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Zambian History - Test
Contributed by: Best
  • 1. Zambia, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, has a rich and diverse history that dates back to ancient times. The region that is now Zambia was inhabited by various indigenous tribes for centuries before the arrival of European explorers and colonizers. In the late 19th century, the area came under British control and was known as Northern Rhodesia. The struggle for independence from colonial rule was led by prominent figures such as Kenneth Kaunda, who later became the first President of Zambia upon gaining independence in 1964. Since then, Zambia has experienced periods of political stability and economic growth, as well as challenges such as poverty, corruption, and health crises like the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The country's history is marked by a vibrant cultural heritage, diverse ethnic groups, and a commitment to democracy and social development.

    Who was the first President of Zambia?
A) Frederick Chiluba
B) Kenneth Kaunda
C) Michael Sata
D) Levy Mwanawasa
  • 2. When did Zambia gain independence from British colonial rule?
A) 1986
B) 1958
C) 1972
D) 1964
  • 3. What is the capital city of Zambia?
A) Nairobi
B) Lusaka
C) Kigali
D) Harare
  • 4. Which major river forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe?
A) Congo
B) Zambezi
C) Nile
D) Orange
  • 5. What is Zambia's currency called?
A) Botswana pula
B) Zambian kwacha
C) South African rand
D) Zimbabwean dollar
  • 6. Which mineral is Zambia known for exporting?
A) Gold
B) Copper
C) Uranium
D) Diamonds
  • 7. Who was Zambia's first female Vice President?
A) Sylvia Masebo
B) Joyce Banda
C) Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
D) Inonge Wina
  • 8. What is Zambia's official language?
A) English
B) Bemba
C) Nyanja
D) Tonga
  • 9. Which sport is popular in Zambia?
A) Rugby
B) Cricket
C) Soccer
D) Golf
  • 10. What type of government does Zambia have?
A) Monarchy
B) Dictatorship
C) Communism
D) Republic
  • 11. Which famous political leader from South Africa spent time in prison in Zambia during apartheid?
A) Nelson Mandela
B) Thabo Mbeki
C) Winnie Mandela
D) Jacob Zuma
  • 12. Which European explorer was one of the first to visit the area that is now Zambia?
A) Vasco da Gama
B) David Livingstone
C) Christopher Columbus
D) Marco Polo
  • 13. What is Zambia's largest ethnic group?
A) Tonga
B) Ngoni
C) Bemba
D) Lozi
  • 14. Which famous waterfall is located on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border?
A) Victoria Falls
B) Iguazu Falls
C) Angel Falls
D) Niagara Falls
  • 15. What is the name of the traditional Zambian ceremony where the Paramount Chief is crowned?
A) Ku'omboka
B) Kuomboka
C) Ukusefya Pa Ng'wena
D) Likumbi Lya Mize
  • 16. What was the name of the independence movement in Zambia?
A) United National Independence Party (UNIP)
B) National Democratic Congress
C) Zambia First Party
D) Movement for Multiparty Democracy
  • 17. What is the traditional beer in Zambia made from?
A) Wheat
B) Sorghum
C) Maize
D) Barley
  • 18. What is the name of the traditional Zambian dish made from maize meal?
A) Nshima
B) Ubwali
C) Ishima
D) Chibwabwa
  • 19. When did Northern Rhodesia become a British protectorate?
A) 1963
B) 1964
C) 1924
D) 1888
  • 20. Which event marked the end of colonial rule in Africa according to Harold Macmillan?
A) The independence of Northern Rhodesia from Britain.
B) The dissolution of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1963.
C) The declaration in 1960 that the age of colonial rule was ending.
D) The formation of the Republic of Zambia in 1964.
  • 21. What is the significance of Kalambo Falls in Zambian prehistory?
A) It shows evidence of human cultures dating back more than 36,000 years ago.
B) It was a major trade route for ancient Bantu peoples.
C) It is where the first European missionaries settled.
D) It marks the site where Broken Hill Man was discovered.
