Carrying the Zambia Flag - 2009 TM Convention - Opening Ceremonies

Congratulations! It is my privilege to inform you that you have been selected to carry the flag of Zambia the following country at our Opening Ceremonies at Toastmasters International Convention at Foxwoods on Wednesday evening, August 12, 2009. Val Albert, DTM, PID Opening Ceremonies Chair

Zambia declared its independence on the day of the closing ceremony of the 1964 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming the first country ever to have entered an Olympic games as one country, and left it as another.

Victoria Falls is by some measures the largest waterfall in the world

Kalambo Falls

Mwata Kazembe XVII Paul Kanyembo Lutaba chief of the Lunda people in Zambia in 1961

Coat of arms

Zambia

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The Republic of Zambia (pronounced /ˈzæmbiə/) is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is Lusaka, located in the southeast of the country. The population is concentrated mainly around the capital Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt to the northwest.

Zambia has been inhabited for thousands of years by hunter-gatherers and migrating tribes. After sporadic visits by European explorers starting in the 18th century, Zambia was gradually claimed and occupied by the British as protectorate of Northern Rhodesia towards the end of the nineteenth century. On 24 October 1964, the protectorate gained independence with the new name of Zambia, derived from the Zambezi river which flows through the country.

The country moved towards a repressive socialist one party regime with Kenneth Kaunda as president. By the end of 1980s, the regime was among the world's most heavily indebted. Despite massive foreign aid Zambians earned less than they did in 1964.[5] In 1991, Kaunda's dictatorship was replaced by multiparty democracy and the country started some economic reforms, but much of the positive impact has been offset by the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.[6] The average per capita income is US $1150 (World Bank, 2008). About 60 % of the population are reportedly living on less than one dollar 25 cent per day. [7]