Luanshya District (Population: 212,864) is located in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Its GPS coordinates are -13.13667, 28.41661. The district lies approximately 337 kilometers from Lusaka, the capital city, and 35 kilometers from Ndola, the provincial headquarters. The town is governed by a Municipal Council.

A Town with Character

Perhaps Luanshya is best known in Zambia as the walled town — a description that’s not entirely accurate. The town features a wall fence on both sides of the main entrance, connected by a metal arch welcoming visitors to the Garden Town.

In the low-density area known as Newtown, streets are named after flowers and plants in alphabetical order — the inspiration for the “Garden Town” name. During summer, Newtown comes alive with blooming flame and jacaranda trees. Until the early 2000s, the town was anchored by a beautiful public garden reminiscent of a mini Hyde Park.

Nature & Agriculture

Luanshya is blessed with fertile land and abundant water. The rural parts — Ibenga and Mpongwe (KwiLamba, home of the Lamba Tribe) — host some of Zambia’s largest farms, including the well-known Nampamba Farms owned by Zambeef. The region produces some of the best mangoes and vegetables in Zambia. Also located here is the stunning Lake Kashiba, a collection of picturesque sunken pools.

Copper Discovery

Copper was first discovered in Luanshya in 1902 by colonialist William Collier, at a site that became the Roan Antelope Copper Mine. Legend has it that Collier shot a roan antelope, which fell dead on a rock where a visible seam of malachite (a copper ore) was exposed — inspiring the mine’s name.

Roan Antelope Mine became Zambia’s first commercial copper mine when operations began in 1927. Today, a monument stands at the discovery site — a structure made of copper plates with a plaque in William Collier’s honor.

Luanshya Facts

• Dagama Home for Handicapped Children — the only such facility in Zambia.
• Ibenga Girls Secondary School — originally founded in 1962 as St. Theresa Secondary School, run by Dominican sisters and built by Franciscan Missionary Fathers.
• The bicycle rack at Luanshya Library is the original from 1965 — though it’s now missing bicycles.
• The Luanshya Public Swimming Pool is the only Olympic-size pool in Zambia.
• The goal posts at Luanshya Rugby Club were once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest and straightest.
• Luanshya hosts Zambia Metal and Fabricating Company (ZAMEFA).
• In the 1950s, American Metal Climax, Inc. owned 32.65% of Roan Antelope Copper Mines and 50.61% of the Rhodesian Selection Trust Group. Roan Antelope cast its first copper in October 1931.