Population
The population of Zambia was estimated at 11,502,010 in 2006.

Languages
English is the official language but around seventy languages are spoken.

Terrain
Zambia's terrain consists of high plateau with some hills and mountains. The Zambezi is the main river.

Climate
The country has a tropical climate with temperatures varying according to altitude. The rainy season runs from October to April.

Environment
National Parks in Zambia are Bangweulu Swamps, Kafue, Kasanka, Liuwa Plain, Lower Zambezi, Luambe, Lochinvar, Nyika, Sioma Ngwezi, North Luangwa, South Luangwa, Sumbu and Victoria Falls.

The Victoria Falls, known locally as Mosi-O-Tunya, are on the Zambezi between the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Falls became a World Heritage site in 1989.

At the end of the 1950s the Zambezi was dammed at Kariba to provide hydroelectric power to Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba is one of the world's largest man-made lakes.

Other lakes in Zambia are Lake Bangweulu, Lake Mweru shared with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Lake Tanganyika, also shared with the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as Tanzania.

Animals found in Zambia include baboons, antelopes, cheetahs, giraffes, elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, cheetahs, leopards and lions.

Architecture
Traditional buildings in Zambia were constructed from materials such as bamboo, mud and thatch.

Colonialists introduced European styles of architecture and today examples of Edwardian Colonial architecture can still be seen in Livingstone.

Architecture in the capital city, Lusaka, is westernised with modern buildings and skyscrapers.

Religion
Over fifty percent of the people are Christian. A number of Zambians have indigenous religious beliefs and some people follow Islam.

Food
Maize is the staple food crop for much of the population. The more drought resistant millet and sorghum are also grown. Other produce includes cassava (a root vegetable), cowpeas, peanuts, pumpkins and sweet potatoes. Fish is available from lakes and rivers and cattle, pigs and poultry are reared.

During times of drought, villagers supplement their diet by collecting wild fruit and vegetables.

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