Lusaka

Lusaka
Mwalusaka
City
Lusaka at night
Lusaka
Location of Lusaka in Zambia
Lusaka
Lusaka (Africa)
Coordinates: 15°25′S 28°17′E / 15.417°S 28.283°E / -15.417; 28.283Coordinates: 15°25′S 28°17′E / 15.417°S 28.283°E / -15.417; 28.283
Province Lusaka Province
District Lusaka District
Country Zambia
Established 1905
City status 25 August 1960
Government
 • Mayor of Lusaka Miles Bwalya Sampa
Area[1]
 • City 418 km2 (161 sq mi)
Elevation 1,279[2] m (4,190 ft)
Population (Oct 2009)
 • City 1,742,979
 • Metro 2,467,467
Time zone UTC+2 (CAT)
Area code(s) 0211[3]
Climate Cwa
Website http://www.lcc.gov.zm

Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. One of the fastest developing cities in southern Africa, Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about 1,279 metres (4,196 ft). As of 2010, the city's population was about 1.7 million, while the urban population is 2.4 million. 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. English is the official language of the city, but Nyanja and Bemba are also common.

History

Government House, built for the Governor of Northern Rhodesia

Lusaka was the site of a village named after its headman Lusaka, which, according to history, was located at Manda Hill, near where the Zambia's National Assembly building now stands. In the Nyanja language, Manda means graveyard. The area was expanded by European (mainly British) settlers in 1905 with the building of the railway.[4]

In 1935, due to its fairly central location, its situation on the railway and at the crossroads of the Great North Road and Great East Road, it was chosen to replace Livingstone as the capital of the British colony of Northern Rhodesia.[5]

After the federation of Northern and Southern Rhodesia in 1953, it was a centre of the independence movement amongst some of the educated elite that led to the creation of the Republic of Zambia. In 1964, Lusaka became the capital of the newly independent Zambia.[5]

In recent years, Lusaka has become a popular urban settlement for Zambians and tourists alike. Its central nature and fast growing infrastructure sector have increased donor confidence and as such Zambians are seeing signs of development in the form of job creation, housing, etc. Consequently, it is thought that with proper and effective economic reforms, Lusaka as well as Zambia as a whole will develop considerably. Lusaka is home to a diverse community of foreign nationals, many of whom work in the aid industry as well as diplomats, representatives of religious organisations and some business people.[5]

Government and administration

Supreme Court of Zambia
Freedom statue

As the national capital, Lusaka is the seat of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, epitomized by the presence of the National Assembly (parliament), the State House (office of the President), and the High Court. The Parliament is situated at the Parliament complex, which features a 15-story building. The city is also the capital of Lusaka Province, the smallest and most populous of the country's nine provinces, and forms an administrative district run by Lusaka City Council. In 2007, the mayor was Steven Chilatu (PF), and the deputy mayor was Mary Phiri.

List of mayors:[6]

  • F. Payne 1954–5
  • H. K. Mitchell 1955–6
  • Ralph Rich 1956–7
  • H. F. Tunaley 1957–8
  • H. K. Mitchell 1958–60
  • Jack Fischer 1960–1
  • Richard Sampson 1962–3
  • S. H. Chilesh 1964–5
  • W. Banda 1965–9
  • Fleefort Chirwa 1969–71?[7]
  • Simon C. Mwewa up to 1982

List of Governors (decentralisation – one party participatory era)

List of Mayors – Multi-Party Era

  • John Chilambwe 1993–1994
  • Fisho Mwale 1994–1996
  • Gilbert R. Zimba Local Government Administrator – 1996–1999
  • Patricia Nawa
  • Patrick Kangwa
  • John Kabungo
  • Levy Mkandawire
  • Stephen Mposha
  • Christine Nakazwe
  • Stephen Chilatu
  • Robert Chikwelete
  • Daniel Chisenga
  • Mulenga Sata
  • Wilson Chisala Kalumba - 2016 - May 2018 (died in office)
  • Miles Sampa - July 2018 - Present

Education

University of Zambia campus

Zambia's largest institution of learning, the University of Zambia, is based in Lusaka. Lusaka has some of the finest schools in Zambia, including the American International School of Lusaka , International School of Lusaka, Rhodes Park School, the Lusaka International Community School, the French International School, the Italian international School, the Lusaka Islamic Cultural and Educational Foundation (LICEF), the Chinese International School, and Baobab College. Rhodes Park School is not an international school, though there is a large presence of Angolans, Nigerians, Congolese, South Africans, and Chinese. The children of the late President, Levy Mwanawasa as well as the children of Vice-President George Kunda, attend the Rhodes Park School.

Religion

Almost all religions are represented in Lusaka with the outstanding majority belonging to Christianity. A very large number belonging to Protestant churches.

