Macha, Zambia

Macha is located in the Southern Province of Zambia, 70 km from the nearest town of Choma and 350 km by road from the capital city of Lusaka. The topography of the area is somewhat undulating, primarily open savannah woodland averaging 1,100 meters above sea level. The climate is tropical. The Macha area is populated by traditional villagers, living in small scattered homesteads which usually consist of one extended family. There are no commercial farmers or industries in the area. The primary livelihood is subsistence farming with maize being the main crop.

There is an estimated population of 135,000 within an approximate 35 km radius around Macha. Overall population density in this area is 25 per square kilometer and 50% of the population is under 12 years old. The average income for a person in the village in the areas surrounding Macha is US$1 per day. A bus trip to the nearest town of Choma costs approximately US$5.

Institutes

At Macha, the following institutes operate:

Zambia

Coordinates: 15°S 30°E / 15°S 30°E / -15; 30

The Republic of Zambia /ˈzæmbiə/ is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is Lusaka, in the south-central part of Zambia. The population is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the northwest, the core economic hubs of the country.

Originally inhabited by Khoisan peoples, the region was affected by the Bantu expansion of the thirteenth century. After visits by European explorers in the eighteenth century, Zambia became the British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia towards the end of the nineteenth century. For most of the colonial period, Zambia was governed by an administration appointed from London with the advice of the British South Africa Company.