Background: The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] 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. His chaotic land redistribution campaign which began in 2000 caused an exodus of white farmers crippled the economy and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection. Opposition and labor strikes in 2003 were unsuccessful in pressuring MUGABE to retire early; security forces continued their brutal repression of regime opponents. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the Senate which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005 Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order ostensibly an urban rationalization program which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition according to UN estimates.

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S 30 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 390,580 km²
Land: 386,670 km²
Water: 3,910 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Montana

Land boundaries
Total: 3,066 km
Border countries: (4) Botswana 813 km; , Mozambique 1,231 km; , South Africa 225 km; , Zambia 797 km

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
Extremes lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m
Extremes 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: 8.24%
Permanent crops: 0.33%
Other: 91.43% (2005)

Irrigated land: 1740 km² (2003)

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

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
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 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 0.62% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: 80% (2004 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Zimbabwean
Adjective: Zimbabwean

Ethnic groups: African 98% (Shona 82% Ndebele 14% other 2%) mixed and Asian 1% white less than 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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 37.4% (male 2,307,170/female 2,265,298)
15-64 years: 59.1% (male 3,616,528/female 3,621,190)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 199,468/female 227,151) (2006 est.)

Median age
Total: 19.9 years
Male: 19.7 years
Female: 20 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.62% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 28.01 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 21.84 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate
Note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2006 est.)

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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 1 male/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 51.71 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 54.5 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 48.83 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 39.29 years
Male: 40.39 years
Female: 38.16 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.13 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 24.6% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 1.8 million (2001 est.)
Deaths: 170,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid
Vectorborne disease: malaria
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
Total population: 90.7%
Male: 94.2%
Female: 87.2% (2003 est.)

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

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Harare
Geographic coordinates: 17 50 S, 31 03 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the House of Assembly
Elections: presidential candidates nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least one from each province) and elected by popular vote for a six-year term (no term limits); election last held 9-11 March 2002 (next to be held March 2008); co-vice presidents appointed by the president
Election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 56.2%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 41.9%

Legislative branch
Elections: House of Assembly last held 31 March 2005 (next to be held in 2010), Senate last held 26 November 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
Election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 59.6%, MDC 39.5%, other 0.9%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 78, MDC 41, independents 1; Senate - percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 73.7%, MDC 20.3%, other 4.4%, independents 1.6%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 43, MDC 7

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; High Court

Political parties and leaders: African National Party or ANP; Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; Peace Action is Freedom for All or PAFA; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; United People's Party [Daniel SHUMBA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga [Wilson KUMBULA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel MUGABE]; Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Agrippa MADLELA]; Zimbabwe Youth in Alliance or ZIYA

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU COMESA FAO G-15 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt (signatory) ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITU MIGA NAM OPCW PCA SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIS UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Machivenyika T. MAPURANGA
In the us chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-7,100
In the us fax: [1] (202) 483-9,326
From the us embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 3,340, Harare
From the us telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 and 250-594
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 isosceles triangle edged in black with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing the long history of the country is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle which symbolizes peace; green symbolizes agriculture yellow - mineral wealth red - blood shed to achieve independence and black stands for the native people

Economy overview: The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit an overvalued exchange rate soaring inflation and bare shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for example drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the government's arrears on past loans which it began repaying in 2005. The official annual inflation rate rose from 32% in 1998 to 133% at the end of 2004 and 585% at the end of 2005 although private sector estimates put the figure much higher. Meanwhile the official exchange rate fell from 24 Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar in 1998 to 96,000 in mid-January 2006. The government's land reform program characterized by chaos and violence has badly damaged the commercial farming sector the traditional source of exports and foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs turning Zimbabwe into a net importer of food products.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $25.69 billion (2005 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: -7.7% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $2,100 (2005 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 17.9%
Industry: 24.3%
Services: 57.9% (2005 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3.6% (2005 est.)

Labor force: 3.94 million (2005 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 66%
By occupation industry: 10%
By occupation services: 24% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 80% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line: 80% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2%
Highest 10: 40.4% (1995)

Distribution of family income gini index: 56.8 (2003)

Budget
Revenues: $1.409 billion
Expenditures: $1.905 billion; including capital expenditures of $N/A (2005 est.)

Public debt: 109.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 266.8% official data; private sector estimates are much higher (2005 est.)

Current account balance: $-519 million (2005 est.)

Exports: $1.644 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: cotton tobacco gold ferroalloys textiles/clothing
Partners: South Africa 32.8% China 7.4% Japan 6.3% Zambia 5.2% Netherlands 5% US 4.6% Italy 4.2% Germany 4.1% (2005)

Imports: $2.059 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment other manufactures chemicals fuels
Partners: South Africa 42.9% China 4.6% Botswana 3.3% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $160 million (2005 est.)

Debt external: $5.216 billion (2005 est.)

Exchange rates
Note: these are official exchange rates; non-official rates vary significantly

Electricity
Production: 8.877 billion kWh (2003)
Consumption: 11.22 billion kWh (2003)
Exports: 0 kWh (2003)
Imports: 3.3 billion kWh (2003)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2003 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 328,000 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 699,000 (2005)

Telephone system
General assessment: 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
Domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns and for some of the smaller ones
International: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)

Internet
Country code: .zw
Hosts: 7,954 (2006)
Users: 1 million (2005)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 4% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Airports: 403 (2006)
With paved runways total: 17
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 386
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 187
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 194 (2006)

Pipelines: refined products 261 km (2006)

Railways
Total: 3,077 km
Narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways
Total: 97,440 km
Paved: 18,514 km
Unpaved: 78,926 km (2002)

Waterways: on Lake Kariba length small (2005)

Ports and terminals: Binga Kariba

Disputes international: Botswana has built electric fences and South Africa has placed military along the border to stem the flow of thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution; Namibia has supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River thereby de facto recognizing a short but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Idps: 400,000-450,000 (MUGABE-led political violence, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2005)

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