A vast plateau, Zambia is bordered by Angola to the west, Democratic Republic of Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the south-east, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south and the Caprivi Strip of Namibia to the south-west. The Zambezi River together with Lake Kariba, forms the frontier with Zimbabwe.

Victoria Falls, at the Southern end of the man-made Lake Kariba, is one of the seven wonders of the world. In the east and northeast, the country rises to a plateau 1,200m (3,937 ft) high covered by deciduous Savannah, small tress, grassy plains or marshland. The magnificent Luangwa and Kafue National Parks have one of the most prolific animal populations in Africa.

LANGUAGE
English is the official language and most urban Zambians speak it fluently. In the rural areas it is used less, though only in truly remote settlements would there be a problem communicating in English. The main vernacular languages are Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga, Lozi, Kaonde, Luvale and Lunda.

RELIGION
Zambia is a Christian country, having been gradually converted since the first missionaries arrived in the country in the 19' century. Some other religions such as Muslim, Buddhism and Hinduism are practised. The country was declared a Christian nation in 1991.

The official currency of the Republic of Zambia is the Kwacha (ZK), which is divided into 100 ngwee. Paper notes are denominated in KIO,000, K5,000, KI,000, KIOO, K50, and K20. Exchange of foreign currencies is carried out at authorised banks and bureaux de change.

TIME
Zambia is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), one hour ahead of Central European Time, seven hours ahead of Eastern USA time and ten hours ahead of Western USA time.

CLIMATE
Due to her geographical position and high altitude, Zambia has a subtropical vegetation and climatic conditions. The weather is characterised by three distinguished seasons, the warm-wet season, a cool dry winter and a hot dry season.

The warm-wet period begins in November up to April with temperatures averaging between 26 and 32 degrees Celsius. The northern part of Zambia receives more rainfall (for six months) than the southern part (for 4 months). On average, Northern, Luapula, Copperbelt and NorthWestern provinces receive about 1,40Omm, while Lusaka, Southern, Eastern, Central and Western provinces receive about 700 mm of rainfall annually. The cool dry winter starts from May to August with temperatures ranging from 14 to 32 degrees Celsius. This is a traditional harvest period for most agricultural crops.

The hot dry period occurs between the months of September and October. The temperatures range from 26 to 32 degrees Celsius for most parts of the country.

POLITICAL STRUCTURE
Since the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) came into office in 199 1, Zambia has had a multi-party system of government headed by a President. The President and the National Assembly are elected every five years but the President may not serve for more than two five-year terms of office. Legislative authority is vested in the President.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
The National Assembly consists of 150 elected members, not more than eight nominated members and the Speaker. The 150 elected members are from 150 constitutencies in the country. Each parliamentary constitutency forwards only one person to the National Assembly through a universal vote during the parliamentary elections.

The Speaker is elected by members of the National Assembly from amongst people that are qualified to be elected to the National Assembly. He presides whenever the Assembly convenes.

The National Assembly becomes Parliament when the President attends. All the legislative powers of the country are vested in Parliament.

votes and are subsequently assented to by the President, become law. If a bill is not assented to by the President, it is returned to the assembly and must once more be presented to him within six months. Then he can either assent to the bill within 21 days or dissolve parliament.

ECONOMY
In 1991, Zambia adopted an open, private sector-led economy with minimal government interference. Most of the parastatal companies have been privatised while the remaining Ones are under negotiations or being prepared for privatisation. Zambia was the first country in the region to completely abolish foreign exchange controls and subsidies on locally produced products and imports. The law of demand and supply determines prices. Investors are free to repatriate 1 00% after tax profit.

PRIVATISATION
Until the MMD Government took office in 1991, Zambia's economy was state-dominated and crippled by lack of investment. The Programme has since seen the sale of most parastatal companies, including the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM), the country's major mining conglomerate and largest employer.

The privatisation timetable is set by Government while the programme itself is managed by the Zambia Privatisation Agency (ZPA) , set up in 1992 to control and monitor the process of selling off state owned companies and properties.

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Zambia's economy is based largely on copper and cobalt mining. Copper, which is the country's mainstay, accounts for approximately 80 percent of the Country's export earnings. Some 75 percent of Zambia's Population is engaged in agriculture, largely subsistence farming, which remains vulnerable to weather fluctuations.