Zimbabwe
Republic of Zimbabwe
parliamentary democracyIndependence 18 April 1980 (from UK)
Zimbabwe as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 96 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Corrected. The 1998 edition's notes and definitions (a glossary of every field) and appendices follow the last entry in the file, Zimbabwe, and the source parser made them fields of that entry: a second Age structure, Area and Birth rate holding the CIA's definition of the field instead of a figure. All corrections
Geography
Southern Africa, northeast of Botswana
18 fieldsLand useshare of 390,580 sq km
Natural resources
coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals
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
Environment-international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1998 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 44% (male 2,439,907; female 2,397,761)
- 15-64 years:
- 54% (male 2,914,336; female 3,000,442)
- 65 years and over:
- 2% (male 133,232; female 158,469) (July 1998 est.)
Net migration rate
NA migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is a small but steady flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa in search of better paid employment
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.01 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.97 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.84 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Languages
English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects
Government
Parliamentary democracy; Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987)
20 fieldsLegislature, 120 seats, elected 8-9 April 1995one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Zimbabwe
- conventional short form:
- Zimbabwe
- former:
- Southern Rhodesia
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
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987);
- Co-Vice Presidents Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987) and Joshua M. NKOMO (since 6 August 1990);
- 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);
- Co-Vice Presidents Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987) and Joshua M. NKOMO (since 6 August 1990);
- 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:
- president nominated by the House of Assembly for a six-year term (if more than one nomination, an electoral college consisting of members of the House of Assembly elects the president);
- election last held 26-27 March 1996 (next to be held NA March 2002);
- co-vice presidents appointed by the president
- election results:
- Robert Gabriel MUGABE elected president;
- percent of electoral college vote-Robert Gabriel MUGABE 92.7%, Abel MUZOREWA 4.8%;
- Ndabaningi SITHOLE 2.4%
Legislative branch
unicameral parliament, called House of Assembly (150 seats, 120 of which are directly elected by popular vote for six-year terms; of the other 30 seats, 12 are nominated by the president, 10 are occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and 8 by provincial governors)
- elections:
- last held 8-9 April 1995 (next to be held NA April 2001)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-ZANU-PF 117, ZANU-Ndonga 2, independent 1
Political parties and leaders
- Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert MUGABE];
- Zimbabwe African National Union-NDONGA or ZANU-NDONGA [Ndabaningi SITHOLE];
- Zimbabwe Unity Movement or ZUM [Edgar TEKERE];
- Democratic Party or DP [Emmanuel MAGOCHE];
- Forum Party of Zimbabwe [Enock DUMBUTSHENA];
- United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MONUA, NAM, OAU, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Amos Bernard Muvengwa MIDZI
- chancery:
- 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 332-7100
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Tom McDONALD
- embassy:
- 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 3340, Harare
- telephone:
- [263] (4) 794521
Flag description
- 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 27% of the labor force of this | landlocked nation and supplies almost 25% of exports.
28 fieldsGDP-composition by sector(1993 est.)
Economy-overview
Agriculture employs 27% of the labor force of this landlocked nation and supplies almost 25% of exports. Mining accounts for only 5% of both GDP and employment, but minerals and metals account for about 20% of exports. The government is working to consolidate earlier progress in developing a market-oriented economy.
Although the IMF suspended support for Zimbabwe's economic structural adjustment program (ESAP) in 1995, due to government failure to meet key targets, recent talks between the government and the Fund have held hope for renewed support if Zimbabwe remains committed to budgetary targets.
A key element of the budget is the Zimbabwe Program for Socio-Economic Transformation (ZIMPREST), the second phase of ESAP, whose goals include increased commercialization and privatization of government-owned enterprises and more "outward-looking" trade and investment policies. The World Bank resumed balance of payments support to Zimbabwe in early 1998. Government officials face the difficult task of restraining expenditures in their effort to keep inflation within bounds.
Labor force
- total:
- 4.228 million (1993 est.)
- by occupation:
- agriculture 27%, transport and services 46%, industry 27%
Industries
mining (coal, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), copper, steel, nickel, tin, wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages
Agriculture-products
corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs
Exports
- total value:
- $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
- commodities:
- agricultural 38% (tobacco 28%), manufactures 34%, gold 12%, textiles 4%, ferrochrome 7% (1996 est.)
- partners:
- South Africa 12%, UK 12%, Germany 6%, Japan 6% (1996 est.)
Imports
- total value:
- $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
- commodities:
- machinery and transportation equipment 41%, other manufactures 24%, chemicals 13%, fuels 10% (1996 est.)
- partners:
- South Africa 38%, UK 9%, US 5%, Japan 5% (1996 est.)
Exchange rates
Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1-18.7970 (January 1998), 11.8906 (1997), 9.9206 (1996), 8.6580 (1995), 8.1500 (1994), 6.4725 (1993)
Telephone system
system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance
- domestic:
- consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, and radiotelephone communication stations
- international:
- satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Transportation
8 fieldsAirports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 2,759 km (1995)
- narrow gauge:
- 2,759 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified; 42 km double track) (1995 est.)
Waterways
the Mazoe and Zambezi rivers are used for transporting chrome ore from Harare to Mozambique
Airports-with paved runways
- total:
- 20
- over 3,047 m:
- 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 10 (1997 est.)
Military
Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, | Zimbabwe Republic Police (includes Police Support Unit, Paramilitary | Police)
5 fieldsMilitary branches
Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police (includes Police Support Unit, Paramilitary Police)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit drugs
significant transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European markets @NOTES AND DEFINITIONS There have been some significant changes in this edition. The country name Western Samoa has been changed to Samoa.
The spelling of Kazakhstan includes the letter "h" once again; the spelling Kazakstan is no longer used. Introduction is a category with two entries-Current issues and Historical perspective-that appears in only a few country profiles at this time. In the future, this category may be added to more countries.
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Zimbabwe.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/zimbabwe/1998.