World Factbook
Zambia
Republic of Zambia
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
743,398 sq km
water
9,220 sq km
total
752,618 sq km
Climate
tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)
Terrain
mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
Land use
other
7.3% (2023 est.)
forest
60.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
32.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 5.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 26.9% (2023 est.)
Location
Southern Africa, east of Angola, south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
Zambezi river 329 m
highest point
Mafinga Central 2,330 m
mean elevation
1,138 m
Irrigated land
1,560 sq km (2012)
Major aquifers
Upper Kalahari-Cuvelai-Upper Zambezi Basin
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
6,043.15 km
border countries
Angola 1,065 km; Botswana 0.15 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,332 km; Malawi 847 km; Mozambique 439 km; Namibia 244 km; Tanzania 353 km; Zimbabwe 763 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
periodic drought; tropical storms (November to April)
Geography - note
landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural river boundary with Zimbabwe; Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi)
Natural resources
copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower
Area - comparative
almost five times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Texas
Geographic coordinates
15 00 S, 30 00 E
Population distribution
one of the highest levels of urbanization in Africa; high density in the central area, particularly around the cities of Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, and Mufulira, as shown in this population distribution map
Major lakes (area sq km)
fresh water lake(s)
Lake Tanganyika (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Burundi) - 32,000 sq km; Lake Mweru (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo) - 4,350 sq km; Lake Bangweulu - 4,000-15,000 sq km seasonal variation
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage
Zambezi (1,332,412 sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Congo (3,730,881 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Congo river source (shared with Angola, Republic of Congo, and Democratic Republic of Congo [m]) - 4,700 km; Zambezi river source (shared with Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth