Zambia

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Zambia fought or stood against, from the first to today.

1. Ngoni1835 to 1898

   Zwangendaba's Ngoni crossed the Zambezi in 1835 and raided widely across the plateau. Mpezeni's Ngoni later dominated the east until the British South Africa Company defeated them in 1898.

2. Kololo1840 to 1864

   Sebitwane's Kololo, Sotho speakers from the south, conquered the Lozi floodplain around 1840. Their rule did not outlast his successors: in 1864 the Lozi rose, killed most of the Kololo men and restored their kingdom.

3. 🇵🇹 Kingdom of Portugal1886 to 1891

   Portugal's Pink Map of 1886 claimed a belt of land from Angola to Mozambique across today's Zambia. A British ultimatum in January 1890 forced Lisbon to back down, and the 1891 treaty left the plateau to Britain.

4. 🇬🇧 British Empire1890 to 1964

   The British South Africa Company took the country through concessions and conquest, and Britain imposed the Central African Federation in 1953 against African opposition. Kenneth Kaunda's UNIP led a campaign of civil disobedience in 1961, and independence followed in 1964.

5. 🇿🇼 Rhodesia1965 to 1979

   After Rhodesia's white government declared independence in 1965, Zambia backed sanctions and hosted guerrillas. The border was closed from 1973, and Rhodesian forces struck camps inside Zambia, including near Lusaka in 1978 and 1979.

6. 🇿🇦 South Africa1986 to 1990

   Apartheid South Africa treated Zambia, home of the ANC's exile headquarters in Lusaka, as an enemy base. In May 1986 its forces struck targets near Lusaka on the same day as raids on Harare and Gaborone.

Today

Zambia now

D. 300, displacing and mixing with previous population groups in the region. The Mutapa Empire developed after the fall of Great Zimbabwe to the south in the 14th century and ruled the region, including large parts of Zambia, from the 14th to 17th century. The empire collapsed as a result of the growing slave trade and Portuguese incursions in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Capital

Lusaka

Government

presidential republic

Head of government

Edgar Lungu

Head of state

Hakainde Hichilema

Languages

English

Area

752,612 km²

Through time

Then and now

• Population20.7 million2023 · 2.3 million in 1950
• Life expectancy66.3 years2023 · 46.8 years in 1950
• GDP per person$3,3422022 · $1,054 in 1950
• Living in cities46%2025 · 12% in 1950
• Literacy72%2024 · 23% in 1950
• Political regimeElectoral autocracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
• Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
• Military spending1.3% of GDP2025
• War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.