Zimbabwe

parliamentary democracyIndependence 18 April 1980 (from UK)

Zimbabwe as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 113 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalHarare
LocationSouthern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
1994

Every edition of Zimbabwe

Populationas each edition published it
10.98 million July 1994 est. · 10.39m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.2% 1994 est. · 1.32% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 18.9 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 42.82 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
5.1 children per woman 1994 est. · 5.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
7.4 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 65 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$1,400 1993 est. · $545 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
2% 1993 est. · -10% in 1993

Corrected. The 1994 edition's appendices (the UN system, international organizations, environmental agreements, weights and measures, geographic names) follow the last entry in the file, Zimbabwe, and the source parser made them fields of that entry. All corrections

Geography

Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

22 fields
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none; landlocked
Land boundaries
3,066km
total · Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km
Irrigated land
2,200sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

390,580 sq km

land area

386,670 sq km

comparative area

slightly larger than Montana

International disputes

quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia is in disagreement

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

arable land

7%

permanent crops

NA% (coffee is a permanent crop)

meadows and pastures

12%

forest and woodland

62%

other

NA%

current issues

  • deforestation;
  • soil erosion;
  • land degradation;
  • air and water pollution

natural hazards

recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

international agreements

party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity

Note

landlocked

People

21 fields
Population
10,975,078
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 1.2% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
37.24Death
18.1Net migration
-7.18

Ethnic divisions

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

Religions

syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%Christian 25%indigenous beliefs 24%Muslim and other 1%
Labor force
3.1million
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

tatal population

42.06 years

male

40.44 years

female

43.74 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.1 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Zimbabwean(s)

adjective

Zimbabwean

Languages

English (official), Shona, Sindebele

total population

67%

male

74%

female

60%

by occupation

agriculture 74%, transport and services 16%, mining, manufacturing, construction 10% (1987)

Government

Parliamentary democracy

29 fields

Legislature, 120 seatsone dot, one seat

(150 total, 120 elected) ZANU-PF 117ZUM 2ZANU-S 1

conventional long form

Republic of Zimbabwe

conventional short form

Zimbabwe

former

Southern Rhodesia

Type

parliamentary democracy

Capital

Harare

Administrative divisions

8 provinces; Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo (Victoria), Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands

Independence

18 April 1980 (from UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

Constitution

21 December 1979

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

chief of state and head of government

  • Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987);
  • Co-Vice President Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987);
  • Co-Vice President Joshua M. NKOMO (since 6 August 1990);
  • election last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1996);
  • results - Robert MUGABE 78.3%, Edgar TEKERE 21.7%

cabinet

  • Cabinet;
  • appointed by the president;
  • responsible to Parliament

Parliament

  • elections last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1995);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (150 total, 120 elected) ZANU-PF 117, ZUM 2, ZANU-S 1

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

  • Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Robert MUGABE;
  • Zimbabwe African National Union-Sithole (ZANU-S), Ndabaningi SITHOLE;
  • Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM), Edgar TEKERE and Abel MUYOREWA;
  • Democratic Party (DP), Emmanuel MAGOCHE;
  • Forum Party, Enock DUMBUTSHENA

Member of

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-15, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMUR, UNOSOM, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador Amos Bernard Muvengwa MIDZI

chancery

1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone

(202) 332-7100

FAX

(202) 483-9326

chief of mission

Ambassador Edward Gibson LANPHER

embassy

172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare

mailing address

P. O. Box 3340, Harare

telephone

[263] (4) 794-521

FAX

[263] (4) 796-488

Flag

  • 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

Agriculture employs three-fourths of the labor force and supplies | almost 40% of exports.

25 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,400
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
2%
(1993 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 2.3% (1992); accounts for 35% of GDP
Inflation, consumer prices
22%
(January 1994 est.)
Unemployment rate
35%
at least · (1993 est.)

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 metals account for about 40% of exports.

Wide fluctuations in agricultural production over the past six years have resulted in an uneven growth rate, one 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.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $15.9 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$1.7 billion

expenditures

$2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $253 million (FY93)

Exports

$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)

commodities

agricultural 35% (tobacco 30%, other 10%), manufactures 25%, gold 12%, ferrochrome 10%, textiles 8% (1992)

partners

UK 14%, Germany 11%, South Africa 10%, Japan 7%, US 5% (1991)

Imports

$1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)

commodities

machinery and transportation equipment 41%, other manufactures 23%, chemicals 16%, fuels 12% (1991)

partners

South Africa 25%, UK 15%, Germany 9%, US 6%, Japan 5% (1991)

External debt

$3.5 billion (December 1992 est.)

capacity

3,650,000 kW

production

8.18 billion kWh (1992)

consumption per capita

740 kWh (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

  • accounts for 20% 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

Currency

1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1 - 8.1037 (January 1994), 6.4725 (1993), 5.1046 (1992), 3.4282 (1991), 2.4480 (1990), 2.1133 (1989)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Communications

13 fields

Railroads

2,745 km 1.067-meter gauge (including 42 km double track, 355 km electrified)

total

85,237 km

paved

15,800 km

unpaved

  • crushed stone, gravel, stabilized earth 39,090 km;
  • improved earth 23,097 km;
  • unimproved earth 7,250 km

Inland waterways

Lake Kariba is a potential line of communication

Pipelines

petroleum products 212 km

total

477

usable

401

with permanent-surface runways

22

with runways over 3,659 m

2

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

3

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

28

Telecommunications

  • system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance;
  • consists of microwave links, open-wire lines, and radio communications stations;
  • 247,000 telephones;
  • broadcast stations - 8 AM, 18 FM, 8 TV;
  • 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic | Police (including Police Support Unit, Paramilitary Police)

3 fields

Branches

Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police (including Police Support Unit, Paramilitary Police)

Manpower availability

males 15-49 2,371,186; fit for military service 1,472,603 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $412.4 million, about 6% of GDP (FY91 est.)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Zimbabwe.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/zimbabwe/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →