Zambia – from ancient kingdoms and copper to a peaceful independent nation
The land of Zambia has been inhabited for a very long time; the famous Kabwe skull is an important find of early humans. Over many centuries Bantu-speaking peoples settled the region, bringing farming and iron-working. Kingdoms such as those of the Lozi on the upper Zambezi, the Bemba in the northeast and the Lunda of Kazembe grew into powerful states, while trade linked the region with both the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean coasts.
In the 19th century slave and ivory traders penetrated the area, and David Livingstone's travels, including his visit to the Victoria Falls in 1855, drew British attention to the region. In the 1890s Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company took control through treaties and force, and the territory became known as Northern Rhodesia; in 1924 it passed to direct British rule. The discovery of rich copper deposits turned the Copperbelt into a major mining region that shaped the colonial economy.
From 1953 Northern Rhodesia was joined with Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland in a federation widely opposed by the African population. Under Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia gained independence on 24 October 1964. Kaunda's government promoted national unity under the motto "One Zambia, One Nation" and supported liberation movements in neighbouring countries, but became a one-party state in 1972. Multiparty democracy returned in 1991, and since then power has changed hands peacefully several times.
Today Zambia is shaped by its many peoples living together peacefully, its copper industry and natural wonders such as the Victoria Falls.
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