Zambia
Republic of Zambia
- Capital: Lusaka
- Eastern Africa
- 8 neighbours in Travle
Zambia overview
Zambia is in Eastern Africa, Africa. Its capital is Lusaka. The World Bank counts about 21.9 million people for 2025 on 752,612 km² of surface area.
In the Travle map, Zambia has 8 neighbours: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. From there, 125 countries can be reached by land.
Population, density and language
The World Bank counts 21,913,874 people in Zambia for 2025, which is 61st of 170 by population. Spread over 752,612 km² of surface area (2024), that is about 29 people per km², 126th of 169 by density.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (SP.POP.TOTL), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Rankings compare the entries in Travle's country list that have World Bank data (170 with population, 169 with surface area). Some list entries are territories, so a rank here is not a rank among sovereign states.
| Language | Share (est.) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bemba | 34% | — |
| Nyanja | 19% | — |
| English | 16% | official |
| toi | 11% | — |
| Lozi | 5.5% | — |
| nse | 3% | — |
CLDR shares are estimates of people who use each language, so they can add up to more than 100%.
How big is Zambia, really?
With 752,612 km² (2024, land plus inland water), Zambia is 38th of 169 by surface area and covers 0.54% of the combined area of those entries.
In that ordering, Chile (756,556 km²) is just larger; Myanmar (676,578 km²) just smaller.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Zambia at a glance
- Capital
- Lusaka
- Region
- Eastern Africa, Africa
- Population
- 21,913,874 (2025)
- Surface area
- 752,612 km² (2024)
- Density
- 29 people per km²
- Official languages
- English
- Currency
- Zambian Kwacha (ZMW)
- Calling code
- +260
- Internet domain
- .zm
- Land neighbours
- 7 (Natural Earth) · 8 (Travle)
Each figure is sourced in its own section below. "Not available" means no source used on this page has the figure.
Zambia within Eastern Africa
Natural Earth places Zambia in Eastern Africa (UN subregion). Of the 15 entries from Travle's country list in that subregion, Zambia is 8th by population and 4th by surface area, with 4.3% of the combined population of those entries.
| Country | Population (2025) | Area km² (2024) |
|---|---|---|
 Ethiopia | 135,472,051 | 1,129,819 |
 Tanzania | 70,545,865 | 945,500 |
 Kenya | 57,532,493 | 591,970 |
 Uganda | 51,384,894 | 241,551 |
 Mozambique | 35,631,653 | 799,380 |
 Madagascar | 32,740,678 | 591,896 |
 Malawi | 22,216,120 | 118,484 |
| Zambia | 21,913,874 | 752,612 |
 Somalia | 19,654,739 | 637,657 |
 Zimbabwe | 16,950,795 | 390,760 |
 Rwanda | 14,569,341 | 26,340 |
 Burundi | 14,390,003 | 27,834 |
 South Sudan | 12,188,788 | 646,883 |
 Eritrea | 3,607,003 | 121,630 |
 Djibouti | 1,184,076 | 23,200 |
Sources: World Bank WDI (SP.POP.TOTL, AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; subregion from Natural Earth 1:110m. A dash means the World Bank has no figure.
Location, borders and position
Zambia is in Eastern Africa, Africa. Its outline in Natural Earth lies in the southern hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere. Its capital, Lusaka, is at about 15.4° S and 28.3° E.
On land, Natural Earth's boundary data gives Zambia 7 neighbours; the Travle game map gives it 8.
Sources: Natural Earth 1:110m (outline and capital) and 1:10m boundary lines (neighbours), public domain.
Where Zambia is on the map
Countries bordering Zambia
Natural Earth lists 7 land neighbours (Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe); the Travle map uses 8 (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe). Only the game links Zambia with Botswana.
| Country | Direction | Land boundary in Natural Earth | Border in Travle |
|---|---|---|---|
 Angola | west | Yes | Yes |
 Botswana | south-west | No | Yes |
 Democratic Republic of the Congo | north | Yes | Yes |
| Malawi | east | Yes | Yes |
| Mozambique | south-east | Yes | Yes |
 Namibia | south-west | Yes | Yes |
| Tanzania | north-east | Yes | Yes |
| Zimbabwe | south | Yes | Yes |
Geographic column: Natural Earth 1:10m Admin-0 boundary lines (land) 5.1.0 (public domain), checked 2026-10-19; Natural Earth shows de facto boundaries and does not settle disputes. Travle column: the game's own border map.
Money and language in Zambia
Currency
- Zambian Kwacha: code ZMW, numeric 967. ISO 4217 lists it for this country only.
Official languages
- English: official in 91 territories in CLDR, including Zambia.
CLDR is a technical reference, not a legal text. Laws and constitutions can describe languages differently.
Currency, domain and dialling code
- Currency
- Zambian Kwacha (ZMW)
Source: Unicode CLDR release-48-2 currencyData (region ZM); code, name and number from ISO 4217 list one (SIX), published 2026-09-17; checked 2026-10-19. - Internet domain
- .zm
Source: IANA Root Zone Database; checked 2026-10-19. - International dialling code
- +260
Source: ITU, List of ITU-T Recommendation E.164 assigned country codes (position on 15 December 2016); checked 2026-10-19. - Time
- UTC+02:00 all year (2026)
IANA zones: Africa/Lusaka
Source: IANA Time Zone Database 2026e (zone.tab); UTC offsets computed for 15 Jan and 15 Jul 2026 with Node.js ICU tz 2026a; checked 2026-10-19.
