Editing Geography of Zambia

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Infobox country geography
|name = Zambia
|map = [[File:Za-map.png|250px]]<br><br>[[File:LocationZambia.svg|240px]]
|map size = 250px
|continent = [[Africa]]
|region = [[Southern Africa]]
|coordinates = {{coord|15|S|30|E|type:country_region:ZM|display=inline,title}}
|area ranking = 39th
|km area = 752,618
|km coastline = 0
|borders = 5,664&nbsp;km <br> ([[Angola]] 1110&nbsp;km, [[Democratic Republic of Congo|DROC]] 1930&nbsp;km, [[Malawi]] 837&nbsp;km, [[Mozambique]] 419&nbsp;km, [[Namibia]] 233&nbsp;km, [[Tanzania]] 338&nbsp;km, [[Zimbabwe]] 797&nbsp;km, [[Botswana]] <1&nbsp;km)
|highest point = [[Mafinga Central]], [[Mafinga Hills]]<br> 2,339 m
|lowest point = [[Zambezi River]], 329 m
|longest river = [[Zambezi River]] <br> 2,650&nbsp;km
|largest lake = 
|climate = 
|terrain = 
|natural resources = 
}}
'''Zambia''' is a [[landlocked]] country located in Southern [[Africa]], to the east of [[Angola]]. It has a total area of 752,618 square kilometres (slightly smaller than [[Turkey]]), of which 9 220&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> is water.

==Area and boundaries==
; Area:
:* Total: 752,618 km²
:**''country rank in the world:'' 38th
:* Land: 743,390 km²
:* Water: 9,220 km²

; Area comparative
:* Australia comparative: slightly smaller than [[New South Wales]]
:* Canada comparative: slightly less than half the size of [[Quebec]]
:* United Kingdom comparative: slightly more than three times the size of the United Kingdom
:* United States comparative: slightly less than twice the size of [[Montana]]
:* [[European Union|EU]] comparative: slightly less than 1{{sfrac|1|2}} times the size of [[Spain]]
; Land boundaries:
:* Total: 5,664&nbsp;km of land boundaries
:*Border countries: [[Angola]] for 1,110&nbsp;km, [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] for 1,930&nbsp;km, [[Malawi]] for 837&nbsp;km, [[Mozambique]] for 419&nbsp;km, [[Namibia]] for 233&nbsp;km, [[Tanzania]] for 338&nbsp;km, [[Zimbabwe]] for 797&nbsp;km, and [[Botswana]], less than {{Convert|1|km|mi|abbr=on}}.

==Physical geography==

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Zambia}}
Zambia has a [[tropical]] [[climate]], modified by the altitude of the country. There is a rainy season that runs from October/November to March/April.[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map ZMB present.svg|thumb|220x220px|Köppen climate classification map of Zambia|left]]
===Terrain===
The terrain of Zambia is mostly high [[plateau]], with some hills and [[mountain]]s. The lowest point is the [[Zambezi]] river, at {{convert|329|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level, with the highest being [[Mafinga Central]] in the [[Mafinga Hills]], at {{convert|2339|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level. 

Zambia is a landlocked country bordered along [[Zimbabwe]] in the south divided by [[Victoria Falls, Zambia|Victoria Falls]], [[Congo DR]] in the north, [[Tanzania]] on the northeast, [[Malawi]] on the east and [[Mozambique]] on the southeast. The general topography of the country is characterized by uplifted [[planation surface]]s. The general elevation of the nation as a whole is tended towards west to east from the [[Kalahari Basin]]. The level of land falls from the upper Congo towards the Zambezi depression in the South forming a plateau.<ref>{{cite web|title= Geography of Zambia|url=http://www.zambiatourism.com/about-zambia/geography|year=2011|access-date=19 October 2016|publisher=Zambia Tourism Board}}</ref>

