Lusaka (redirected from capital of Zambia)

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.