Central Province, Zambia

Central
Province
Kundalila Falls
Map of the Central Province
Map of Central Province showing its districts
Coordinates: 14°00′S 29°00′E / 14.000°S 29.000°E / -14.000; 29.000
Country	Zambia
Capital	Kabwe
Government
• Type	Provincial Administration
• Provincial Minister	Princess Kasune
Area
• Total	110,450 km2 (42,640 sq mi)
Elevation	1,184 m (3,885 ft)
Population  (2018)
• Total	1,743,999
• Density	16/km2 (41/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2
ISO 3166 code	ZM-02
HDI (2018)	0.585[1] medium · 5th
Website	www.cen.gov.zm

Central Province is one of Zambia's ten provinces. The provincial capital is Kabwe, which is the home of the Mulungushi Rock of Authority. Central Province has an area of 94,394 km (58,654 mi). It borders eight other provinces and has eleven districts. The total area of forest in the province is 9,095,566 ha (22,475,630 acres), and it has a national park and three game management areas. The first mine in the region was opened up in 1905 making the then Broken Hill town the first mining town. In 1966, the town's name was reverted to its indigenous name - Kabwe (Kabwe-Ka Mukuba) meaning 'ore' or 'smelting'.

As of 2010, Central Province had a population of 1,307,111, comprising 10.05% of the total Zambian population. The literacy rate stood at 70.90% against a national average of 70.2%.^[2] Bemba was the most spoken language with 31.80% speaking it, and Lala was the majority clan in the province, comprising 20.3% of population. Central Province contains 20.64% of the total area of cultivated land in Zambia and contributes 23.85% of the total agricultural production in the country, with wheat being the major crop.

The Ikubi Lya Loongo festival during July and Ichibwela Mushi festival during September are the major festivals celebrated in the province. 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.