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Zambia: map, flag, capital and key facts

Zambia is a country in Africa, in East Africa, with about 21.9 million people (2025) and an area of 752,610 square kilometres. Its capital is Lusaka, and it shares land borders with 8 countries.

By Team Geography Last reviewed

Flag of Zambia
Flag of Zambia
Map showing where the country sits among its neighbours
Zambia in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.

Key facts about Zambia

CapitalLusaka
ContinentAfrica
RegionEast Africa
Population21,913,874 2025, World Bank. 61st of 195.
Area752,610 km² (290,584 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 38th largest of 195.
Population density29 people per km²
Land neighbours8: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
Official nameRepublic of Zambia
UN statusMember state
Capital coordinates15.41° S, 28.28° E Lusaka, Natural Earth.

Land neighbours

Zambia borders 8 countries on land. Each links to its own page.

AngolaLuandaBotswanaGaboroneDemocratic Republic of the CongoKinshasaMalawiLilongweMozambiqueMaputoNamibiaWindhoekTanzaniaDodomaZimbabweHarare

From the Geography app

The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Zambia's 5, in full.

PLACELens 1 of 5

Eight neighbors and no coastline

Zambia is a landlocked country in southern-central Africa with eight neighbors: the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Mozambique to the east, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south, Namibia to the southwest, Angola to the west. The Zambezi defines much of the southern border, plunges over Victoria Falls at the Zimbabwe frontier, then fills Lake Kariba. The land is high plateau averaging 1,200 meters, cut by river valleys, wetlands, and the mineral-rich Copperbelt in the north.

More on Victoria Falls

Known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders, the falls form a sheet of water 1.7 kilometers wide, among the largest in the world. The tourism they draw is significant revenue for both Zambia and Zimbabwe.

4 more lenses on Zambia in the app

  • STORY Kenneth Kaunda's peaceful exit changed a continent
  • NOW Copper shaped this economy and still defines its limits
  • STORY Seventy-three ethnic groups and a deliberate unity
  • THREAD Zambia at the crossroads of southern and central Africa

Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.

Compare Zambia with another country

Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.

Common questions

What is the capital of Zambia?
The capital of Zambia is Lusaka. Lusaka lies at about 15.4 degrees south and 28.3 degrees east. Zambia is in Africa, in the region often called East Africa. It is home to about 21.9 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Zambia?
About 21.9 million people live in Zambia, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 61st most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 752,610 square kilometres, that is about 29 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Zambia?
Zambia shares land borders with 8 countries: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The map on this page outlines each of them around Zambia. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake.
How big is Zambia?
Zambia covers 752,610 square kilometres, or about 290,584 square miles. That makes it the 38th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 21.9 million gives a density of 29 people per square kilometre.

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