 million (2001) | - |
Railways | total: 2,157 km
narrow gauge: 2,157 km 1.067-m gauge (13 km double-track) note: the total includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi where it connects to the Zambia Railways system; TAZARA is not a part of the Zambia Railways system; Zambia Railways assets are scheduled for concessioning (2002) |
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Religions | Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1% | Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, other 2%, none 2% (1991) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.031 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.055 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.105 male(s)/female total population: 1.053 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa
domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation; Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated by private firms international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cable to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean (2007) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 130,000 (including more than 40,000 fixed telephones in wireless local loop connections) (1997) | 11,700 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 75,000 (2001) | 8,000 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 9 (2002) | 1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly |
Total fertility rate | 5.43 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 50% (2000 est.) | 3.6% (1997) |
Waterways | 2,250 km
note: includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers |
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