23 Facts About Lusaka

Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about 1,279 metres .

Lusaka is the centre of both commerce and government in Zambia and connects to the country's four main highways heading north, south, east and west.

The BSAC built a railway linking their mines in the Copperbelt to Cape Town and Lusaka was designated as a water stop on that line, named after a local Lenje chief called Lusaaka.

Lusaka lost some of its status to Salisbury when the latter became the capital of the merged Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1953, but regained it when it was named the capital of newly independent Zambia in 1964.

Lusaka was founded in 1905 as a water stop on the route and was named after a Chief Lusaaka, the leader of a nearby Lenje village.

Related searches

The section of line through Lusaka was built by the Mashonaland Railway Company, extending the line by 452 kilometres from Kalomo through to the mining town of Broken Hill .

The mining corporations, as well as Afrikaner farmers around Lusaka, did not welcome the change, favouring a South African model.

Lusaka formally became the capital in May 1935, with a "Lusaka week" celebration scheduled to coincide with celebrations of George V's silver jubilee.

Under Adshead's original plans, Lusaka was proposed as a pure administrative centre, with no industry or large African population; he commented at one point that it "could never become an important city".

Pim criticised the allocation of housing for Africans in Lusaka, noting that of 10,000 living in the city at that time, only 1,500 were in formal housing.

In 1952, a development plan for Lusaka gained statutory approval for the first time – earlier proposals such as those by Adshead and Bowling had never been legally sanctioned.

Lusaka remained the capital of Northern Rhodesia but many of the government departments, as well as some private sector industries, moved to Salisbury, which was designated as the federal capital.

Lusaka's economy suffered as a result, with reduced jobs in construction, transportation, and domestic service.

Lusaka is located on the plateau, in south-central Zambia at 15°25'S 28°17'E, with an altitude of 1,280 metres .

Geology of Lusaka is divided between uneven-depth folded and faulted schist in the north, and limestone with dolomitic marble in the south, to a depth of 120 metres .

Monuments and national symbols in Lusaka include the National Museum, government buildings around the CBD, the African Freedom statue and a memorial to the victims of the 1993 Zambia national football team plane crash, located at the National Heroes Stadium.

Zambia's oldest and largest institution of learning is the University of Zambia which is based in Lusaka and was established in 1965 and officially opened to the general public in July 1966.

Lusaka is the economic and financial hub of Zambia, serving as the country's main gateway to the rest of the world and largest business centre.

In contrast to Zambia as a whole, in which agriculture and mining are the largest contributors, Lusaka's economy is dominated by the service sector, as well as wholesale and retail trade.

Lusaka is home to the largest and most numerous shopping centres in the country, including Manda Hill, Levy Junction, EastPark, Cosmopolitan, and the smaller but well-known Arcade Shopping Centre.

Largest sports venue in Lusaka is National Heroes Stadium, which was built with assistance and financing from China.

Lusaka is home to the basketball team UNZA Pacers, which is part of the University of Zambia.

Lusaka is the hometown and place of residence of Joseph and Luka Banda, the first conjoined twins to be successfully separated by Ben Carson and his team.