A colonial legacy, mismanagement, debt and disease are said to have contributed to the country's tribulations.

Politically, it switched from colonial government into an era of one-party rule lasting 27 years. A multi-party system emerged in the early 1990s.

OVERVIEW

The country is landlocked and sparsely populated by more than 70 ethnic groups, many of them Bantu-speaking. It is known for its spectacular scenery in places such as the Victoria Falls along the Zambezi River, the Bangweulu Swamps and the Luangwa River valley.

In the late 1960s Zambia was the third largest copper miner, after the United States and the Soviet Union. World copper prices collapsed in 1975 with devastating effects on the economy.

Even so, Zambia still receives most of its foreign earnings from copper, and there is optimism about the future of the industry, which was privatised in the 1990s. Electronics manufacturers have fuelled demand for copper.

Aids is blamed for decimating the cream of Zambian professionals - including engineers and politicians - and malaria remains a major problem. Three-quarters of Zambia's population lives below the World Bank poverty threshold of $1 a day.

Zambia hosts tens of thousands of refugees who have fled fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

FACTS

• Population: 11 million (UN, 2005)
• Capital: Lusaka
• Area: 752,614 sq km (290,586 sq miles)
• Major language: English (official), Bemba, Lozi, Nyanja, Tonga
• Major religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs, Hinduism, Islam
• Life expectancy: 38 years (men), 37 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 Kwacha = 100 ngwee
• Main exports: Copper, minerals, tobacco
• GNI per capita: US $380 (World Bank, 2005)
• Internet domain: .zm
• International dialling code: +260

LEADERS

President: Levy Mwanawasa

Former vice-president Levy Mwanawasa narrowly won presidential elections in December 2001, which opposition parties claimed were subject to fraud and ballot-rigging.

President Mwanawasa spearheaded an anti-corruption drive

Though initially seen by some as a handpicked puppet of his predecessor Frederick Chiluba, Mr Mwanawasa was quick to remove Mr Chiluba's aides from the government. He gave the green light to investigations into alleged corruption during the Chiluba era and pressed for Mr Chiluba's immunity from prosecution to be lifted.

His success followed some years in the political wilderness. He resigned from the government in 1994, citing corruption as the reason. Supporters and detractors alike agree that he displays a high level of integrity in his public life.

Mr Mwanawasa was born in 1948, and is married with six children. He has been a practising lawyer since 1973. In his most famous case, he defended former vice president Lt-Gen Christon Tembo and others, who were charged in 1989 with plotting to overthrow Kenneth Kaunda.

The president's health continues to be an issue, especially for his opponents. He was involved in a near-fatal road accident in 1992 which left him with slurred speech. Opponents have also taken full advantage of Mr Mwanawasa's occasional slips of the tongue.