Zambia codes and abbreviations
| Standard | Code |
|---|---|
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 | ZM |
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 | ZMB |
| ISO 3166-1 numeric | 894 |
| ISO 4217 currency (Zambian Kwacha) | ZMW · 967 |
| Country-code top-level domain | .zm |
| ITU-T E.164 country code | +260 |
Sources: Natural Earth (ISO 3166-1), ISO 4217 list one (SIX), IANA Root Zone Database, ITU E.164 list; linked with dates in the sections above.
Fun facts about Zambia
- English has official status in 91 territories in Unicode CLDR, Zambia among them.
- The longest Travle trip from Zambia takes 15 steps, to Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
- UNESCO lists 1 World Heritage property in Zambia; the earliest inscription dates from 1989.
Each fact is calculated from the sources cited on this page.
How far can you travel from Zambia in Travle?
Starting from Zambia and moving one border at a time, this is how many countries in the game's map you reach at each step. Countries that need a sea crossing never appear, because the game only follows land borders.
| Steps | Countries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | |
| 2 | 9 | |
| 3 | 7 | |
| 4 | 7 | |
| 5 | 7 | |
| 6 | 11 | |
| 7 | 8 | |
| 8 | 13 | |
| 9 | 13 | |
| 10 | 25 | |
| 11 | 10 | |
| 12 | 2 | |
| 13 | 1 | |
| 14 | 2 | |
| 15 | 2 |
In total 125 of the 171 other countries in the map can be reached by land. The longest trips take 15 steps and end in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. The other 46 cannot be reached without crossing the sea (18 in North America, 13 in South America, 6 in Oceania, 5 in Asia, 3 in Europe, 1 in Africa).
Nearby routes from Zambia
Shortest land routes in the game's map to the countries up to 3 steps away. There can be several routes of the same length; this list shows one. The section above shows how many countries are reachable in total.
- Angola: 1 step (Zambia → Angola)
- Botswana: 1 step (Zambia → Botswana)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: 1 step (Zambia → Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Malawi: 1 step (Zambia → Malawi)
- Mozambique: 1 step (Zambia → Mozambique)
- Namibia: 1 step (Zambia → Namibia)
- Tanzania: 1 step (Zambia → Tanzania)
- Zimbabwe: 1 step (Zambia → Zimbabwe)
- Burundi: 2 steps (Zambia → Democratic Republic of the Congo → Burundi)
Central African Republic: 2 steps (Zambia → Democratic Republic of the Congo → Central African Republic)
Eswatini: 2 steps (Zambia → Mozambique → Eswatini)- Kenya: 2 steps (Zambia → Tanzania → Kenya)
Republic of the Congo: 2 steps (Zambia → Angola → Republic of the Congo)- Rwanda: 2 steps (Zambia → Democratic Republic of the Congo → Rwanda)
South Africa: 2 steps (Zambia → Botswana → South Africa)- South Sudan: 2 steps (Zambia → Democratic Republic of the Congo → South Sudan)
- Uganda: 2 steps (Zambia → Democratic Republic of the Congo → Uganda)
Cameroon: 3 steps (Zambia → Angola → Republic of the Congo → Cameroon)
Chad: 3 steps (Zambia → Democratic Republic of the Congo → Central African Republic → Chad)- Ethiopia: 3 steps (Zambia → Democratic Republic of the Congo → South Sudan → Ethiopia)
Gabon: 3 steps (Zambia → Angola → Republic of the Congo → Gabon)
Lesotho: 3 steps (Zambia → Botswana → South Africa → Lesotho)- Somalia: 3 steps (Zambia → Tanzania → Kenya → Somalia)
Sudan: 3 steps (Zambia → Democratic Republic of the Congo → Central African Republic → Sudan)
World Heritage in Zambia
UNESCO lists 1 World Heritage property in Zambia. The first, inscribed in 1989, was Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls.
- Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (natural, inscribed 1989, shared with other countries)
Source: UNESCO World Heritage List (XML feed); checked 2026-10-19. Names as listed by UNESCO; descriptions on this page are our own.
Zambia — frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Zambia?
Lusaka.
Which countries border Zambia?
On land, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, according to Natural Earth's boundary data. The Travle map uses 8.
What currency and language does Zambia use?
The currency is the Zambian Kwacha (ZMW). Unicode CLDR gives English official status.
How far can you travel from Zambia in Travle?
Following land borders only, 125 countries are reachable. The farthest need 15 steps: Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
How many people live in Zambia?
The World Bank counts 21,913,874 people for 2025.
How big is Zambia?
752,612 km² of surface area (2024), according to the World Bank.
What is the dialling code and internet domain of Zambia?
The international dialling code is +260 and the country-code domain is .zm.
What time zone does Zambia use?
UTC+02:00 all year (2026).
Keep exploring
- Spin the country wheel to get a random country.
- Play Travle and try to cross the map border by border.
- Browse all countries of the world, countries by population, capitals, country codes or try the flag quiz.