  • 22. Who were the early inhabitants of modern Zambia before AD 300?
A) The Khoisan and Batwa peoples.
B) The Kalanga/Shona traders.
C) The Portuguese.
D) The Bantu people.
  • 23. What was the primary reason for the decline of Great Zimbabwe?
A) The Bantu Expansion.
B) Migrations by the Ngoni people.
C) The arrival of European missionaries.
D) Increasing trade competition from other Kalanga/Shona kingdoms like Khami and Mutapa.
  • 24. What was the primary export of the Maravi Empire?
A) Salt.
B) Ivory.
C) Gold.
D) Copper.
  • 25. Who founded the Mutapa Empire?
A) Shaka Zulu.
B) Mwene Kongo VIII Mvemba.
C) Changamire Dombo.
D) Nyatsimba Mutota.
  • 26. What was the primary export of the Mutapa Empire?
A) Iron and ceramics.
B) Salt and copper.
C) Fabrics and beads.
D) Gold and ivory.
  • 27. Which empire defeated the Portuguese in their attempt to control trade routes along the Zambezi river?
A) The Rozvi Empire under Changamire Dombo.
B) The Luba Kingdom.
C) The Maravi Empire.
D) The Mutapa Empire.
  • 28. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Maravi Empire?
A) Succession disputes within the confederacy, attack by the Ngoni, and slave raids from the Yao.
B) The Bantu Expansion.
C) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
D) The arrival of European missionaries.
  • 29. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Luba-Lunda states?
A) The Bantu Expansion.
B) The arrival of European missionaries.
C) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
D) Atlantic and Indian Ocean slave trades, wars with breakaway factions, and instability.
  • 30. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Mutapa Empire?
A) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
B) Internal disputes and civil war, followed by conquest by the Portuguese and rival Shona states.
C) The arrival of European missionaries.
D) The Bantu Expansion.
  • 31. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Lunda Empire?
A) Wars with breakaway factions and instability caused by slave trades.
B) The Bantu Expansion.
C) The arrival of European missionaries.
D) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
  • 32. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Rozvi Empire?
A) The Bantu Expansion.
B) The arrival of European missionaries.
C) Internal conflicts and external pressures after defeating the Portuguese.
D) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
  • 33. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Barotse Kingdom?
A) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
B) Conquest by the Kololo and subsequent revolt by the Luyana.
C) The arrival of European missionaries.
D) The Bantu Expansion.
  • 34. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Chokwe state?
A) The arrival of European missionaries.
B) The Bantu Expansion.
C) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
D) Defeat by other ethnic groups and Portuguese intervention.
  • 35. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Swahili Coast trade?
A) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
B) The Bantu Expansion.
C) Competition and conflicts with Portuguese traders.
D) The arrival of European missionaries.
  • 36. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Kongo Kingdom?
A) The arrival of European missionaries.
B) The Bantu Expansion.
C) Internal conflicts and external pressures, including slave trades.
D) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
  • 37. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Zulu Empire?
A) Internal conflicts and external pressures after Shaka's reign.
B) The Bantu Expansion.
C) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
D) The arrival of European missionaries.
  • 38. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Ngoni state?
A) The arrival of European missionaries.
B) The Bantu Expansion.
C) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
D) Internal conflicts and external pressures after their migrations.
  • 39. What was the primary reason for the decline of the Kalanga/Shona kingdoms?
A) Competition and conflicts with Portuguese traders and other states.
B) Trade competition from Great Zimbabwe.
C) The Bantu Expansion.
D) The arrival of European missionaries.
  • 40. In which year did Cecil Rhodes obtain mineral rights concessions from local chiefs in Central Africa?
A) 1888
B) 1895
C) 1923
D) 1900
  • 41. Which company initially administered Northern and Southern Rhodesia under British control?
A) South African Rhodesian Selection Trust (RST)
B) Northern Territories Exploration Co.
C) British South Africa Company (BSAC)
D) Anglo American Corporation (AAC)
  • 42. Who was the American prospector credited with discovering major copper deposits in Central Africa?
