# Central Zambia

The central region of Zambia includes Lusaka Province with the capital city Lusaka, and Central Province with notable towns such as Kabwe and numerous national parks.

## Cities

* -15.41666728.2833331 Lusaka — Zambia's capital and largest city has several cultural facilities
* -14.43333328.452 Kabwe — home of the Big Tree, a very large fig tree that is a National Landmark
* -13.97722228.6847223 Kapiri Mposhi — the western terminal of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway from Dar es Salaam along the Zambia Railways line from Kitwe to Lusaka and Livingstone

## Other destinations

* -15.66666727.251 Blue Lagoon National Park — herds of Kafue Lechwe are seen in the flooded areas, Sitatunga in the swamps and zebra, Reedbuck and buffalo graze the drier parts.
* -15.2825.72 Kafue National Park — extremely rich in animal life: hippo, crocodiles, many species of birds, elephant, Puku, Kudu, Red Lechwe, Impala, Waterbuck, Bushbuck, Oribi, Blue Duiker, Burchells Zebra, Warthogs, Mongooses, Nile Monitor Lizards, Porcupine, Cerval, Civet, Terrapin, Vervet Monkeys and Bush Babies as well as Cape Buffalo, Blue Wildebeest, Lion and Leopard.
* -12.530.53 Kasanka National Park — 114 mammal species and more than 471 bird species have been recorded in the park including elephant, hippopotamus and sitatunga
* -15.7529.3333334 Lower Zambezi National Park — a wide variety of wildlife including elephant, hippo, buffalo, zebra, lion, and leopard, together with a great variety of birds

## Talk

Lamba is spoken in towns and districts of Central Province, such as Kapiri Mposhi, Mkushi, Lufwanyama, and Ndola.
In Lusaka Province, the most spoken language in is ciNyanja, a lingua franca that is close to ciChewa, ChiNsenga, other languages of Eastern Province and notable influence from Nguni languages. In Lusaka City, "Town Nyanja" has become the common dialect. It is a hybrid language is based on Nyanja, but which incorporates vocabulary from English, Bemba, and Nsenga.

## Get in

Lusaka's international Airport is well-served by flights from Johannesburg, Dubai, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, and Istanbul, and is the hub for domestic flights.
There are trains to Lusaka from Livingstone.
All the arterial roads lead to Lusaka.
International coach services are available, including overnight services from Johannesburg and other destinations in Southern Africa. There are also buses from Malawi, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Mozambique to Lusaka.

## See

The Mulungushi Rock of Authority (near Kabwe) is called "the birthplace of Zambian independence".
The Lusaka National Museum has an exhibition covering Zambia's colonial history, village life, and witchcraft.

## Do
### Natural areas

Kafue National Park, the country's largest, is shared with Southern and North-Western Provinces, and other natural areas include Blue Lagoon National Park, Kasanka National Park, the Bangweulu Wetlands, South Luangwa National Park, the Lunsemfwa and Lukusashi river valleys and Lukanga Swamp.

### Events

The Ikubi Lya Loongo festival celebrated in Mumbwa district during July and Ichibwela Mushi festival celebrated in Mkushi district during September are the major festivals in the Central Province.
Other festivals include the Musaka Jikubi festival celebrated in Mumbwa district by the Kaonde tribe during September, the Kulamba Kubwalo festival celebrated in Chibombo district by the Lenje tribe during October, and the Ikubi Lya Malumbe-Munyama festival celebrated in Mumbwa district by the Kaonde Ila tribe during October.
The Kulamba Kubwalo festival is attended by 250,000 people in Chibombo district annually to pay tribute to their leader and celebrate the harvest