The Great East Road is a major road in

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 ...

and the main route linking its Eastern Province with the rest of the country. It is also the major link between Zambia and

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

and between Zambia and northern

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

.Terracarta: ''Zambia, 2nd edition'', International Travel Maps, Vancouver, Canada, 2000. However, the route does not carry as much traffic as many of the other regional arterial roads and between the main cities it serves,

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 ...

and

Chipata The city of Chipata is the administrative centre of the Eastern Province of Zambia and Chipata District. It was declared the 5th city of the country, after Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe and Livingstone, by President Edgar Lungu on 24 February 2017. The c ...

, it passes through rural and wilderness areas. In Lusaka the road forms the main arterial road for the eastern suburbs. The entire route from Lusaka to Chipata and the Malawi Border Post is designated the T4 Road on Zambia's road network.

History

, the capital of the Eastern Province was an early outpost of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

colonial administration Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

as Fort Jameson when Zambia was

Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...

. Like most of the Eastern Province, it had much easier access to Malawi, then the British

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over m ...

Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasala ...

, and to the Mozambique ports of

Quelimane Quelimane () is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais (or "River of the Good Signs"). The river was named when V ...

and Beira than to the rest of Northern Rhodesia, and so most trade and communication in early colonial days was eastwards. Until the mid-1920s mail, goods and passengers went between the capital of the territory at Livingstone and Fort Jameson by train through neighbouring countries — via

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...

and Beira to

Blantyre Blantyre () is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with an enumerated 800,264 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, L ...

and then by road. Before the Great East Road, the first direct vehicle access to the east of any kind was a track made in 1929 by transport companies following a more northerly route than the present road, and which crossed both the

Lunsemfwa River The Lunsemfwa River is a tributary of the Luangwa Rivers in Zambia and part of the Zambezi River basin. It is a popular river for fishing, containing large populations of tigerfish and bream. It rises on the south-central African plateau at an ele ...

and the Luangwa by pontoons made from dugout canoes roped together.H. C. N. Ridley: “Early History of Road Transport in Northern Rhodesia”, ''The

Northern Rhodesia Journal The ''Northern Rhodesia Journal'', often referred to simply as "NRJ", was produced between 1950 and 1965, by the Northern Rhodesian Government Printer, to record some of the early history of Northern Rhodesia. It is one of the most important sourc ...

'', Vol 2 No 5 (1954) Eventually the Northern Rhodesian authorities needed a better road to assert their control over the Eastern Province, and the first Great East Road was built in 1932 from the Great North Road at the small

railway town A railway town, or railroad town, is a settlement that originated or was greatly developed because of a railway station or junction at its site. North America During the construction of the First transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, temporar ...

(Livingstone was still the capital, and this junction of the 'Great Roads' together with the main north–south railway contributed to the decision to site the capital in Lusaka in 1935).

Route geography

The Eastern Province is a narrow slice of land sandwiched between Mozambique and Malawi to its south and east, and the

Luangwa Valley The Luangwa River is one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi River, and one of the four biggest rivers of Zambia. The river generally floods in the rainy season (December to March) and then falls considerably in the dry season. It is one of ...

, world-famous for its wildlife, to the north-west, which no highways cross. Apart from a bush track over the highlands in the far north of the province, a narrow neck of land in the west became the only way in from or out to the rest of Zambia, and as the only highway to cross it, the Great East road is strategically vulnerable. This neck is cut by the lower Luangwa River making a turn due south to the

Zambezi The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...

, in a narrow and deep valley with steep slopes and thick vegetation, amounting in some sections to a gorge. The river is 250 to 400 m wide in this area, and flows quite fast, with a huge variation according to season.

The route and its branches

Crossing the steep terrain of the lower Luangwa valley was a major challenge. The 1929 track was usually closed in the rainy season, and so the first

Luangwa Bridge The Luangwa Bridge is the only large bridge and the principal engineering challenge on Zambia's Great East Road, crossing the lower Luangwa River where it flows from the Luangwa Rift Valley into the Zambezi valley. The river is 250–400 m w ...

was built in 1932 with funding from the Beit Trust. On the eastern side, once the road had climbed up the difficult terrain onto the Luangwa-Zambezi watershed at Nyimba,

Petauke Petauke is a town and seat of Petauke District located in the Eastern Province, Zambia, Eastern Province of Zambia. Petauke is 425 km from the capital city Lusaka, roughly halfway between Lusaka and the Malawi border. The main spoken languag ...

, and

Katete Katete is a medium-sized town in the Eastern Province of Zambia, and is headquarters of Katete District. The town is at the foot of rocky hills which lie to its east, including Mpangwe Hill and Kangarema Hill, which rise to 1600 m. The hills ...

