Introducing Southern Zambia & Livingstone

The Southern Province of Zambia is one of the countries nine provinces.  This province is home to Zambia's premier tourist attraction, the world famous Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls which are shared with Zimbabwe. The centre of Zambia's Southern Province, the Southern Plateau, has the largest area of commercial farmland of any Zambian province, and produces most of the maize crop.

The Zambezi River forms the southern border of the Southern Province.  Lake Kariba which is formed by the Kariba Dam, can be found along the province's south-eastern edge. The eastern border of the Southern Province is the Kariba Gorge and Zambezi.  The north-east border of Zambia's Southern Province is the Kafue River and its gorge, dividing it from Lusaka Province.

The Kafue Flats are mostly located within the Southern Province's northern border with Zambia's Central Province. In the north west one can find part of the famous Kafue National Park which is the largest in Zambia as well as the lake which is formed by the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam.

The south-western border of Zambia's Southern Province with the Western Province runs through the teak forests around Mulobezi which once supported a commercial timber industry and for which the Mulobezi Railway was built.

The provincial capital of the Southern Province is Livingstone. The Batonga are the largest ethnic group in Zambia's Southern Province. A rail line and the Lusaka-Livingstone road forms the principal transport axis of the province, running through its centre and its farming towns: Kalomo, Choma, Pemba, Monze, and Mazabuka. In addition to maize, other commercially important activities include sugar cane plantations at the edge of the Kafue Flats, and cattle ranching.

Coal Mine: Maamba Coal Mine

The Southern Province has the only large source of fossil fuel in Zambia which is the Maamba coal mine located in the Zambezi valley.  The Maamba coal mine is served by a branch line of the railway.

National Parks and wildlife areas of the Southern Province

• Southern half of Kafue National Park
• Lochinvar National Park and the Kafue Flats in the north
• Victoria Falls National Park, the Zambezi and Batoka Gorges in the south
• Lake Kariba in the south-east

Districts of Southern Zambia

The Southern Province of Zambia is divided into 11 districts:

• Choma
• Gwembe
• Itezhi-Tezhi
• Kalomo
• Kazungula
• Livingstone
• Mazabuka
• Monze
• Namwala
• Siavonga
• Sinazongwe.