Zambia Geography

What is the terrain and geography like in Zambia?

Overview

Zambia, in central southern Africa, is mostly a high plateau, 3,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level. Lusaka is one of the higher points in the country at 4200 ft. The highest point is Mwanda Peak at 7045ft on the border with Malawi. There are four major valleys: the Zambezi, the Kafue, the Luangwa and the Luapula. Zambia has several large lakes: man-made Kariba in the South, lakes Tanganyika and Mweru in the North, and Lake Bangweulu in the interior.

Zambia is landlocked and has borders with Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The protruding southeastern area of the DRC nearly bisects Zambia into two major geographic areas. The 90 mile-long corridor in the region known as the Copperbelt contains some of the world’s largest proven copper deposits.

There are nine provinces: Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-Western, Southern and Western. The provinces are subdivided into a total of 72 districts.

Geography - note

landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe; Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi)

Zambia Use of Natural Resources

Geographic Location	Africa
Total Area	290,586 Square Miles 752,618 Square Kilometers
Land Area	287,026 Square Miles 743,398 Square Kilometers
Water Area	3,560 Square Miles 9,220 Square Kilometers
Land Boundaries	3,519 Miles 5,664 Kilometers
Irrigated Land	602 Square Miles 1,559 Square Kilometers
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
Geographic Coordinates	15 00 S, 30 00 E
Terrain	mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
Highest Point	2,301 Meters
Highest Point Location	unnamed location in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m
Lowest Point	329 Meters
Lowest Point Location	Zambezi river 329 m
Natural Resources	copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower
Time Zone	UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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