Points of interest

Lusaka National Museum

Attractions include Lusaka National Museum, the Political Museum, the Zintu Community Museum, the Freedom Statue, the Zambian National Assembly, the Agricultural Society Showgrounds (known for their annual agricultural show), the Moore Pottery Factory, the Lusaka Playhouse theatre, two cinema, a cenotaph, a golf club, the Lusaka Central Sports Club, Kalimba Reptile Park, Monkey Pools and the zoo and botanical gardens of the Munda Wanga Environmental Park. The city is also home to the University of Zambia. Along Great East Road are three of the largest shopping malls in Zambia: Arcades shopping mall (with open-air storefronts), Eastpark shopping mall and Manda Hill shopping mall (enclosed shops),[8] which was revamped and is home to international stores such as Shoprite, Game and Woolworths, a new movie theatre and many others.

Agricultural Society Show
Lusaka International Airport, main terminal

The city centre includes several blocks west of Cairo Road, around which lie the New City Market and Kamwala Market, a major shopping area, as well as the Zintu Community Museum. Further east lies the government area, including the State House and the various ministries, around Cathedral Hill and Ridgeway neighbourhoods. One of the main streets and points of interest upon business is Cairo Road.

In recent years Lusaka has experienced a boom in shopping malls with Cosmopolitan Mall, Embassy Mall, East Park Mall and Kabulonga Centro Mall added amongst others. These malls, with their major supermarket chains such as Shoprite and Pick n Pay and Food Lovers Market have greatly increased availability of household goods as well as convenience. These malls also play host to a great number of well known take away as well as sit down restaurants, such as KFC and Pizza Hut as well as many popular South African chains such as Nandos, Fishaways, Debonnairs, Wimpy, Spur etc.

Cairo Road was a section of the Great North Road and was so named because it is a link in Cecil Rhodes' then dream of a Cape to Cairo Road through British colonies in Africa.

Some buildings along Cairo Road are the Findeco House (25 floors), Central Bank Building, Indeco House (19 floors), Zambia National Building Society Headquarters (20 floors), Old Zambia Lotto Head Office, Zambia National Commercial Bank (21 floors), Barclays Bank Zambia Head Office, Stanbic Bank Zambia Headquarters, Investrust Bank (18 floors).

Transport

Airport

Lusaka is home to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (which is used for both civil and military operations), and it lies on the railway line from Livingstone to Kitwe. There is also Lusaka City Airport, which is used by the Zambian Air Force. The airport is currently undergoing a major expansion and modernisation.

Bus

Lusaka Intercity Bus Station
Lusaka Intercity Bus Station

Bus services within lusaka neighbourhoods, the CBD and to towns surrounding Lusaka, such as Siavonga and Chirundu, use the Lusaka City Market Bus station, Inter-city Bus Terminus, Millenium Bus Station and the busiest city bus station (Kulima Tower Station).

Public transport

Intracity public transport is provided primarily by minibuses, but also includes larger buses and shared taxis on fixed routes.[9] Vehicles on most routes travel between specific parts of the city and the four terminals in the central business district (referred to as "Town"): Kulima Tower, City Market, Millennium and Lumumba.[10] There is no official map of public transport routes in Lusaka, but an initiative to create a user-generated content map was begun in 2014.[11] All public transport vehicles in Lusaka are operated by private operators.

Sports infrastructure

National Heroes Stadium.

As the hosts of the 2012 Zone VI Games and the capital city of Zambia, Lusaka boasts extensive sports infrastructure, including Nkholoma Stadium, Sunset Stadium, the Olympic Youth Development Centre, the Lusaka Golf Club and many other places. The city's ultra-modern 60,000 seat stadium, built by China, is named the National Heroes Stadium in memory of the Chipolopolo national team's football players who died in a plane crash off the coast of Gabon in 1993.[12] The stadium was completed by the end of 2013 and since then has hosted an international friendly match between Zambia and Sudan, Zambia's 50th Year Golden Jubilee Celebrations and a Requiem Mass for the late President of Zambia, Michael Sata.

Twin cities – sister towns

Lusaka is twinned with:

Notable residents

Manda Hill
Suburban residential area

The rugby union players Corné Krige and George Gregan, who respectively captained the South African and Australian teams in both the 2002 and 2003 Tri Nations Series, were coincidentally born in the same hospital in Lusaka.[14][15][16]

The former Zimbabwe cricketer Henry Olonga was also born in Lusaka. He was the first black cricketer – and the youngest person – to play for Zimbabwe.[17]

Lusaka is the hometown and current place of residence of Joseph and Luka Banda, the first conjoined twins to be successfully separated and in full neurological health.[18]

Climate

Primarily due to its high altitude, Lusaka features a humid subtropical climate (Cwa) according to Köppen climate classification. Its coolest month, July, has a monthly mean temperature of 14.9 °C (58.8 °F). Lusaka features hot summers and warm winters, with cold conditions mainly restricted to nights in June and July. The hottest month is October, which sees daily average high temperatures at around 32 °C (90 °F). There are two main seasons: a wet season and a dry season with the dry season lasting around half the year, from April to October.

