The M1 Road is a road in northern

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

. It connects

Mpika Mpika is a town in the Muchinga Province of Zambia, lying at the junction of the M1 Road to Kasama and Mbala and the Tanzam Highway ( Great North Road) to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in the north-east and Lusaka in the south-west. It also has a ra ...

Muchinga Province Muchinga Province is one of the ten provinces of Zambia. It is located in the northeast of the country and borders with Tanzania in the north, Malawi in the east, Eastern Province in the south, Central Province in the southwest, Luapula Province ...

with Mbala in the Northern Province on the border with

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

and the

Mpulungu Mpulungu is a town in the Northern Province of Zambia, at the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika.Camerapix: "Spectrum Guide to Zambia." Camerapix International Publishing, Nairobi, 1996. From Mpulungu, boats reach DR Congo, Tanzania and Burundi. Th ...

port of

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. ...

via Kasama. The northern section is a

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...

(there is a tollgate between Kasama and Mbala). This stretch of road is commonly known as the ''Old Great North Road'', as the name ''Great North Road'' has been given to the T2 Road from Mpika to the border with Tanzania after

Nakonde Nakonde is a town in the Muchinga Province of Zambia, on the border with Tanzania. It is at the northern end of Zambia's Great North Road ( T2 Road). It is the principal commercial and political headquarters of Nakonde District and the distri ...

, which is part of the

Tanzam Highway The Tanzam Highway leads from Lusaka in Zambia to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The highway was built from 1968 to 1973 in several stages and was intended to provide seaport access for Zambia and to expand the transport options for Zambia, Malawi ...

Cape to Cairo Road The Cape to Cairo Road or Pan-African Highway, sometimes called the Great North Road in sub-Saharan Africa, was a proposed road that would stretch the length of Africa, from Cape Town to Cairo, through the Cape to Cairo Red Line of British Em ...

and Cairo-Cape Town Highway (as a result, the T2 is a more recognized route).

Route

The M1 begins in

, at a junction with the T2 Road (

;

). It begins by leaving the town in a northwesterly direction and it proceeds northwards, through the villages of Kanchibiya District (Kabuko, Katumba, Kasongo and Mpepo), to enter the Northern Province and cross the

Chambeshi River The Chambeshi (or Chambezi) River of northeastern Zambia is the most remote headstream of the Congo River (in length) and therefore it is considered the source of the Congo River. (However, by volume of water, the Lualaba River provides a greater ...

at the town of Chandesi. At Chandesi, the M1 meets a road going eastwards providing access to the city of

Chinsali Chinsali is a town in Zambia, which is both the district headquarters of Chinsali District and provincial headquarters of Muchinga Province. Location It lies just off the road between Mpika and Isoka (Tanzam Highway; Zambia's Great North Roa ...

(Capital of Muchinga Province). The M1 proceeds northwards to enter the city of Kasama (Capital of Northern Province). The distance from Mpika to Kasama is 214 Kilometres. At a 4-way-junction in Kasama Central, next to the Kasama Golf Club, as the road westwards is the M3 Road to the town of

Mansa Mansa may refer to: Places In India * Mansa, Gujarat, a town in northern Gujarat, Western India; the capital of: ** Mansa, Gujarat Assembly constituency ** Mansa State, a princely state under the Mahi Kantha Agency in India * Mansa district, ...

(Capital of the

Luapula Province Luapula Province is one of Zambia's ten provinces located in the northern part of the country. Luapula Province is named after the Luapula River and its capital is Mansa. As per the 2010 Zambian census, the Province had a population of 991,92 ...

), the M1 becomes the road northwards from this junction by way of a right turn. At the junction with Milungu Road, the M1 meets a road (D18) which provides access to

Mungwi District Mungwi District is a district of Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as ...

in the east. The M1 continues northwards for 165 Kilometres, through the Kateshi Toll Plaza, through

Nseluka Nseluka is a small town in northern Zambia. It is on the M1 road, which heads to Kasama in the south and Mbala/Mpulungu in the north. Statistics * elevation – Transport It has a station on the TAZARA railway. It is the proposed junction ...

and Senga Hill, to the town of Mbala. It reaches a t-junction with the M2 Road, which goes to the

port of

in the west. The M1 turns to the north-east and heads for 26 kilometres to end at a border with

, where it becomes the T20 Road to

Sumbawanga Sumbawanga is a city located in western Tanzania. It is the capital of Rukwa Region and the municipal seat of Sumbawanga Urban District with postcode number 55100 . The district had a population of approximately 150,000 based on the 2002 census. S ...

in the

Rukwa Region Rukwa Region (''Mkoa wa Rukwa'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions with a postcode number 55000. The regional capital is the municipality of Sumbawanga. According to the 2012 national census, the region had a population ...

Great North Road

The M1 Road was part of the original Great North Road of Zambia, which ran first as the T2 Road from

Lusaka Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...

(Capital City of Zambia) northwards, continuing by a right turn at

Kapiri Mposhi Kapiri Mposhi is a Zambian town, seat of the Kapiri Mposhi District, Central Province. Located north of Lusaka, it stands on the Great North Road and is significant for the railway connection between Zambia Railways line from Kitwe to Lusaka ...

, via a left turn in

to become the M1 Road, to Mbala. But today, The M1 Route from Mpika to Mbala is referred to as the ''Old Great North Road''. This is because the continuation of the T2 from Lusaka, passed Mpika, through

into

provides easier access to important towns in Tanzania, including

Arusha Arusha City is a Tanzanian city and the regional capital of the Arusha Region, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 in the surrounding Arusha District Council (2012 census). Located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern bran ...

and the

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...

sea port for trade. The T2 continuation from Mpika to its end at the Tanzania border after Nakonde is part of the

(trade route),

(famed road) and Cairo-Cape Town Highway (

Trans-African Highway Network The Trans-African Highway network comprises transcontinental road projects in Africa being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (ADB), and the African Union in conjunction with reg ...

no. 4). As a result, it's a more recognized route internationally. But the M1 is still an important route to The Republic of Zambia, as it is the route transporters from the

port at

use to access the rest of Zambia, transporting imported goods.

M2 Road

The M2 Road is the road which provides access to the town and port of

. From the

port of Mpulungu, the M2 Road goes east-south-east for 38 kilometres to reach its junction with the M1 Road in Mbala, next to the Mbala Airport, where it ends.

References

{{Roads in Zambia Main Roads in Zambia Roads in Zambia Road infrastructure in Zambia Northern Province, Zambia Muchinga Province

Route

Great North Road

M2 Road

See also

References