A) David Livingstone
B) Cecil Rhodes
C) Henry Morton Stanley
D) Frederick Russell Burnham
  • 43. In which year did the British government decide not to renew the BSAC's charter, leading to Southern Rhodesia being annexed?
A) 1923
B) 1953
C) 1940
D) 1935
  • 44. In which year were enormous copper deposits discovered on the Copperbelt, transforming Northern Rhodesia's economy?
A) 1953
B) 1940
C) 1935
D) 1928
  • 45. What event in 1935 highlighted poor safety records and increased taxes for African mineworkers?
A) Formation of the Central African Federation
B) Discovery of copper deposits
C) White miners' strike
D) African mineworkers' Copperbelt strike
  • 46. How many seats did UNIP win in the pre-independence elections?
A) 75 seats
B) 10 seats
C) 25 seats
D) 55 seats
  • 47. In what year were all political parties except UNIP banned in Zambia?
A) 1980
B) 1968
C) 1973
D) 1972
  • 48. What system was formalized in the 1973 constitution of Zambia?
A) One-party participatory democracy
B) Multi-party democracy
C) Federal republic
D) Military dictatorship
  • 49. How many leaders from each province were part of the Committee of 14?
A) Four leaders
B) Three leaders
C) One leader
D) Two leaders
  • 50. What was the goal of Zambia's economic policy after independence?
A) To integrate fully into the global economy
B) To achieve self-sufficiency through import substitution
C) To become a major exporter of agricultural products
D) To establish a strong manufacturing sector
  • 51. Which hydroelectric station helped Zambia meet its electricity needs?
A) The Kariba hydroelectric station
B) The Victoria Falls hydroelectric station
C) The Inga Dam hydroelectric station
D) The Cahora Bassa hydroelectric station
  • 52. Which country did Zambia have especially close relations with outside the Non-Aligned Movement?
A) Soviet Union
B) United Kingdom
C) Yugoslavia
D) United States
  • 53. What percentage of the presidential vote did Chiluba win in 1991?
A) 85%
B) 50%
C) 60%
D) 76%
  • 54. How many seats did the MMD secure in the National Assembly in 1991?
A) 150
B) 125
C) 75
D) 100
  • 55. When did the coup d'état attempt take place in 1997?
A) 28 October
B) 5 September
C) 12 December
D) 15 June
  • 56. How many people were arrested after the failed 1997 coup?
A) 30
B) 50
C) 100
D) At least 84
  • 57. Who succeeded Frederick Chiluba as President of Zambia?
A) Levy Patrick Mwanawasa
B) Edgar Lungu
C) Michael Sata
D) Rupiah Banda
  • 58. Who was the Zambian president from 2008 to 2011?
A) Michael Sata
B) Edgar Lungu
C) Rupiah Banda
D) Levy Patrick Mwanawasa
  • 59. Who became acting President of Zambia after Michael Sata's death?
A) Levy Patrick Mwanawasa
B) Guy Scott
C) Rupiah Banda
D) Edgar Lungu
  • 60. Who won the Zambian presidential election on 24 January 2015?
A) Edgar Chagwa Lungu
B) Michael Sata
C) Rupiah Banda
D) Hakainde Hichilema
  • 61. In which year did Edgar Lungu win re-election narrowly in the first round?
A) 2015
B) 2021
C) 2016
D) 2017
  • 62. Who defeated incumbent President Edgar Lungu in the 2021 presidential election?
A) Michael Sata
B) Guy Scott
C) Hakainde Hichilema
D) Rupiah Banda
  • 63. Who was the Zambian president from 2011 to 2014?
A) Michael Sata
B) Levy Patrick Mwanawasa
C) Rupiah Banda
D) Edgar Lungu
  • 64. Who was the Zambian president before Hakainde Hichilema?
A) Michael Sata
B) Levy Patrick Mwanawasa
C) Rupiah Banda
D) Edgar Lungu
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