Mpika is a town in the Northern Province of Zambia, lying at the junction of the Great North Road to Kasama and Mbala and the Tanzam Highway to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It also has a railway station on the TAZARA Railway about 5 km away. Mpika is situated between the Muchinga Escarpment to the east and endless Miombo plains to the west. The town has an estimated population of 40,000 inhabitants (2008), while the district population is estimated 150,000 inhabitants. Since Mpika District is the biggest district in Zambia the population density is less than 4 people per square kilometre.