Zambia, Proud and Free Trivia Quiz

Answer: Zambia has no coastline, as it is landlocked

The satellite photo has had the neighboring countries eliminated, but the fact that there are a number of straight-line segments is a visual clue that these are probably manmade borders. These reflect the political struggles involved in establishing emerging nations in Africa during the mid-20th century, and the consequent establishment of arbitrary boundaries rather than natural ones that fit in with tribal regions. Zambia is a landlocked country in southern central Africa. (None of the other oceans offered as possible coastlines touches any part of the African coast.) During the period of British colonization, it was known as Northern Rhodesia (1911 - 1964).

The capital of Northern Rhodesia was Livingstone until 1935, when it moved to Lusaka, the current capital and largest city of Zambia.

Answer: Democratic Republic of the Congo

As the map in the question illustrated, the longest border is with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a distance of 1930 km (1200 mi), which is 34% of Zambia's total border. In order from longest to shortest, the remaining borders are with Angola (1110 km, 690 mi), Malawi (837 km, 520 mi), Zimbabwe (797 km, 495 mi), Mozambique (419 km, 260 mi), Tanzania (338 km, 210 mi), and Namibia (233 km, 145 mi).

Because of the large indentation formed along the border with DROC, Zambia's area is smaller than might be expected from its perimeter. A square with that perimeter would have an area of over 2 million square kilometres, while the area of Zambia is less than half that amount, about 750,000 square kilometres.

Answer: Eagle

The colors of the flag are said to represent natural resources (green), mineral resources (orange), the people (black) and their struggle for freedom (red). Red, black and green are the colors of the Pan-African flag created by Marcus Garvey in 1920, with symbolism as described for Zambia's flag. The green, yellow and red stripes of the Ethiopian flag are also often referred to as the Pan-African colors. All of these colors are seen on many African flags.

The eagle is specifically referred to as the eagle of liberty, Zambia's symbol of the ability of the people to soar above the country's problems and maintain hope for the future.

Answer: Victoria Falls

The shield is intended to convey the white water falling over black rocks at Victoria Falls. The black was chosen as the color representing African people, even though the rocks at the falls are not that color. Victoria Falls is often considered the largest waterfall in the world, due to the volume of water passing over it, although it is neither the highest (that is Angel Falls in Venezuela) nor the widest (that is Iguazu Falls in Brazil).

The Barotse Floodplain, located in the southwest of the country, is one of Africa's major wetlands. The Mafinga Hills, in the country's northeast, include Zambia's highest point, Kongera. Lake Tanganyika is one of the largest lakes on the African continent, bordered by Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and, on its southern tip, Zambia.

Answer: David Livingstone

The Scottish explorer David Livingstone named the falls after his ruling queen. The local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, means 'Smoke that Thunders'. Pictures of the falls in the rainy season show the dramatic spray that inspired that name, which is recognised by the World Heritage List as an alternative name for the falls. Victoria Falls were originally located in the country of Rhodesia. Since independence, they are on the border between Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia) and Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia).

Answer: Zambezi

The source of the Zambezi River is in Zambia. The river first travels in a counterclockwise loop that takes it through Angola before returning to Zambia where it flows southwards through the western region, then turns east and forms the border with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. It then enters Mozambique, and empties into the Indian Ocean. The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, behind the Nile, Congo and Niger. As well as Victoria Falls, it has a number of other spectacular waterfalls, such as the Chavuma Falls and the Ngonye Falls. There are a number of hydroelectric stations on the river, including the Kariba Dam, which supplies electricity to Zimbabwe and Zambezi.

The Congo is the other main river system of Zambia, draining the northeastern part of the country, while the Zambezi drains the southwestern region. The Kuafa and Lunagwe are two of the Zambezi's tributaries.

Answer: Lake Bangweulu

Lake Bangweulu, whose name means 'where the water meets the sky', is part of one of the world's largest wetland systems. It is on the upper reaches of the Congo River, in Luapula and Northern Provinces. The lake itself has a permanent surface area of about 3.000 sq km (1200 sq mi); the lake and surrounding wetlands have a combined area about five times as large. The average depth of Lake Bangweulu is only 4 m (13 ft).

Lake Tanganyika, the second-largest lake in the world by volume and the largest lake on the African continent, is on the northeast boundary of Zambia, not inside it. Similarly, Lake Kariba, the world's largest artificial lake, is on the Zambezi river along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kashiba is one of a number of small and deep lakes in the Ndola district, formed as limestone sinkholes. It is said to contain a monster called Ichitapa or Isoka Ikulu which catches the shadow of anyone careless enough to let their shadow fall on the water surface, causing them to fall into the water and drown.

Answer: Woodland savanna

Over 75% of Zambia is classified as woodland savanna; dry forests comprise the second largest biome in the country, while areas of insignificant size are classed as flooded grasslands (blue on the map) and thicket. The Sumbu thicket, located in the northwest between Lake Mweru Wantip and Lake Tanganyika, is a dense bush area made up of around 100 species of plant densely woven to make a virtually impenetrable barrier to those trying to traverse it by foot. Machinery can clear it, however - already three quarters of the original thicket has been cleared, and it is estimated that there may be none left by the middle of the 21st century.

Answer: High plateau

As can be seen from the topographic map, the majority of the country is at an elevation between 1000 and 1500 m above sea level, with some regions of higher mountains in the northeast. There are no glacial areas in Zambia, and floodplains form only a small part of the country. Only about 7% of the land is arable, which is a contributing factor to the country's high poverty rate, with about two-thirds of the citizens living below the international poverty line (roughly $US1.25 a day, according to the 2008 revision by the World Bank) early in the 21st century.

Answer: Air pollution and acid rain

Copper has been so important to the Zambian economy that one of the nine provinces is named Copperbelt Province. By the end of the 20th century, output had fallen dramatically, and the government has been attempting to diversify into the exploitation of other minerals, especially nickel, and a fuller range of Zambia's other resources such as hydro-power, gemstones and tourism.

The major environmental issues facing Zambia at the start of the 21st century include air pollution, chemical runoff from industry into the watersheds, deforestation, and soil erosion. Poaching poses a serious threat to the survival of such species as the rhinoceros, elephant, and antelopes, which are one of the key tourist attractions.