Kasama | |
|---|---|
| Nickname: Aba saamike akatambala ku chimuti | |
  Kasama Location in Zambia | |
| Coordinates:10°12′42″S31°10′42″E / 10.21167°S 31.17833°E /-10.21167; 31.17833 | |
| Country |  Zambia |
| Province | Northern Province |
| District | Kasama District |
| Elevation | 4,508 ft (1,374 m) |
| Population (2010 census) | |
• Total | 101,845 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
| Climate | Cwa |
Kasama is a town in theNorthern Province ofZambia. It serves as the provincial capital and the headquarters ofKasama District.[1]
It is situated on the central-southern African plateau, approximately 856 kilometres (532 mi), by road, north-east ofLusaka, the capital and largest city in Zambia.[2]
Kasama is located on theM1 road (oldGreat North Road) fromMpika in the south toMbala andMpulungu, at the tip ofLake Tanganyika, in the north.
The city population grew considerably in the 1970s and 1980s after construction of theTAZARA Railway through the city, and the tarring of the oldGreat North Road. Its population, according toEncyclopedia Britannica, was 74,243 in 2000 and had increased to 113,779 in 2010.[3]
The 1898/1899 interregnum on the Mwamba throne, the then second in rank from the Chitimukulu, made it possible for CatholicBishop Joseph 'Moto Moto' Dupont to facilitate the establishment of theBritishcolonial administration ofNorth-Eastern Rhodesia under AdministratorRobert Codrington. The first BSAC administrativeboma was established atKasama. Due to the town's central location as well as its closeness to Chitimukulu's and Mwamb's courts, it eventually became the largest and dominant town of the north-eastern lobe ofNorthern Rhodesia, then later, Zambia.
The town has a few modern facilities, among them are aShoprite Checkers branch, Budget Stores, a local supermarket called PJT and four bakeries. The town has branches of Zambiancommercial banks includingZambia National Commercial Bank, National Savings & Credit Bank,Atlas Mara Bank Zambia Limited,Standard Chartered Zambia,Cavmont Bank,Barclays Bank of Zambia,Access Bank Zambia andIndo-Zambia Bank Limited. The town has VISA and ATM services.[1]
Most people in Kasama are not formally employed, and they run small businesses to earn a living. The hospital is theKasama General Hospital, that provides locals with health services. The city has a police station and several police posts. The available mobile telephone operators includeMTN Group,Airtel Zambia andZamtel.[1]
There are several Agri Based industries in Kasama, which include Northern Coffee Company Limited (NCCL), a subsidiary of Olam International, growing coffee at Kateshi Estates,[4] and Kalungwishi Estates growing sugar cane and producing the Kasama Sugar brand.
Kasama is in the heartland of theBemba ethnic group,[1] whoseParamount ChiefChitimukulu maintains his headquarters 9 kilometres (6 mi) from Malole inMungwi District, which is 51 kilometres (32 mi) east of the Kasama city center.[5]
Kasama has the following residential compounds within the district council boundaries:
The compounds below are out of the council boundary:
Kasama is served by a good network of highways. It is on theM1 road, which goes south toMpika and north toMbala.[6] TheM3 road connects Kasama with Luwingu,Mansa and theCongo Pedicle in the west.[6] The D18 road connects Kasama with Mungwi andIsoka in the east.[6]
The1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge TAZARA Railway connectsTanzania to the north-east via Kasama, withZambia Railways atKapiri Mposhi to the south-west.
Air transport is accessible throughKasama Airport. It can accommodate small aircraft, and it is undergoing an upgrade to be able to accommodate larger aircraft. It was expected to be ready by the end of 2017,[7] but was complete in 2023.[8][9]
Kasama District has five main rivers, namely:Chambeshi, Lukulu, Lukupa, Lubansenshi and Luombe. TheChishimba Falls are found across the Luombe River and are one of the major tourist attractions inZambia. The falls host the 15 megawattsChishimba Hydroelectric Power Station.[10]
Kasama features ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cwa), close to atropical savanna climate (Köppen:Aw),[11] with clear wet and dry seasons. October and November are the hottest months, while June and July are the coolest months. Thewet season, from November to April, experiences high levels of humidity and rainfall, while thedry season, from May to September, is nearly rainless.[12]
| Climate data for Kasama (Kasama Airport) (1991–2020, extremes 1961–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32.2 (90.0) | 37.0 (98.6) | 33.1 (91.6) | 33.1 (91.6) | 32.1 (89.8) | 32.1 (89.8) | 30.9 (87.6) | 34.0 (93.2) | 36.5 (97.7) | 36.9 (98.4) | 36.8 (98.2) | 33.2 (91.8) | 37.0 (98.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.1 (80.8) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.6 (78.1) | 27.9 (82.2) | 30.6 (87.1) | 31.6 (88.9) | 30.3 (86.5) | 27.8 (82.0) | 29.2 (84.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.8 (71.2) | 21.8 (71.2) | 22.0 (71.6) | 21.3 (70.3) | 19.9 (67.8) | 18.1 (64.6) | 17.6 (63.7) | 19.8 (67.6) | 22.5 (72.5) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.6 (74.5) | 22.3 (72.1) | 21.2 (70.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.5 (61.7) | 16.4 (61.5) | 16.4 (61.5) | 15.3 (59.5) | 12.6 (54.7) | 10.2 (50.4) | 9.6 (49.3) | 11.6 (52.9) | 14.3 (57.7) | 16.4 (61.5) | 16.9 (62.4) | 16.7 (62.1) | 13.4 (56.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) | 13.1 (55.6) | 12.8 (55.0) | 9.8 (49.6) | 2.4 (36.3) | 1.0 (33.8) | 2.5 (36.5) | 0.0 (32.0) | 8.5 (47.3) | 11.4 (52.5) | 12.6 (54.7) | 10.9 (51.6) | 0.0 (32.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 254.4 (10.02) | 248.1 (9.77) | 238.9 (9.41) | 67.0 (2.64) | 2.6 (0.10) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.01) | 2.3 (0.09) | 35.5 (1.40) | 101.5 (4.00) | 261.4 (10.29) | 1,217.6 (47.94) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 82.7 | 82.3 | 82.1 | 77.3 | 69.5 | 63.2 | 57.6 | 51.9 | 44.4 | 50.2 | 67.4 | 80.6 | 67.4 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 133.3 | 134.4 | 179.8 | 222.0 | 288.3 | 297.0 | 306.9 | 306.9 | 279.0 | 251.1 | 207.0 | 151.9 | 2,757.6 |
| Source:NOAA[12][13] | |||||||||||||
At the end ofWorld War I, when it consisted of a handful of government offices and a dozen stores, it was evacuated by its British population of a couple of dozen in the face of a surprise raid from the north-east byGerman East African forces under GeneralPaul von Lettow-Vorbeck. Not knowing that thearmistice had occurred inEurope the day before, the Germans took the abandoned town on 12 November 1918 and continued south-west (there was nobattle at Kasama since the British imperial forces were atAbercorn), agreeing acease-fire at theChambeshi River on 14 November when they were informed of the Germansurrender in Europe. For further details, seeVon Lettow-Vorbeck Memorial.
Kasama is known for theStone Agerock art in the surrounding area.
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