Zambia lies in the watershed between DR Congo and Zambezi river systems. Leaving two provinces, all other provinces lie in the country frontier formed between the continental divide separating the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean, which traverses from DR Congo to the south of Tanzania. There are three major seasons: a cool dry season from April to August, a hot dry season from August to November and a warm wet season from November to April. The maximum heat is experienced during November, while the maximum rainfall is received during December. The annual rainfall is more than {{convert|700|mm|in|abbr=on}} in the Southern parts, while is more than {{convert|1100|mm|in|abbr=on}} in the northern parts. Lake Kariba is the man made lake in Africa and the second largest man made lake in the world and it stretches along the Southern border of the province.<ref>{{cite book|title=Africa South of the Sahara 2004|publisher=Psychology Press|year=2003|isbn=9781857431834|page=1995|last=Williams|first=Geoffery J.|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jj4J-AXGDaQC&q=lusaka+province+geography&pg=PA1195|chapter=Physical and social geography of Zambia}}</ref>

===Ecoregions===
{{Main|Ecoregions of Zambia}}

Nine [[ecoregion]]s in four biomes are represented in Zambia, the most widespread being Miombo, Mopane and Baikiaea woodland [[savanna]], with [[grassland]]s (mainly flooded grassland) and evergreen forest also present.

==Land use==
{{MapLibrary|Zambia_sat.png|Zambia}}
The following table describes the land use in Zambia, as of 2011.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Land use
|-
! Use !! Percentage of Area
|-
! arable land
| 4.52
|-
! permanent crops
| 0.05
|-
! other
| 95.44
|-
|}

As of 2005, 1559&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> of land in Zambia is irrigated.

==Environment==

[[File:Victoriafälle.jpg|250px|thumb|[[Victoria Falls]]]]Current issues for the environment in the country include: [[air pollution]] and resulting [[acid rain]] in the [[mineral]] extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; poaching, which seriously threatens: rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations; [[deforestation]]; [[soil erosion]]; [[desertification]] and lack of adequate water treatment, which presents human health risks.

Zambia is considered to be [[Climate change vulnerability|vulnerable to climate change]]. The main impact pathway of climate change in the country is through increasing variability in rainfall amounts during the agricultural season across the various agroecological regions, and shifts in the duration of the rainy season.<ref>{{Cite book |first= |title=National Policy on Climate Change |publisher=Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection |year=2016 |location=Lusaka, Zambia |language=English}}</ref> Zambia is considered vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because the majority of the population rely on agriculture for their [[livelihood]]s - and changes in rainfall patterns has a negative impact due to the [[Rainfed agriculture|rainfed]] nature of production. Researched evidence suggested that temperature was likely to increase by 1.82<sup>o</sup>C and rainfall reduce by 0.87 percentage points by 2050.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ngoma|first1=Hambulo|last2=Lupiya|first2=Patrick|last3=Kabisa|first3=Mulako|last4=Hartley|first4=Faaiqa|date=2021|title=Impacts of climate change on agriculture and household welfare in Zambia: an economy-wide analysis|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03168-z|journal=Climatic Change|volume=167|issue=3–4|page=55|doi=10.1007/s10584-021-03168-z|bibcode=2021ClCh..167...55N|s2cid=221707009|issn=0165-0009|doi-access=free}}</ref> This means that the occurrence of [[Extreme weather|extreme climate events]] such as [[drought]]s and [[flood]]s would become more frequent.<ref>Kalantary, C. (2010). Climate change in Zambia: Impacts and adaptation. ''Global Majority E-Journal'', ''1''(2), 85-96.</ref>

Zambia is party to the following international agreements: [[Biodiversity]], [[United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change|Climate Change]], [[Desertification]], [[Endangered Species]], [[Hazardous Wastes]], [[Law of the Sea]], [[Nuclear Test Ban]], [[Ozone Layer Protection]] and [[Wetlands]]. Zambia has signed, but not ratified, the [[Kyoto Protocol]].

== Extreme points ==

This is a list of the extreme points of Zambia, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

* Northernmost point: Cape Pungu, [[Northern Province, Zambia|Northern province]]
* Easternmost point: Kongula Peak, Northern province
* Southernmost point: unnamed location on the border with Zimbabwe in the Zambezi river, [[Southern Province, Zambia|Southern province]]
* Westernmost point: the western section of the border with Angola (Zambia does not have a westernmost point as the border here is formed by the line of [[longitude]] 22° E)

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

==External links==
{{Geography of Africa}}
{{Africa topic|Climate of}}

[[Category:Geography of Zambia| ]]