Zimbabwe
Republic of Zimbabwe
parliamentary democracyIndependence 18 April 1980 (from UK)
Zimbabwe as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 127 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [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 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.
Opposition and labor strikes in 2003 were unsuccessful in pressuring MUGABE to retire early; security forces continued their brutal repression of regime opponents. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election, allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005, 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, according to UN estimates. ZANU-PF announced in December 2006 that they would seek to extend MUGABE's term in office until 2010 when presidential and parliamentary elections would be "harmonized."
Geography
Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
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;
- poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution
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;
- the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia;
- in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water
People
20 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)
Note
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.019 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.006 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.854 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.005 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- high
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid
- vectorborne disease:
- malaria
- water contact disease:
- schistosomiasis (2007)
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 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Senate, 120 seatsone dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Zimbabwe
- conventional short form:
- Zimbabwe
- former:
- Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia
Capital
- name:
- Harare
- geographic coordinates:
- 17 50 S, 31 03 E
- time difference:
- UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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);
- Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004);
- 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);
- Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the House of Assembly
- elections:
- presidential candidates nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least one from each province) and elected by popular vote for a six-year term (no term limits);
- election last held 9-11 March 2002 (next to be held in March 2008);
- co-vice presidents appointed by the president
- election results:
- Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 56.2%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 41.9%
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate (66 seats - 50 elected by popular vote for a five-year term, 6 nominated by the president, 10 nominated by the Council of Chiefs) and a House of Assembly (150 seats - 120 elected by popular vote for five-year terms, 12 nominated by the president, 10 occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and 8 occupied by provincial governors appointed by the president)
- elections:
- Senate last held 26 November 2005 (next to be held in 2010; House of Assembly last held 31 March 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
- election results:
- Senate - percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 73.7%, MDC 20.3%, other 4.4%, independents 1.6%;
- seats by party - ZANU-PF 43, MDC 7;
- House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 59.6%, MDC 39.5%, other 0.9%;
- seats by party - ZANU-PF 78, MDC 41, independents 1
Political parties and leaders
- African National Party or ANP;
- Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI, anti-Senate faction; Arthur MUTAMBARA, pro-Senate faction];
- Peace Action is Freedom for All or PAFA;
- United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA];
- United People's Party [Daniel SHUMBA];
- Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga [Wilson KUMBULA];
- Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel MUGABE];
- Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Agrippa MADLELA];
- Zimbabwe Youth in Alliance or ZIYA
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Arnold TSUNGA];
- National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU];
- Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU [Wellington CHIBEBE]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Dr. Machivenyika T. MAPURANGA
- chancery:
- 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 332-7100
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 483-9326
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Christopher W. DELL
- embassy:
- 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 3340, Harare
- telephone:
- [263] (4) 250-593 and 250-594
- FAX:
- [263] (4) 796-488
Flag description
- seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in black with its base on the hoist side;
- a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing the long history of the country is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which symbolizes peace;
- green symbolizes agriculture, yellow - mineral wealth, red - blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native people
Economy
The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit, an overvalued exchange rate, soaring inflation, and bare shelves.
46 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2006 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit, an overvalued exchange rate, soaring inflation, and bare shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy.
The government's land reform program, characterized by chaos and violence, has badly damaged the commercial farming sector, the traditional source of exports and foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs, turning Zimbabwe into a net importer of food products. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the government's arrears on past loans, which it began repaying in 2005.
The official annual inflation rate rose from 32% in 1998, to 133% in 2004, 585% in 2005, and approached 1000% in 2006, although private sector estimates put the figure much higher. Meanwhile, the official exchange rate fell from approximately 1 (revalued) Zimbabwean dollar per US dollar in 2003 to 160 per US dollar in 2006.
Industries
- mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel;
- wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages
Economic aid - recipient
$367.7 million; note - the EU and the US provide food aid on humanitarian grounds (2005 est.)
Exchange rates
Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar - 162.07 (2006), 77.965 (2005), 5.729 (2004), 0.824 (2003), 0.055 (2002) note: these are official exchange rates; non-official rates vary significantly
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance;
- more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines
- domestic:
- consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network;
- Internet connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns and for some of the smaller ones
- international:
- country code - 263;
- satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat;
- 2 international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)
Transportation
8 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Military
Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (2005)
5 fieldsMilitary branches
Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (2005)
Military service age and obligation
18-24 years of age for compulsory military service; women are eligible to serve (2007)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 18-49:
- 2,778,404
- females age 18-49:
- 2,681,531 (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - international
- Botswana built electric fences and South Africa has placed military along the border to stem the flow of thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution;
- Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river
Refugees and internally displaced persons
- refugees (country of origin):
- 6,536 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- IDPs:
- 569,685 (MUGABE-led political violence, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2006)
Illicit drugs
transit point for cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines en route to South Africa
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Zimbabwe.” The World Factbook 2007. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/zimbabwe/2007.