| Background |
The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert Mugabe, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. |
| Location |
Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia |
| Area |
total: 390,580 sq km
water: 3,910 sq km
land: 386,670 sq km |
| Area - comparative |
slightly larger than Montana |
| Climate |
tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March) |
| Terrain |
mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east |
| Elevation extremes |
lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m
highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m |
| Natural resources |
coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals |
| Land use |
arable land: 8%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 91% (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards |
recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare |
| Environment - current issues |
deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution |
| Geography - note |
landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water |
| Population |
11,376,676
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
| Age structure |
0-14 years: 37.9% (male 2,178,073; female 2,128,287)
15-64 years: 58.4% (male 3,376,850; female 3,268,315)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 213,286; female 211,865) (2002 est.) |
| Population growth rate |
0.05% (2002 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate |
62.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth |
total population: 36.5 years
female: 35.1 years (2002 est.)
male: 37.87 years |
| Ethnic groups |
African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1% |
| Religions |
syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1% |
| Languages |
English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects |
| Literacy |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 85%
male: 90%
female: 80% (1995 est.) |
| Government type |
parliamentary democracy |
| Capital |
Harare |
| Independence |
18 April 1980 (from UK) |
| Legal system |
mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| Flag description |
seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow,
red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle
edged in black with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe
bird is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center
of the triangle
|
| Economy - overview |
The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles to consolidate earlier moves to develop a market-oriented economy. Its involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, has already drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the country's failure to meet budgetary goals. Inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to 59% in 1999, to 60% in 2000, and to 100% by yearend 2001. The economy is being steadily weakened by excessive government deficits, AIDS, and rampant inflation. The government's land reform program, characterized by chaos and violence, has derailed the commercial sector, the traditional source of exports and foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs. Distribution of income is extremely unequal. |
| GDP - per capita |
purchasing power parity - $2,450 (2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line |
60% (1999 est.) |
| Labor force |
5.5 million (2000 est.) |
| Unemployment rate |
60% (2001 est.) |
| Industries |
mining (coal, gold, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel, wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages |
| Agriculture - products |
corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs |
| Exports - commodities |
tobacco 30%, gold 11%, ferroalloys 9%, textile/clothing 3% (2000) |
| Imports - commodities |
machinery and transport equipment 34%, other manufactures 18%, chemicals 17%, fuels 11% (1999) |
