The capital city of Zambia, Lusaka is located on a limestone plateau 4,198 feet (1,280 meters) above sea level. It lies at the junction of the Great North Road, which runs to Tanzania, and the Great East Road, which goes to Malawi. Lusaka has rail connections to the towns of Livingstone and Ndola, Zambia, and also to Tanzania. The government is located in a newer section of Lusaka that contrasts with the old town found along the railway line.
Lusaka is a major marketing center for corn (maize) and tobacco. Its economy depends largely on agricultural trade. Other industry includes cement, textile, and shoe manufacture and food processing. The University of Zambia, founded in 1965, and an international airport are located outside the city limits. The Munda Wanga Botanical Gardens are also nearby.
In 1935 Lusaka became the capital of Northern Rhodesia. The city figured prominently in the movement for the region’s independence from Great Britain. After the federation of Northern and Southern Rhodesia took place in 1953, Lusaka was a hub of a civil disobedience movement (1960). This movement led to the creation of the independent state of Zambia, of which Lusaka became the capital. Population (2010 census), 1,747,152.