Lusaka

Lusaka (lsä`kə), city (1990 est. pop. 982,400), alt. 4,200 ft (1,280 m), capital of Zambia, S central Zambia. A sprawling city located in a productive farm area, Lusaka is an administrative, financial, and commercial center. Manufactures include foodstuffs, beverages, clothing, and cement (made from limestone quarried nearby). The city is at the junction of the Great North Road (to Tanzania) and the Great East Road (to Malawi) and is on Zambia's main railroad. The Great Uhuru (Tanzam or Tazara) Railway connects Lusaka and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, providing Zambia access to the ocean. Lusaka was founded by Europeans in 1905 and was named after the headman of a nearby African village. Its main growth occurred after 1935, when it replaced Livingstone as the capital of the British colony of Northern Rhodesia. The city and its surrounding area became a province in 1976. The Univ. of Zambia and an international airport are in Lusaka.

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Lusaka

City (pop., 1999 est.: metro. area, 1,577,000), capital of Zambia. In the 1890s the area was taken by the British South Africa Company during the formation of Northern Rhodesia; it became the capital in 1935. After the federation of Northern and Southern Rhodesia in 1953, it was a centre of the civil disobedience movement that led to the creation of the independent state of Zambia in 1960, with Lusaka as its capital. Possessing some light industry, it is also a commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural region. The University of Zambia (founded 1965) is located nearby.

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Lusaka

the capital of Zambia, in the southeast at an altitude of 1280 m (4200 ft.): became capital of Northern Rhodesia in 1932 and of Zambia in 1964; University of Zambia (1966). Pop.: 1 450 000 (2005 est.)

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Lusaka 

capital of the Republic of Zambia. Situated in the central part of the country at an elevation of 1,279 m. The climate is subequatorial. The average January temperature is 20.6°C; the average July temperature, 15.5°C. Precipitation is 837 mm a year. Population, 348,000 (1972, including suburbs). The city is administered by an elected council headed by a mayor. The council is responsible for such matters as the local budget, housing and municipal services, public utilities, urban transportation, and public health.

The city originated on the site of a railroad station built in 1910. It got its name from the tribal leader Lusaka. From 1931 to 1964 it was the administrative center of the British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia. Since 1964 it has been the capital of Zambia.

Lusaka is an important transportation junction: it is linked by railroads and highways to deposits of the country’s copper belt. There is an international airport. The city is a commercial and distribution center for a large agricultural region. It has food-processing and garment enterprises, a cement plant, and automotive repair shops.

The city does not have a regular layout. Residential buildings are primarily one-story; in the former European quarters there are detached houses with sections planted with trees, while in the African quarters there are local-type houses. Lusaka is the site of the University of Zambia (to which the Institute for African Studies is attached) and technical, agricultural, and pedagogical colleges. The National Council for Scientific Research and the Wildlife Conservation Society of Zambia are here. There is a city library. The city has movie theaters and a small theater where local amateur groups perform.