Meaning & use
Lusaka
Last updated
Meaning
proper nounproper
The capital city of Zambia, in the south-central part of the country, and its largest city.
Grammar: A place name, so it takes no article and is capitalized: I flew to Lusaka, not to the Lusaka.
Patterns
- fly to Lusaka
- live in Lusaka
- the capital, Lusaka
She grew up in Lusaka before moving to the coast.
The conference will be held in Lusaka next March.
From Lusaka you can reach the Zambian Copperbelt by road in a few hours.
Common combinations
- the capital, Lusaka
- The capital, Lusaka, sits on a high plateau.
- Lusaka International Airport
- We landed at Lusaka International Airport just after dawn.
- a flight to Lusaka
- He booked a flight to Lusaka for the following week.
- the University of Zambia, Lusaka
- She studied law at the University of Zambia, Lusaka.
- travel from Lusaka
- They traveled from Lusaka to Livingstone by bus.
Word family
- Zambian adjective
- Relating to Zambia or its people; also used as a noun for a person from Zambia.
Commonly confused: Lusaka or Zambia? Lusaka or Livingstone?
Lusaka vs Zambia
Zambia is the country; Lusaka is its capital city. Do not say 'I live in Zambia's Lusaka' when 'I live in Lusaka' is enough.
Lusaka vs Livingstone
Livingstone is a Zambian city near Victoria Falls and a tourist gateway, not the capital; Lusaka is the political and economic center.
Practice
Which sentence uses the name of Zambia's capital correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Lusaka' is a proper noun used without an article, and it is the single capital of Zambia, so 'the capital of Zambia' fits. Option 2 has the wrong verb form, option 1 wrongly adds 'the', and option 4 wrongly uses 'a' for a unique place.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Lusaka”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.