Zimbabwe

Republic of Zimbabwe

parliamentary democracyIndependence 18 April 1980 (from UK)

Zimbabwe as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 103 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
Position20 00 S, 30 00 E
Area390,580 sq km
LocationSouthern Africa, northeast of Botswana
1999

Every edition of Zimbabwe

Populationas each edition published it
11.16 million July 1999 est. · 10.39m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.02% 1999 est. · 1.32% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 18.9 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
38.86 years 1999 est. · 42.82 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.71 children per woman 1999 est. · 5.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
61.21 deaths per 1,000 live births 1999 est. · 65 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$2,400 1998 est. · $545 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
1.5% 1998 est. · -10% in 1993

Corrected. The 1999 edition's appendices (abbreviations, the UN system, environmental agreements, weights and measures, data codes, 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, northeast of Botswana

18 fields

Land useshare of 390,580 sq km

arable land 7%permanent crops 0%permanent pastures 13%forests and woodland 23%other 57% (1993 est.)irrigated 1,930 sq km (1993 est.)
Area
390,580sq km
land: 386,670 sq kmwater: 3,910 sq kmslightly larger than Montana
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Highest point
2,592m
Inyanganilowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m
Land boundaries
3,066km
border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km

Location

Southern Africa, northeast of Botswana

Geographic coordinates

20 00 S, 30 00 E

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

Natural hazards

recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

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

Geography--note

landlocked

People

15 fields
Population
11,163,160
(July 1999 est.)growth rate: 1.02% (1999 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1999 est.)

Birth
30.64Death
20.43

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1999 est.)38.86
38.77 · 38.94
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)85%
90% · 80%
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write English

Ethnic groups

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%

Age structure

0-14 years:
43% (male 2,432,785; female 2,389,029)
15-64 years:
54% (male 2,986,531; female 3,059,186)
65 years and over:
3% (male 132,532; female 163,097) (1999 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:
1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.81 male(s)/female
total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate

61.21 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.71 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Zimbabwean(s)
adjective:
Zimbabwean

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)

18 fields

Legislature, 120 seats, elected 8-9 April 1995one dot, one seat

-ZANU-PF 117ZANU-Ndonga 2independent 1

Country name

conventional long form:
Republic of Zimbabwe
conventional short form:
Zimbabwe
former:
Southern Rhodesia

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Capital

Harare

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 UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

Constitution

21 December 1979

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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 reelected 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 elected by popular vote for six-year terms, 12 nominated by the president, 10 occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and 8 occupied 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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

Zimbabwe African National

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, OPCW, 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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Thomas McDONALD
embassy:
172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare
mailing address:
P. O. Box 3340, Harare

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

The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety | of difficult economic problems as it struggles to consolidate | earlier progress in developing a market-oriented economy.

31 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$2,400
purchasing power parity? · (1998 est.)
Real growth rate
1.5%
(1998 est.)industrial production growth: 10% (1994)
Unemployment rate
45%
at least · (1994 est.)

GDP--composition by sector(1997 est.)

agriculture 28%industry 32%services 40% (1997 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

12%
South Africa
37%
11%
UK
7%
8%
Germany
6%
Japan
6%
6%
US
6%
Exports $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)Imports $2 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)(1997 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$2.5 billionExpenditures
$2.9 billion
expenditures including capital expenditures of $279 million (FY96/97 est.)

Electricity

fossil fuel 71.76%hydro 28.24%nuclear 0% · other 0%
Electricity production
8.5 billion (1996)Electricity consumption
10.769 billion (1996)Electricity exports
1 million (1996)Electricity imports
2.27 billion (1996)

Economy--overview

The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles to consolidate earlier progress in developing a market-oriented economy. Its involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, has already drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy.

Badly needed support from the IMF suffers delays in part because of the country's failure to meet budgetary goals. Inflation rose from an annual rate of 25% in January 1998 to 47% in December and will almost certainly continue to increase in 1999. The economy is being steadily weakened by AIDS;

Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of infection in the world. Per capita GDP, which is twice the average of the poorer sub-Saharan nations, will increase little if any in the near-term, and Zimbabwe will suffer continued frustrations in developing its agricultural and mineral resources.

GDP

purchasing power parity--$26.2 billion (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line

25.5% (1990-91 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
1.8%
highest 10%:
46.9% (1990)

Labor force

5 million (1997 est.)

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

$1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports--commodities

tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, cotton (1997)

Imports

$2 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports--commodities

machinery and transport equipment 39%, other manufactures 18%, chemicals 15%, fuels 10% (1997 est.)

Debt--external

$5 billion (1998)

Economic aid--recipient

$437.6 million (1995)

Currency

1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1--39.3701 (January 1999), 21.4133 (1998), 11.8906 (1997), 9.9206 (1996), 8.6580 (1995), 8.1500 (1994)

Fiscal year

1 July--30 June

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
301,000
(1990 est.)

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)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 8, FM 18, shortwave 0

Radios

890,000 (1992 est.)

Televisions

280,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m
225
total: 449 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 220

Networkskm

Highways
18,338Railways
2,759 (1995)
Highways: paved: 8,692 km · unpaved: 9,646 km (1996 est.) · Railways: narrow gauge: 2,759 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified; 42 km double track) (1995 est.)

Railways

total:
2,759 km (1995)
narrow gauge:
2,759 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified; 42 km double track) (1995 est.)

Highways

total:
18,338 km
paved:
8,692 km
unpaved:
9,646 km (1996 est.)

Waterways

the Mazoe and Zambezi rivers are used for transporting chrome ore from Harare to Mozambique

Pipelines

petroleum products 212 km

Ports and harbors

Binga, Kariba

Airports

467 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways

total:
18
over 3,047 m:
3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 9 (1998 est.)

Military

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

5 fields

Military branches

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

Military manpower--availability

males age 15-49: 2,738,963 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service

males age 15-49: 1,707,348 (1999 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes--international

quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia is in disagreement

Illicit drugs

significant transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European markets

Central Intelligence Agency. “Zimbabwe.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/zimbabwe/1999.

How to cite ← 1998 edition 2000 edition →