Climate data for Lusaka
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 39.6
(103.3)		 36.4
(97.5)		 33.6
(92.5)		 33.0
(91.4)		 32.0
(89.6)		 29.9
(85.8)		 29.7
(85.5)		 33.5
(92.3)		 38.5
(101.3)		 37.2
(99)		 38.6
(101.5)		 33.9
(93)		 39.6
(103.3)
Average high °C (°F) 27.4
(81.3)		 27.4
(81.3)		 27.5
(81.5)		 27.1
(80.8)		 25.8
(78.4)		 23.8
(74.8)		 24.0
(75.2)		 26.5
(79.7)		 30.3
(86.5)		 31.7
(89.1)		 30.4
(86.7)		 27.7
(81.9)		 27.5
(81.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 21.5
(70.7)		 21.5
(70.7)		 21.1
(70)		 19.9
(67.8)		 17.4
(63.3)		 15.2
(59.4)		 14.9
(58.8)		 17.3
(63.1)		 21.3
(70.3)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.4
(74.1)		 21.7
(71.1)		 19.9
(67.8)
Average low °C (°F) 17.6
(63.7)		 17.4
(63.3)		 16.4
(61.5)		 14.0
(57.2)		 10.7
(51.3)		 7.8
(46)		 7.2
(45)		 9.2
(48.6)		 12.9
(55.2)		 16.2
(61.2)		 17.4
(63.3)		 17.8
(64)		 13.7
(56.7)
Record low °C (°F) 13.0
(55.4)		 12.9
(55.2)		 10.0
(50)		 8.0
(46.4)		 5.4
(41.7)		 0.2
(32.4)		 0.7
(33.3)		 2.8
(37)		 5.8
(42.4)		 9.0
(48.2)		 10.8
(51.4)		 10.4
(50.7)		 0.2
(32.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 245.4
(9.661)		 185.9
(7.319)		 95.0
(3.74)		 34.7
(1.366)		 3.1
(0.122)		 0.0
(0)		 0.1
(0.004)		 0.4
(0.016)		 1.7
(0.067)		 18.4
(0.724)		 89.3
(3.516)		 208.1
(8.193)		 882.1
(34.728)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 18 15 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 16 72
Average relative humidity (%) 82.3 82.5 80.7 75.8 69.3 65.2 61.1 53.6 46.3 48.6 60.2 78.6 67.0
Mean monthly sunshine hours 176.7 168.0 220.1 246.0 275.9 270.0 294.5 303.8 291.0 272.8 234.0 182.9 2,935.7
Source: NOAA[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ City of Lusaka Website Archived 20 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ Airport altitude, http://climexp.knmi.nl/ Retrieved 7 March 2015
  3. ↑ <%=hdrContact%>. "Zambia". www.itu.int. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Mwakikagile, Godfrey (2010). Zambia: Life in an African Country. New Africa Press. p. 158. ISBN 9789987160112. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Mwakikagile, Godfrey (2010). Zambia: Life in an African Country. New Africa Press. p. 159. ISBN 9789987160112. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018.
  6. ↑ So this was Lusaakas, 2nd Edition, 1971 Mission Press, Ndola, Richard Sampson
  7. ↑ "Los Angeles honors mayor of sister city in Africa". Jet. 10 August 1972. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  8. ↑ Mwakikagile, Godfrey (2010). Zambia: Life in an African Country. New Africa Press. p. 161. ISBN 9789987160112. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017.
  9. ↑ "Can You Do It? Using Public Transportation in Lusaka Zambia". Travel Wanderings. 5 September 2013. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Making Public Transport in Lusaka City More Efficient and Effective" (PDF). Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis & Research. December 2013. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  11. ↑ "And We Have a Map!". Lusaka Public Transport Map: A User-Generated Mapping Project. 10 March 2014. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  12. ↑ Muchimba, Jerry (28 May 2015). Godfrey 'Ucar' Chitalu. Troubador Publishing Ltd. p. 213. ISBN 9781784622206. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017.
  13. ↑ "Google Translate". translate.google.com. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "George Gregan - Player Profile". Georgegregan.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2008. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
  15. ↑ "Captain Courageous: Corné Krige" Archived 26 July 2011 at Wikiwix, TheGoal.com, retrieved 26 June 2006.
  16. ↑ "Rugby Union World Cup Special Reports: South Africa" Archived 19 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine., The Guardian, 6 October 2003.
  17. ↑ "Henry Olonga- a short biography". ESPNcricinfo. 18 September 1999. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  18. ↑ Terris, Ben; Kirchner, Stephanie (13 November 2015). "The Story of the Surgery that made Ben Carson Famous". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  19. ↑ "LUSAKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 6 November 2012.

Bibliography

 
Largest cities or towns in Zambia
According to the 2010 Census
Rank Name Province Pop. Rank Name Province Pop.

Lusaka

Kitwe		 1LusakaLusaka1,747,15211SolweziNorth-Western90,856
Ndola
2KitweCopperbelt501,36012MansaLuapula78,153
3NdolaCopperbelt451,24613ChililabombweCopperbelt77,818
4KabweCentral202,36014MazabukaSouthern71,700
5ChingolaCopperbelt185,24615KafueLusaka71,573
6MufuliraCopperbelt151,30916KalulushiCopperbelt51,863
7LivingstoneSouthern134,34917ChomaSouthern51,842
8LuanshyaCopperbelt130,07618MonguWestern49,818
9ChipataEastern116,62719Kapiri MposhiCentral44,783
10KasamaNorthern101,84520NakondeMuchinga41,836
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.