Geography
Bordering countries:
Angola 1,110 kmDemocratic Republic of the Congo 1,930 kmMalawi 837 kmMozambique 419 kmNamibia 233 kmTanzania 338 kmZimbabwe 797 km

Location:
Southern Africa, east of Angola

Area:
total: 752,614 sq km
land: 740,724 sq km
water: 11,890 sq km

Climate:
tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)

Terrain:
mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains

Economy
GDP:
$17.39 billion (2008 est.)
$16.43 billion (2007)
$15.55 billion (2006)

note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP growth rate:
5.8% (2008 est.)
5.7% (2007 est.)

GDP per capita:
$1,500 (2008 est.)
$1,400 (2007 est.)
$1,400 (2006 est.)

note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Inflation rate: 
11.8% (2008 est.)

Currency: 
Zambian kwacha (ZMK)

Exchange rates:
Zambian kwacha (ZMK) per US dollar - 3,512.9 (2008 est.), 3,990.2 (2007), 3,601.5 (2006), 4,463.5 (2005), 4,778.9 (2004)

People
Population:
11,862,740

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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)

Growth rate: 
1.631% (2009 est.)
Religions:
Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1%

Languages:
English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages

Government
Capital:
name: Lusaka

time difference: 
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Independence:
24 October 1964 (from the UK)