Zambia's average elevation is about 3,500 feet (1,100 meters) above sea level, which moderates its otherwise tropical climate. The gently rolling plateau country varies from tropical forest to tall grasslands. Its streams are divided between those that flow northward to the Zaire, or Congo, River and the Zambezi River and its tributaries that flow eastward through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. A rich belt of minerals known as the Copperbelt lies near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In the mid-1990s Zambia had a population of about 9.5 million. Africans—who speak mainly Bemba, Nyanja, and Tonga—constitute 98 percent of the population. There are small but significant European and Asian communities engaged in commerce, mining, and agriculture. English is the official language and is used in parliament and instruction. With an area of about 290,586 square miles (752,614 square kilometers) the country has a population density of only 33 persons per square mile (13 per square kilometer). Population is unevenly distributed, however, with nearly 45 percent living in urban centers along the rail lines. Lusaka, the capital and largest city (population, 1990 estimate, 1 million), and the Copperbelt towns are growing rapidly by natural increase and by rural-to-urban migration.
