DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70004#0204
202
IX. Summary
This study concerns a topic not previously the subject of systematic investi-
gation by geographers, namely the spatial effects of the Christian missions. It
attempts to explain spatial structures within the framework of the social and
economic geography of a Southern African country, doing so by isolating the
Christian missions as a causative factor. Black Africa, which even at the turn
of the century was only Christianized in its fringe areas, must be seen today
as a predominantly Christian continent since the majority of its inhabitants
consider themselves to be Christian. Today, less than 20% of the population
belong to the traditional African religions and Islam is regionally limited to
the Sudan and Sahel zones of West Africa and the East African coast.
That part of Africa which has become known as Zambia was one of the last to
be reached by the Christian missions, which entered the area at the end of the
19th century. In many cases they preceded colonial occupation. The Protes-
tants were organised into mission societies whilst the Catholics had orders,
both establishing mission stations. Northwestern and Northeastern Rhodesia,
as the territory became known after occupation by the British South Africa
Company, was characterised by a great variety of missions. By the First World
War twelve Protestant societies and two Catholic orders were working there,
and more arrived later. All important Protestant denominations were rep-
resented. The missionaries were predominantly British, yet there were also
French, North Americans, South Africans, Irish, Germans, Poles and Italians.
The variety of mission societies has meant the growth of a diversity of Chris-
tian churches, encompassing almost three-quarters of the national population.
They range from the large Catholic Church with over a third of the country’s
Christians, to the smaller charismatic or African independent groups having
less than 100 adherents. Independent African churches are not as important in
Zambia as they are in other Black African countries since a large proportion
of the potential membership has been absorbed by the Jehovah’s Witnesses
(“Watchtower”) who constitute the country’s second largest religious commu-
nity and who share many of the characteristics of the independent churches.
In an analysis of the spatial distribution of the more important churches the
distinction is drawn between national and regional (or ‘tribal’) churches. In
the former group are those churches which originally claimed that their de-
nomination should be represented throughout the country (e.g. the Catholic
and the Anglican churches) and the United Church of Zambia which is a result
of the merger of several regionally limited Protestant missions. These churches
are more urbanised than the total national population. By contrast, the Je-
hovah’s Witnesses and the Adventists, also national churches, have most of
their membership in the rural areas. This also applies to most of the other
Protestant and independent churches. However, they tend to be spatially re-
IX. Summary
This study concerns a topic not previously the subject of systematic investi-
gation by geographers, namely the spatial effects of the Christian missions. It
attempts to explain spatial structures within the framework of the social and
economic geography of a Southern African country, doing so by isolating the
Christian missions as a causative factor. Black Africa, which even at the turn
of the century was only Christianized in its fringe areas, must be seen today
as a predominantly Christian continent since the majority of its inhabitants
consider themselves to be Christian. Today, less than 20% of the population
belong to the traditional African religions and Islam is regionally limited to
the Sudan and Sahel zones of West Africa and the East African coast.
That part of Africa which has become known as Zambia was one of the last to
be reached by the Christian missions, which entered the area at the end of the
19th century. In many cases they preceded colonial occupation. The Protes-
tants were organised into mission societies whilst the Catholics had orders,
both establishing mission stations. Northwestern and Northeastern Rhodesia,
as the territory became known after occupation by the British South Africa
Company, was characterised by a great variety of missions. By the First World
War twelve Protestant societies and two Catholic orders were working there,
and more arrived later. All important Protestant denominations were rep-
resented. The missionaries were predominantly British, yet there were also
French, North Americans, South Africans, Irish, Germans, Poles and Italians.
The variety of mission societies has meant the growth of a diversity of Chris-
tian churches, encompassing almost three-quarters of the national population.
They range from the large Catholic Church with over a third of the country’s
Christians, to the smaller charismatic or African independent groups having
less than 100 adherents. Independent African churches are not as important in
Zambia as they are in other Black African countries since a large proportion
of the potential membership has been absorbed by the Jehovah’s Witnesses
(“Watchtower”) who constitute the country’s second largest religious commu-
nity and who share many of the characteristics of the independent churches.
In an analysis of the spatial distribution of the more important churches the
distinction is drawn between national and regional (or ‘tribal’) churches. In
the former group are those churches which originally claimed that their de-
nomination should be represented throughout the country (e.g. the Catholic
and the Anglican churches) and the United Church of Zambia which is a result
of the merger of several regionally limited Protestant missions. These churches
are more urbanised than the total national population. By contrast, the Je-
hovah’s Witnesses and the Adventists, also national churches, have most of
their membership in the rural areas. This also applies to most of the other
Protestant and independent churches. However, they tend to be spatially re-