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.

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: 390,580 km²
Land: 386,670 km²

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

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

Land use
Arable land: 7%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 12%
Forest and woodland: 62%
Other: 19%

Irrigated land: 2,200 km² (1989 est.)

Population: 10,837,772 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 1.32% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Zimbabwean(s)
Adjective: Zimbabwean

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

Languages: English (official), Shona, Sindebele

Religions:

Population growth rate: 1.32% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 38.16 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 17.68 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: -7.27 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Environment
Current issues: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare; deforestation; soil erosion; air and water pollution
Current issues note: landlocked

Infant mortality rate: 75.3 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 42.82 years
Male: 41.2 years
Female: 44.49 years (1993 est.)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 67%
Male: 74%
Female: 60%

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe
Conventional short form: Zimbabwe
Former: Southern Rhodesia

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Harare

Administrative divisions:

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

Executive branch: executive president, 2 vice presidents, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission:
In the us chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: (202) 332-7,100
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Edward Gibson LANPHER
From the us embassy: 172 Herbert Chitapo Avenue, Harare
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 3,340, Harare
From the us telephone: 263 (4) 794-521
From the us fax: 263 (4) 796-488

Flag description: seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white equilateral triangle edged in black based on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle

Economy overview: Agriculture employs three-fourths of the labor force and supplies almost 40% of exports. The manufacturing sector, based on agriculture and mining, produces a variety of goods and contributes 35% to GDP. Mining accounts for only 5% of both GDP and employment, but supplies of minerals and that on average has matched the 3% annual increase in population. Helped by an IMF/World Bank structural adjustment program, output rose 3.5% in 1991. A severe drought in 1991/92 caused the economy to contract by about 10% in 1992.

Real gdp growth rate: -10% (1992 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $545 (1992 est.)

Agriculture products: accounts for 13% of GDP and employs 74% of population; 40% of land area divided into 4,500 large commercial farms and 42% in communal lands; crops - corn (food staple), cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; livestock - cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; self-sufficient in food

Industries: mining, steel, clothing and footwear, chemicals, foodstuffs, fertilizer, beverage, transportation equipment, wood products

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 5% (1991 est.), accounts for 38% of GDP

Labor force: 3.1 million
By occupation agriculture: 74%
By occupation transport and services: 16%
By occupation construction: 10% (1987)

Unemployment rate: at least 35% (1993 est.)

Budget: revenues $2.7 billion; expenditures $3.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $330 million (FY91)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Exports: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: agricultural 35% (tobacco 20%, other 15%), manufactures 20%, gold 10%, ferrochrome 10%, cotton 5%
Partners: UK 14%, Germany 11%, South Africa 10%, Japan 7%, US 5% (1991)

Imports: $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: machinery and transportation equipment 37%, other manufactures 22%, chemicals 16%, fuels 15%
Partners: UK 15%, Germany 9%, South Africa 5%, Botswana 5%, US 5%, Japan 5% (1991)

Exchange rates: Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1 - 6.3532 (February 1993), 5.1046 (1992), 3.4282 (1991), 2.4480 (1990), 2.1133 (1989), 1.8018 (1988)

Electricity
Production: 3,650,000 kW capacity; 8,920 million kWh produced, 830 kWh per capita (1991)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $412.4 million, about 6% of GDP (FY91 est.)

Airports: 485
Usable: 403
With permanentsurface runways: 22
With runways over 3659 m: 2
With runways 2440-3659 m: 3
With runways 1220-2439 m: 29

Pipelines: petroleum products 212 km

Waterways: Lake Kariba is a potential line of communication

Disputes international: quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia is in disagreement