Ndola
| Ndola | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 |
|
| Nickname(s): NoliNoli | |
 Ndola
|
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| Coordinates: 12°58′00″S 28°38′00″E / 12.96667°S 28.63333°E | |
| Country |
 Zambia
|
| Province | Copperbelt Province |
| District | Ndola District |
| Elevation | 4,300 ft (1,300 m) |
| Population (2010 census) | |
| • Total | 455,194 |
| Climate | Cwa |
Ndola is the third largest city in Zambia, with a population of 455,194 (2010 census provisional). It is the industrial and commercial center of the Copperbelt, Zambia's copper-mining region, and capital of Copperbelt Province. It is also the commercial capital city of Zambia and has one of the three international airports, others being Livingstone and Lusaka. It lies just 10 km from the border with DR Congo.
Ndola was founded in 1904, by John Edward "Chiripula" Stephenson just six months after Livingstone, making it the second oldest colonial-era town of Zambia. It was started as a boma and trading post, which laid its foundations as an administrative and trading centre today.
The Rhodesia Railways main line reached the town in 1907, providing passenger services as far south as Bulawayo, with connections to Cape Town. The line was extended into DR Congo and from there eventually linked to the Benguela Railway to the Atlantic port of Lobito (which took some of Zambia's copper exports for many years with recent interruptions by closures; the rail line is now back in service). The Ndola railhead was responsible for the town becoming the country's centre of distribution. Before the road network was built up in the 1930s, a track from Ndola to Kapalala on the Luapula River, and boat transport from there to the Chambeshi River was the principal trade route for the Northern Province, which consequently formed part of Ndola's hinterland.
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