, the going is easier.

is reached 570 km from Lusaka and the road goes on to the

an border 20 km further on, where it connects via

Mchinji Mchinji is a town and the capital of the Mchinji District in the Central Region of Malawi. Mchinji Boma, located from the Zambian border and from the national capital, Lilongwe, is the major hub of government and general business. It has a m ...

to the Malawian capital of

Lilongwe Lilongwe (, , ) is the capital and most populated city of the African country of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020 that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in th ...

, just 120 km from the border. The Great East Road has 3 tollgates (one just east of Lusaka; one between Nyimba and

; one just west of Chipata).

Route

The T4 begins north of

Central, at a roundabout junction with the T2 Road ( Great North Road;

Cairo Road Cairo Road is the main thoroughfare of Lusaka, Zambia and the principal business, retail and service centre of the city. It is a section of the T2 road and was so named because it is a link in Cecil Rhodes' then dream of a Cape to Cairo Road ...

) and the M9 Road. It begins by going eastwards as the Great East Road to form the main road of the central-eastern suburbs, passing the Manda Hill Mall, Arcades Mall and East Park Mall before passing by the

University of Zambia The University of Zambia (UNZA) is a public university located in Lusaka, Zambia. It is Zambia's largest and oldest learning institution. The university was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966. The language of ...

main campus. Immediately after the

Kenneth Kaunda International Airport Kenneth Kaunda International Airport is an international airport located in Chongwe District, off the Great East Road, approximately northeast of the city centre of Lusaka, the capital and largest city of Zambia. The airport has a capaci ...

turn-off in the

Chelston Chelston, also Chelstone or Chakunkula, is a neighborhood in Zambia's capital city, Lusaka. Location Chelston is approximately , by road, northeast of downtown Lusaka, north of the highway (T4; Great East Road), between Lusaka and Chipata. To ...

e suburb (the last suburb of Lusaka), the T4 crosses into

Chongwe District Chongwe District is a district of Zambia, located in Lusaka Province. The capital lies at Chongwe. As of the 2000 Zambian Census, the district had a population of 137,461 people. Before 1997, Chongwe District, together with Kafue District Kafue ...

. From the airport turn-off, the T4 heads eastwards for 30 kilometres, though the Chongwe Toll Plaza, to the town of Chongwe, where it passes through the town centre as the main road. From Chongwe, the T4 continues eastwards for 115 kilometres to the town of Rufunsa in the district of the same name. From Rufunsa, the T4 goes eastwards for 70 kilometres to meet the northern terminus of the D145, which goes southwards to the town of Luangwa (85 kilometres away). Immediately after the Luangwa turn-off, the T4 leaves

Lusaka Province Lusaka Province is one of the ten provinces of Zambia. Its capital is Lusaka, which is also the national capital. It is the smallest province in Zambia, with an area of 21,896 km2. Lusaka is also Zambia's most populated and most densely po ...

and crosses the

Luangwa River The Luangwa River is one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi River, and one of the four biggest rivers of Zambia. The river generally floods in the rainy season (December to March) and then falls considerably in the dry season. It is one of ...

into the Eastern Province as the

From the Luangwa Bridge, the T4 heads east-north-east for 165 kilometres, following the near borderline with

, through the town of Nyimba, through the Alexander Grey Zulu Toll Plaza, to bypass

to the south (where the D138 provides access to the town centre). From the Petauke turn-off, the T4 heads east-north-east for 87 kilometres, through the town of Sinda, to the town of

, where it meets the northern terminus of the T6 Road, which goes southwards to the border with

. The T6 is the main route used by motorists to access Mozambique from Zambia. From Katete, the T4 heads east-north-east for 80 kilometres, though the Reuben C Kamanga Toll Plaza, to enter the city of

, where it meets the southern terminus of the M12 Road (which goes north to

Lundazi Lundazi is a town in eastern Zambia, lying near the border with Malawi, around from Chipata. Lundazi is known as a "''Boma''" or administrative centre (Boma (enclosure), ''boma'' derives from the Swahili language, Swahili word for a thorn fence, ...

and the

South Luangwa National Park South Luangwa National Park is in eastern Zambia, the southernmost of three national parks in the valley of the Luangwa River. It is a world-renowned wildlife haven which is known to locals simply as "the South Park."Concentrations of game along ...

) before passing through the city centre in a south-easterly direction. Immediately after the Chipata City Centre, the T4 meets the northern terminus of the D128, which goes southwards to

Chadiza Chadiza is a town in the Eastern Province of Zambia. Its headquarters are located at Chadiza District. It lies 35 km south of the Great East Road and about 80 km south-south-west of Chipata, on a plateau (elevation 1050 m) studded by isolated r ...

