North-Western Province – Solwezi and the most thinly settled land
The North-Western Province covers 125,826 square kilometres with a population of 1,278,357 as of 2022 and only about twenty people per square kilometre, which makes it the most sparsely populated province in Zambia; more than three-quarters of its people live in rural areas. Its capital, Solwezi, has grown rapidly in recent decades as large copper mines opened nearby, drawing workers from across the country to a province that had long been known mainly for its woodland, rivers and small farms. The literacy rate stood at 63 per cent in 2010, against a national average of 70.2 per cent. Members are invited to share their own memories and photographs here.