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. 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. President MUGABE in June 2007 instituted price controls on all basic commodities causing panic buying and leaving store shelves empty for months. General elections held in March 2008 contained irregularities but still amounted to a censure of the ZANU-PF-led government with significant gains in opposition seats in parliament. MDC opposition leader Morgan TSVANGIRAI won the presidential polls and may have won an out right majority but official results posted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Committee did not reflect this. In the lead up to a run-off election in late June 2008 considerable violence enacted against opposition party members led to the withdrawal of TSVANGIRAI from the ballot. Extensive evidence of vote tampering and ballot-box stuffing resulted in international condemnation of the process. Difficult negotiations over a power sharing agreement allowing MUGABE to remain as president and creating the new position of prime minister for TSVANGIRAI were finally settled in February 2009.

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S 30 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 390,757 km²
Rank: 60
Land: 386,847 km²
Water: 3,910 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Montana

Land boundaries
Total: 3,066 km
Border countries: (4) Botswana 813 km; Mozambique 1231 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)

Total renewable water resources: 20 km³ (1987)

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: 11,392,629
Rank: 73
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 higher death rates lower population growth rates and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
Growth rate: 1.53% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 85
Below poverty line: 68% (2004)

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: 43.9%
15-64 years: 52.2% (male 2,666,928/female 3,283,474)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 194,360/female 250,820) (2009 est.)

Median age
Total: 17.6 years
Male: 16.3 years
Female: 18.8 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.53% (2009 est.)
Rank: 85

Birth rate: 31.49 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 46

Death rate: 16.19 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 14

Net migration rate: NA
Note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2009 est.)

Urbanization
Urban population: 37% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 2.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 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(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.81 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 32.31 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 71
Male: 34.9 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 29.64 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 45.77 years
Rank: 213
Male: 46.36 years
Female: 45.16 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.69 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 52

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 15.3% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 6
People living with hivaids: 1.3 million (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 7
Deaths: 140,000 (2007 est.)
Deaths rank: 5

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Animal contact disease: rabies (2009)

Education expenditures: 4.6% of GDP (2000)
Rank: 84

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 9 years
Female: 9 years (2003)

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 the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 18 April (1980)

Constitution: 21 December 1979

Legal system: mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE ; Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004)
Head of government: Prime Minister Morgan TSVANGIRAI (since 11 February 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Arthur MUTAMBARA
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 five-year term (no term limits); elections last held 28 March 2008 followed by a run-off on 27 June 2008 (next to be held in 2013); co-vice presidents appointed by the president
Election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 85.5% Morgan TSVANGIRAI 9.3% other 5.2%; note - first round voting results - Morgan TSVANGIRAI 47.9% Robert Gabriel MUGABE 43.2% Simba MAKONI 8.3% other 0.6%; first-round round polls were deemed to be flawed suppressing TSVANGIRAI's results; the 27 June 2008 run-off between MUGABE and TSVANGIRAI were severely flawed and internationally condemned

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate (93 seats - 60 elected by popular vote for a five-year term 10 provincial governors nominated by the president 16 traditional chiefs elected by the Council of Chiefs 2 held by the president and deputy president of the Council of Chiefs and 5 appointed by the president) and a House of Assembly (210 seats - all elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
Elections: last held 28 March 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - MDC 51.6% ZANU-PF 45.8% other 2.6%; seats by party - MDC 30 ZANU-PF 30; House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - MDC 51.3% ZANU-PF 45.8% other 2.9%; seats by party - MDC 109 ZANU-PF 97 other 4

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; High Court

Political parties and leaders: African National Party or ANP [Egypt DZINEMUNHENZVA]; Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; Movement for Democratic Change - Mutambara or MDC-M [splinter faction under Arthur MUTAMBARA]; Peace Action is Freedom for All or PAFA; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; United People's Party or UPP [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) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OPCW PCA SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIL UNMIS UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Machivenyika 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 chief of mission: Ambassador James D. MCGEE
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 through 250-594
From the us fax: [263] (4) 796-488 or 722-618

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 official exchange rate hyperinflation and bare store shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. 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. The EU and the US provide food aid on humanitarian grounds. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the government's arrears on past loans and the government's unwillingness to enact reforms that would stabilize the economy. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe routinely prints money to fund the budget deficit causing the official annual inflation rate to rise from 32% in 1998 to 133% in 2004 585% in 2005 past 1000% in 2006 and 26,000% in November 2007 and to 11.2 million percent in 2008. Meanwhile the official exchange rate fell from approximately 1 (revalued) Zimbabwean dollar per US dollar in 2003 to 30,000 per US dollar in September 2007.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 183
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 217

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 229
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 18.1%
Industry: 22.6%
Services: 59.3% (2008 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: -14.7% (2008 est.)
Rank: 168

Labor force: 4.039 million (2008 est.)
Rank: 89
By occupation agriculture: 66%
By occupation industry: 10%
By occupation services: 24% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 80% (2005 est.)
Rank: 198

Population below poverty line: 68% (2004)

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

Distribution of family income gini index: 50.1 (1995)
Rank: 24

Budget
Revenues: $941,600
Expenditures: $1.092 million (2008 est.)

Public debt: 52.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
Rank: 1

Inflation rate consumer prices: 12,563% (2007 est.)
Rank: 222

Central bank discount rate: 975% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 1

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 578.96% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 1

Stock of domestic credit:

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 87

Current account balance: -$494.8 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 107

Exports: $1.467 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 140
Commodities: platinum cotton tobacco gold ferroalloys textiles/clothing
Partners: South Africa 32.1% Democratic Republic of the Congo 9.7% Botswana 8.7% China 5.6% Zambia 4.8% Japan 4.5% Italy 4.4% US 4.3% (2008)

Imports: $1.975 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 151
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment other manufactures chemicals fuels
Partners: South Africa 60.1% China 4.2% Botswana 3.7% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $117 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 148

Debt external: $5.155 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 103

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $NA

Exchange rates: Zimbabwean dollars (ZWD) per US dollar - NA (2008 est.) 30,000 (2007) 162.07 (2006) 77.965 (2005) 5.729 (2004)
Note: these are official exchange rates; non-official rates vary significantly

Electricity
Production: 8.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 95
Consumption: 10.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 80
Exports: 32 million kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 2.691 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 108
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 116
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 83
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 108
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 117

Telephones
Main lines in use: 354,000 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 109
Mobile cellular: 1.655 million (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 130

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; 2 international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)

Internet
Country code: .zw
Hosts: 29,094 (2009)
Hosts rank: 91
Users: 1.421 million (2008)
Users rank: 78

Military expenditures: 3.8% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 35

Military service age and obligation: 18-24 years of age for compulsory military service; women are eligible to serve (2007)

Airports: 215 (2009)
Rank: 28
With paved runways total: 19
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 196
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 119
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 74 (2009)

Pipelines: refined products 270 km (2008)

Railways
Total: 3,077 km
Rank: 55
Narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2008)

Roadways
Total: 97,267 km
Rank: 45
Paved: 18,481 km
Unpaved: 78,786 km (2002)

Waterways: on Lake Kariba (2008)

Ports and terminals: Binga Kariba

Disputes international: Botswana 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
Refugees: 2,500 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Idps: 569,685 (MUGABE-led political violence human rights violations land reform and economic collapse) (2007)

Illicit drugs: transit point for cannabis and South Asian heroin mandrax