World Atlas: Zimbabwe. On this page you can see the map, country flag and many detailed information about the people, history and economy of Zimbabwe.
Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Zimbabwe. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Zimbabwe. But let's start with the flag of Zimbabwe here:
Zimbabwe - Overview:
What you should know about Zimbabwe? Let's start with this: The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the former 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 1997 and intensified after 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. In 2005, the capital city of 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. Mugabe in 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 the opposition winning a majority of seats in parliament. Movement for Democratic Change - Tsvangirai opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the most votes in the presidential poll, but not enough to win outright. In the lead up to a run-off election in June 2008, considerable violence against opposition party members led to the withdrawal of Tsvangirai from the ballot. Extensive evidence of violence and intimidation resulted in international condemnation of the process. Difficult negotiations over a power-sharing "government of national unity," in which Mugabe remained president and Tsvangirai became prime minister, were finally settled in February 2009, although the leaders failed to agree upon many key outstanding governmental issues. Mugabe was reelected president in 2013 in balloting that was severely flawed and internationally condemned. As a prerequisite to holding the election, Zimbabwe enacted a new constitution by referendum, although many provisions in the new constitution have yet to be codified in law. In November 2017, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over following a military intervention aimed at preventing Mugabe elevating his wife to succeed him. Mnangagwa was inaugurated president days later, promising to hold presidential elections in 2018.
Geography of Zimbabwe
Where on the globe is Zimbabwe? The location of this country is Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia. Total area of Zimbabwe is 390,757 sq km, of which 386,847 sq km is land. So this is quite a large country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east. The lowest point of Zimbabwe is junction of the Runde and Save Rivers 162 m, the highest point Inyangani 2,592 m. And the climate is tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March).
Inhabitants of Zimbabwe
Let's take a look how many people live in Zimbabwe. The number is: 13,805,084. So this is not very populous country. Who lives here? African 99.4% (predominantly Shona; Ndebele is the second largest ethnic group), other 0.4%, unspecified 0.2% (2012 est.). What are the languages in Zimbabwe? Shona (official; most widely spoken), Ndebele (official, second most widely spoken), English (official; traditionally used for official business), 13 minority languages (official; includes Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Shangani, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa). And the religions: Protestant 74.8% (includes Apostolic 37.5%, Pentecostal 21.8%, other 15.5%), Roman Catholic 7.3%, other Christian 5.3%, traditional 1.5%, Muslim 0.5%, other 0.1%, none 10.5% (2015 est.). How old are the people in average? 20 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 60.4 years. Where the people live in Zimbabwe? Here: Aside from major urban agglomerations in Harare and Bulawayo, population distribution is fairly even, with slightly greater overall numbers in the eastern half. The major urban areas of Zimbabwe are: Harare (capital) 1.501 million (2015).
Government and Economy of Zimbabwe
The capital of Zimbabwe is Harare and the government type semi-presidential republic. Let's take a look at the 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. Regarding the economy of Zimbabwe, important industrial products are mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, diamonds, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel; wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages. Important agricultural products are tobacco, corn, cotton, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs. The most important export commodities are platinum, cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing and the most important export partners are South Africa 79.5%, Mozambique 9.5%, UAE 4.1% (2016). The most important import commodities are machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels, food products and the most important import partners are South Africa 46.6%, Zambia 24% (2016). How rich is Zimbabwe and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $2,300 (2017 est.). This is a very low number. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: 72.3% (2012 est.).