Ndola is a large city in the Copperbelt of northern Zambia, 10 km from the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. With a population in 2023 of 587,716, Ndola is all about mining. It powered the Zambian economy until the 1970s, then the price of copper crashed while oil prices soared, and Zambia sank under huge debts. The city has diversified into limestone, and from 2005 the price of copper recovered, but with little visible benefit to Ndola.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
The crackings and creakings of plate tectonics brought a rich vein of minerals, principally copper, to lie beneath northern Zambia, with the Katanga finger of the Democratic Republic of Congo extending south to share in this. This was loot for the colonial powers, exploiting dirt-cheap local labour in hazardous conditions for a valuable material whose profits were enjoyed far away - by Belgium for what is now the DRC, and by Britain for Northern Rhodesia which is now Zambia. Independence meant that a local clique clawed the profits away from multi-national companies, but with small benefit to the country at large or to those who sweated in the mines.
1 Dag Hammarskjöld Crash Site Memorial (10km southwest of Ndola, along highway to Kitwe). Site of the plane crash that killed former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961. There's a garden and a small museum dedicated to his life and the role of the UN. 2 Copperbelt Museum, Buteko Ave, downtown, ☏ +260 976568144. M-F 08:00-17:00, Sa 12:00-17:00, closed Su. Exhibits on local mining industry, bird species, and ethnography. (For Non Zambian Residents not worth it). Residents K10.00=0.50c. Non Residents USD5=K100. (updated Aug 2023)
Bei Tempi. Pizza and pasta Michelangelo's, 126 Broadway Rd. Wash the food down with a cold beer or some matured wine. Deja Vu. Uptown modern restaurant offering a wide variety of succulent cuisines. Vanilla Bread, 126 Broadway Rd. Coffeeshop next door to Michaelangelo's (run by the same owners).
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Ndola typically sees ~24°C daytime highs and 0 rainy days.
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