Map of Zimbabwe | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated to keep whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded 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.


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Location: Southern Africa between South Africa and Zambia

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S 30 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Comparative: slightly larger than Montana

Land boundaries

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)

Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east

Elevation

Natural resources: coal chromium ore asbestos gold nickel copper iron ore vanadium lithium tin platinum group metals

Land use

Irrigated land: 1930 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Geography
Note: landlocked


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Population: 11,342,521
Growth rate: 0.26% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: 60% (1999 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: African 98% (Shona 71% Ndebele 16% other 11%) white 1% mixed and Asian 1%

Languages: English (official) Shona Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele sometimes called Ndebele) numerous but minor tribal dialects

Religions: syncretic (part Christian part indigenous beliefs) 50% Christian 25% indigenous beliefs 24% Muslim and other 1%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.26% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 25 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 22.43 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 62.25 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 3.34 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Harare

Administrative divisions: 8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status; Bulawayo* Harare* Manicaland Mashonaland Central Mashonaland East Mashonaland West Masvingo Matabeleland North Matabeleland South Midlands

Dependent areas

Independence: 18 April 1980 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 18 April (1980)

Constitution: 21 December 1979

Legal system: mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral parliament called House of Assembly (150 seats - 120 elected by popular vote for six-year terms 12 nominated by the president 10 occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers and 8 occupied by provincial governors)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or DP [Emmanuel MAGOCHE]; Forum Party of Zimbabwe [Enock DUMBUTSHENA]; Movement for Democratic Change or MOC [Morgan TSVANGIRAYI]; Popular Democratic Front or PDF [Austin CHAKAODZA]; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-NDONGA or ZANU-NDONGA [Ndabaningi SITHOLE]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert MUGABE]; Zimbabwe Unity Movement or ZUM [Edgar TEKERE]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB C CCC ECA FAO G-15 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM (observer) ISO ITU NAM OAU OPCW PCA SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIK UNTAET UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles to consolidate earlier progress in developing 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 suffers delays in part because of the country's failure to meet budgetary goals. Inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to 59% in 1999. The economy is being steadily weakened by AIDS; Zimbabwe has the highest rate of infection in the world. Per capita GDP which is twice the average of the poorer sub-Saharan nations will increase little if any in the near-term and Zimbabwe will suffer continued frustrations in developing its agricultural and mineral resources.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,400 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: corn cotton tobacco wheat coffee sugarcane peanuts; cattle sheep goats pigs

Industries: mining (coal gold copper nickel tin clay numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores) steel wood products cement chemicals fertilizer clothing and footwear foodstuffs beverages

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 5 million (1997 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 66%
By occupation services: 24%
By occupation industry: 10% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate: 50% (1999 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 60% (1999 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 59% (1999 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $2 billion (f.o.b. 1999 est.)
Commodities: tobacco 23% gold 14% ferroalloys 7% cotton 6% (1997 est.)
Partners: South Africa 12% UK 11% Germany 8% Japan 6% US 6% (1997 est.)

Imports: $2 billion (f.o.b. 1998 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 39% other manufactures 18% chemicals 15% fuels 10% (1997 est.)
Partners: South Africa 37% UK 7% US 6% Japan 6% Germany 5% (1997 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $5 billion (1998)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1 - 38.1679 (January 2000) 38.3142 (1999) 21.4133 (1998) 11.8906 (1997) 9.9206 (1996) 8.6580 (1995)


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Electricity
Production: 6.97 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 8.403 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 1.921 billion kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 212,000 (in addition there are about 20,000 fixed telephones in wireless local loop connections) (1997)
Mobile cellular: 70,000 (1999)

Telephone system: system was once one of the best in Africa but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: 10 (1999)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $127 million (FY99/00)
Percent of gdp: 3.1% (FY99/00)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 459 (1999 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines: petroleum products 212 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: the Mazoe and Zambezi rivers are used for transporting chrome ore from Harare to Mozambique

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: significant transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin mandrax and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European markets