Zambia - Cooperbelt Province @ 22000km

Zambia – Copperbelt Province 22,200km

Our runners cross the border and enter Zambia, to the North of the city of Kitwe in the Copperbelt Province. Kitwe is the second largest city in Zambia and twinned with both Sheffield and Detroit, which may hint towards its industrial nature. Initially it was founded as a support town for the nearby copper mining area of Nkana but eventually surpassed it in terms of size and importance.

The landscape is described as an attractive mix of gently undulating (hopefully not too undulating!!) woodland, dambos (a class of wetland) , farmland and rivers such as the Kafue river flowing along Kitwe's eastern and southern edges.

One of the first stops on our Zambian adventure is Chingola. The town is considered the most picturesque in the Copperbelt, with an abundance of trees and flowers. The higher rainfall that this part of the country gets playing a large part in this. Conversely, Chingola is home to the biggest open-cast mine in Africa and it possible to visit this if our athletes fancy a break! Another option for tourists is the Chimfunshi Chimpanzee Sanctuary, it is one of the World’s largest and oldest shelters for chimpanzees. Chimfunshi gives 120 chimpanzees a species-appropriate home with the highest possible level of freedom, within a wild area of 4,200 hectares.

Copper is still Zambia’s main export and has a rich history. Early European prospectors were shocked at the extent of tribal diggings found on the Copperbelt. In keeping with the attitudes of the time, many prospectors refused to believe that the local tribes people were in fact responsible for the digging, despite the fact there was evidence of “red gold” being traded in the area for centuries.

Like a large proportion of Zambia and Zimbabwe the area is hugely linked with Cecil Rhodes and his companies. The railway built by his company reached the area in the 1930’s.

Cecil Rhodes, was an ardent believer in the British Empire. Rhodes and his British South African Company founded the southern African territory of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia), which the company named after him in 1895.