Geography of Zambia

Zambia is a country in Southern Africa that does not touch the ocean. It is east of Angola. Zambia is a big country, covering 752,618 square kilometres. This is a little smaller than Turkey. Only a small part, 9,220 square kilometres, is made of water. Being landlocked means people must travel through other countries to reach the sea. This affects how Zambia gets goods and resources. Zambia’s size and place in Africa make it important to the continent.

Area and boundaries

Zambia is a big country. It has an area of 752,618 square kilometres. This makes it the 38th largest country in the world. Most of the area, 743,390 square kilometres, is land. The rest, 9,220 square kilometres, is water.

Zambia shares borders with many countries. It has five thousand, six hundred and sixty-four kilometres of land borders. It borders Angola for 1,110 kilometres, Democratic Republic of the Congo for 1,930 kilometres, Malawi for 837 kilometres, Mozambique for 419 kilometres, Namibia for 233 kilometres, Tanzania for 338 kilometres, Zimbabwe for 797 kilometres, and Botswana for a very short distance.

Physical geography

Climate

Main article: Climate of Zambia

Zambia has a tropical climate that changes a little because of the land's height. There is a rainy season from October or November to March or April.

Terrain

The land in Zambia is mostly a high plateau, with some hills and mountains. The lowest point is the Zambezi river, at 329 m (1,079 ft) above sea level. The highest point is Mafinga Central in the Mafinga Hills, at 2,339 m (7,674 ft) above sea level.

Zambia is a landlocked country next to Zimbabwe to the south, separated by Victoria Falls, Congo DR to the north, Tanzania to the northeast, Malawi to the east, and Mozambique to the southeast. The land generally slopes from west to east from the Kalahari Basin.

Ecoregions

Main article: Ecoregions of Zambia

Zambia has nine ecoregions spread across four types of land. The most common areas are Miombo, Mopane, and Baikiaea woodland savanna, along with grasslands and evergreen forests.

Land use

The following table describes the land use in Zambia, as of 2011.

As of 2005, 1,559 square kilometres of land in Zambia was used for irrigation.

Environment

Current environmental issues in Zambia include air pollution and acid rain from mining and refining. There is also chemical runoff into water, and wildlife like rhinoceros, elephants, antelope, and large cats face threats from poaching. Other problems are deforestation, soil erosion, desertification, and poor water treatment, which can affect people's health.

Zambia is considered vulnerable to climate change. Changes in rainfall and more extreme weather, such as droughts and floods, could impact farming, which many people rely on. Scientists predict that temperatures may rise and rainfall may decrease by the year 2050.

Zambia is part of several international agreements to protect nature, fight climate change, prevent desertification, protect animals in danger, manage hazardous wastes, and preserve wetlands.

Deforestation

Global Forest Watch tracks tree cover loss each year using satellite images. In Zambia, about 26,657 square kilometers of tree cover were lost between 2001 and 2024. This loss means fewer trees each year. Zambia has plans under the UNFCCC REDD+ framework to help reduce emissions from deforestation. These plans aim to protect forests and monitor changes in forest cover.

Extreme points

Here are some of the farthest points in Zambia, showing where you can find the northernmost, southernmost, easternmost, and westernmost spots.

• Northernmost point: Cape Pungu, Northern province
• Easternmost point: Kongula Peak, Northern province
• Southernmost point: an unnamed location on the border with Zimbabwe in the Zambezi river, Southern province
• Westernmost point: the western part of the border with Angola (Zambia does not have a single westernmost point because the border follows the line of longitude 22° E)