From Colonial Rhodesia to Modern Zimbabwe: the Naming Timeline of Africa’s Z Nations

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Northern Rhodesia moved toward statehood with relative speed following the collapse of the ill-fated Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1963. Liberation movements led by the United National Independence Party (UNIP), headed by Kenneth Kaunda, demanded an immediate end to colonial governance and an authentic indigenous name for the nascent republic.

Rather than adopt an ethnic or dynastic title that might alienate parts of its diverse population of over 70 ethnolinguistic groups, the leadership looked to the waterway that defined its southern boundary. They derived the name Zambia directly from the Zambezi River. In local Tonga and Lozi dialects, variants of the term, such as Yambezhi, translate roughly to "the great river" or "gathering of waters."

When midnight struck on October 24, 1964, Northern Rhodesia ceased to exist. At a packed stadium in the capital city of Lusaka, the Union Jack was lowered, and the green, red, black, and orange flag of the Republic of Zambia took its place. Kenneth Kaunda assumed the presidency, securing the new state's position as the world's 114th independent nation and its first modern Z republic.