. The T4 continues east-south-east for 18 kilometres to reach the

Mwami ''Mwami'' () is an honorific title common in parts of Central and East Africa. The title means ''chief'' or ''tribal chief'' in several Bantu languages. It was historically used by kings in several African nations, and is still used for traditi ...

Border with

, where it crosses the national boundary and becomes the M12 Road of Malawi, which connects to the city of

(120 kilometres away). The border settlement on the Malawian side is named

Branches

In addition to its east-west Lusaka-Malawi axis, the Great East Road links north to

(using the M12 Road from Chipata), north-west to the

(using the D104 Road from Chipata), south-east to Mozambique (using the T6 Road from Katete), and, in

, south to the

Lower Zambezi National Park The Lower Zambezi National Park lies on the north bank of the Zambezi River in southeastern Zambia. Until 1983 when the area was declared a national park, the area was the private game reserve of Zambia's president. This meant that the park was pro ...

and the town of Luangwa at the Luangwa-Zambezi river confluence (using the D145 from the Luangwa Bridge). In the 1960s the Great East road was paved, opening up the Luangwa Valley (and to some extent,

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest fre ...

) to tourism. At times the surface has deteriorated considerably. The section between Katete and the Luangwa Bridge was repaired and reconstructed around 2002/3.

Strategic significance

As well as being strategically vulnerable as described above, the Great East Road is within a few kilometres of Mozambique and a few tens of kilometres of Zimbabwe, where there were

wars of independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...

in the 1960s and 1970s. As a result of Zambia's political support for the anti-apartheid and

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

sides in these conflicts, armed incursions cut the road at the

— see that topic for further details.

T6 Road

The T6 Road is the road that links Zambia with Northern

. At the town of

, 80 Kilometres west of

, 490 Kilometres east of

, at a junction with the T4 Great East Road, begins the road going south-east towards the border with Mozambique. The T6 Road is 55 km in length from Katete, passing through Chilembwe and Mlolo (through the western side of

Chadiza District Chadiza District with the headquarters at Chadiza lies in the extreme south-east corner of Zambia, bordering Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambh ...

), to the Chimefusa Border with Mozambique. The long road ahead through Mozambique (the N9 route) provides access to the city of

Tete Tete is the capital city of Tete Province in Mozambique. It is located on the Zambezi River, and is the site of two of the four bridges crossing the river in Mozambique. A Swahili trade center before the Portuguese colonial era, Tete continues ...

M12 Road

The M12 Road is the road that connects

with

and Chama. Together with the Great East Road (T4) to Lusaka, it is the main route connecting Chama and Lundazi with the rest of the country. The M12 is a road in a poor condition. A_Traffic_Sign

It starts at a junction with the T4 (Great East Road) just north-west of Chipata City Centre and goes northwards for 7 kilometres to reach a t-junction with the D104 (Chipata-Mfuwe Road), which goes north-west to the

Chipata Airport Chipata Airport is an airport serving Chipata, a city in the Eastern Province of Zambia. The Chipata non-directional beacon (Ident: CP) is located on the field. Location Chipata Airport is in eastern Zambia, near the town of Chipata, approxima ...

(2 kilometres away) and extends further to the tourist settlement of

Mfuwe Mfuwe is the main settlement of South Luangwa National Park in the Eastern Province of Zambia, serving the tourism industry and wildlife conservation in the Luangwa Valley. It is located in Mambwe District, about west-north-west of Chipata. Mfu ...

and its

International Airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...

south of the

and the

. At this junction, the M12 makes a right turn and goes northwards for 173 kilometres, following the

borderline, through the Chipangali and Lumezi Districts, to reach its northern terminus in the vicinity of the town of

, where it ends at another junction with the D104 Road coming from the

and the Luambe National Park in the west. The road continuing northwards from this junction is the D103 Road, which provides access to the town of Chama. The D109 continues eastwards from its junction with the D103 in Lundazi to the border with Malawi.

Luangwa Road

The Luangwa Road (designated as D145 on Zambia's road network) is the road that provides access to the town of Luangwa. It is the only road used to enter and exit Luangwa. It starts at a junction with the T4 (Great East Road) just west of the

Rufunsa District Rufunsa District is a district in Zambia, located in Lusaka Province. The district capital is Rufunsa. The district was established by President Michael Sata in 2012 by splitting Chongwe District. It is estimated to have a population of about 45,0 ...

, going southwards. It heads for 85 kilometres, following the

(which forms Zambia's boundary with

in this area), to reach the town of Luangwa adjacent to the Luangwa River and

Zambezi River The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...

confluence, where it ends in the town centre.

References

{{Roads in Zambia Transport in Zambia Roads in Zambia Road infrastructure in Zambia Trunk Roads in Zambia Lusaka Province Eastern Province, Zambia