Zimbabwe

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Zimbabwe

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Republic of Zimbabwe Area 390,300 sq km/150,694 sq mi Capital Harare Language English, Shona, Ndebele (all official) Religion 50% follow a syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) type of religion, Christian 25%, animist 24%, small Muslim minority Time difference GMT +2 Major holidays 1 January, 18–19 April, 1, 25 May, 11 August (2 days), 25–26 December; variable: Good Friday, Easter Monday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Bulawayo, Gweru, Kwe Kwe, Mutare, Kadoma, Chitungwiza Physical features high plateau with central high veld and mountains in east; rivers Zambezi, Limpopo; Victoria Falls Airports three international airports; domestic air services operate between most of the larger towns; total passengers carried: 201,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: 2,592 km/1,611 mi; total passenger journeys: 1.6 million (2000) Roads total road network: 97,267 km/60,439 mi, of which 19% paved (2002 est); passenger cars: 50.4 per 1,000 people (2002 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Robert Mugabe from 1987 Political system nationalistic socialist Political executive unlimited presidency Administrative divisions eight provinces and two cities with provincial status Political parties Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF), African socialist; opposition parties exist but none have mounted serious challenge to ruling party Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 29,000; plus paramilitary forces of 21,800 (2006 est) Conscription military service is voluntary Defence spend (% GDP) 5.9 (2004 est) Education spend (% GDP) 11.1 (2001 est) Health spend (% GDP) 2.8 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Zimbabwe dollar GDP (US$) 3.4 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) -5.1 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 4.5 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 1,940 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 1,216% (2006 est) Unemployment 80% (2005 est) Labour force 65% agriculture, 20% industry, 15% services (2002 est) Foreign debt (US$) 4.9 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners South Africa, China, Switzerland, Botswana, Japan, Zambia, UK, Mozambique Resources gold, nickel, asbestos, coal, chromium, copper, silver, emeralds, lithium, tin, iron ore, cobalt Industries metal products, food processing, textiles, furniture and other wood products, chemicals, fertilizers Exports tobacco, gold, platinum, ferro-alloys, textiles and clothing, sugar, cotton lint. Principal market: South Africa 40.7% (2005) Imports mineral fuels, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, basic manufactures, foodstuffs. Principal source: South Africa 43.6% (2005) Arable land 8.2% (2006 est) Agricultural products tobacco, maize, cotton, coffee, sugar cane, wheat, soybeans, groundnuts, horticulture; livestock (cattle)


POPULATION

Population 13,084,800 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0.6% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 34 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 36 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 40%, 15–59 55%, 60+ 5% (2005 est) Ethnic groups four distinct ethnic groups: indigenous Africans (mainly Shona 71% and Ndebele 16%),who account for about 95% of the population, Europeans (mainly British), who account for about 3.5%, and Afro-Europeans and Asians, who each comprise about 0.5% Life expectancy 38 (men); 36 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 129 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 7 Literacy rate 94% (men); 86% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 0.6 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 0.5 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 20.1 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 180,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 100 (urban); 74 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 2.8 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 5.9 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 362 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 61 (2005 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 10.1 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 8.4 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

13th century Shona people settled Mashonaland (eastern Zimbabwe), erecting stone buildings (hence name Zimbabwe, ‘stone house’). 15th century Shona Empire reached its greatest extent. 16th–17th centuries Portuguese settlers developed trade with Shona states and achieved influence over the kingdom of Mwanamutapa in northern Zimbabwe in 1629. 1837 Ndebele (or Matabele) people settled in southwest Zimbabwe after being driven north from Transvaal by Boers; Shona defeated by Ndebele led by King Mzilikazi who formed military empire based at Bulawayo. 1870 King Lobengula succeeded King Mzilikazi. 1889 Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company (SA Co) obtained exclusive rights to exploit mineral resources in Lobengula's domains. 1890 Creation of white colony in Mashonaland and founding of Salisbury (Harare) by Leander Starr Jameson, associate of Rhodes. 1893 Matabele War: Jameson defeated Lobengula; white settlers took control of country. 1895 Matabeleland, Mashonaland, and Zambia named Rhodesia after Cecil Rhodes. 1896 Matabele revolt suppressed. 1898 Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) became British protectorate administered by BSA Co; farming, mining, and railways developed. 1922 Union with South Africa rejected by referendum among white settlers. 1923 Southern Rhodesia became self-governing colony; Africans progressively disenfranchised. 1933–53 Prime Minister Godfrey Huggins (later Lord Malvern) pursued ‘White Rhodesia’ policy of racial segregation. 1950s Immigration doubled white population to around 250,000, while indigenous African population stood at around 6 million. 1953 Southern Rhodesia formed part of Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. 1961 Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) formed with Joshua Nkomo as leader; declared illegal a year later. 1962 Rhodesia Front party of Winston Field took power in Southern Rhodesia, pledging to preserve white rule. 1963 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland dissolved as Zambia and Malawi moved towards independence; Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) formed, with Robert Mugabe as secretary; declared illegal a year later. 1964 Ian Smith became prime minister; he rejected British terms for independence which required moves towards black majority rule; Nkomo and Mugabe imprisoned. 1965 Smith made unilateral declaration of independence (UDI); Britain broke off all relations. 1966–68 United Nations (UN) imposed economic sanctions on Rhodesia, which still received help from South Africa and Portugal. 1969 Rhodesia declared itself a republic. 1972 Britain rejected draft independence agreement as unacceptable to African population. 1974 Nkomo and Mugabe released and jointly formed Patriotic Front to fight Smith regime in mounting civil war. 1975 Geneva Conference between British, Smith regime, and African nationalists failed to reach agreement. 1978 At height of civil war, 1,000 whites per month leaving Rhodesia. 1979 White minority regime ended with all-party adoption of Lancaster House Agreement. 1980 Zimbabwe achieved independence from Britain with full transition to African majority rule; Mugabe became prime minister with Rev. Canaan Banana as president. 1984 ZANU–PF party congress agreed principle of one-party state. 1987 Mugabe combined posts of head of state and prime minister as executive president; Nkomo became vice-president. 1989 ZANU–PF and ZAPU formally merged. 1996 Mugabe re-elected president. 1998–99 Ban on strikes and restrictions on political and public gatherings; violent antigovernment demonstrations. 2000 War veterans, supported by government, began to seize white-owned farms without compensation; High Court ruled land acquisition programme illegal. 2001 Mugabe's government agreed to remove all white judges from Zimbabwe's judiciary. 2002 Mugabe re-elected president after campaign marred by alleged ballot rigging and intimidation; Zimbabwe suspended from Commonwealth; land redistribution programme continued. 2003 Zimbabwe withdrew from Commonwealth. 2004 Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) acquitted of treason charges. 2005 Government demolition of urban slum dwellings left 700,000 people homeless; ZANU–PF won parliamentary elections. 2006 Economic collapse. 2007 Tsvangirai hospitalized after arrest at against Mugabe; inflation reached over 7,000%.


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