Zimbabwe

• tropical;
• moderated by altitude;
• rainy season (November to March)

agricultural land:

42.5%;

• arable land 10.9%;
• permanent crops 0.3%;
• permanent pasture 31.3%

forest:

39.5%

other:

18% (2011 est.)

total:

4.21 cu km/yr (14%/7%/79%)

per capita:

333.5 cu m/yr (2002)

• 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• 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;
• Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi)

noun:

Zimbabwean(s)

adjective:

Zimbabwean

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.1 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.57 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.64 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and dengue fever

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2013)

conventional long form:

Republic of Zimbabwe

conventional short form:

Zimbabwe

former:

Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia

name:

Harare

geographic coordinates:

17 49 S, 31 02 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status;
• Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands

chief of state:

• Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987);
• Vice Presidents Emmerson Dambudzo MNANGAGWA and Phelekezela MPHOKO (both since 12 December 2014);
• note - Vice President Joice MUJURU (since 6 December 2004) was dismissed 9 December 2014

head of government:

• Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987);
• note - following the 31 July 2013 presidential election, the position of prime minister was abolished

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by president, responsible to House of Assembly

elections/appointments:

• each presidential candidate nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least 1 candidate from each province) and directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits);
• election last held on 31 July 2013 (next to be held in 2018);
• co-vice presidents drawn from party leadership

election results:

• Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president;
• percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE (ZANU-PF) 61.1%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI (MDC-T) 34.4%, Welshman NCUBE (MDC-N) 2.7%, other 1.8%;
• note - the election process was considered flawed and roundly criticized by election monitors and international bodies;
• both the African Union and the South African Development Community endorsed the results of the election with some concerns

description:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (80 seats; 60 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies - 6 seats in each of the 10 provinces - by proportional representation vote, 16 indirectly elected by the regional governing councils, 2 reserved for the National Council Chiefs, and 2 reserved for members with disabilities; members serve 5-year terms) and the House of Assembly (270 seats; 210 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 60 seats reserved for women directly elected by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 31 July 2013 (next to be held in 2018)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - ZANU-PF 37 MDC-T 21, MDC-N 2, chiefs 18, people with disabilities 2;
• House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - ZANU-PF 197, MDC-T 70, MDC-N 2, independent 1

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 4 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges appointed by the president upon recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, an independent body consisting of the chief justice, Public Service Commission chairman, attorney general, and 2-3 members appointed by the president;
• judges normally serve until age 65 but can elect to serve until age 70

subordinate courts:

High Court, regional magistrate courts, and special courts

• African National Party or ANP [Egypt DZINEMUNHENZVA]
• Freedom Party [Cosmas MPONDA]
• Movambo Kusile Dawn or MKD [Simba MAKONI]
• Movement for Democratic Change - Ncube or MDC-N [Welshman NCUBE]
• Movement for Democratic Change - Renewal or MDC-R [Sekai HOLLAND]; note - has been kicked out of Parliament as of 17 May 2015
• Movement for Democratic Change - Tsvangirai or MDC-T [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]
• Transform Zimbabwe or TZ [Jacob NGARIVHUME]
• United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]
• 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 [Dumiso DABENGWA]

• Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
• National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]
• Women of Zimbabwe Arise or WOZA [Jenni WILLIAMS]
• Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU [Japhet MOYO]
• Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights or ZLHR [Irene PETRAS]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ammon MUTEMBWA (since 18 November 2014)

chancery:

1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:

[1] (202) 332-7100

FAX:

[1] (202) 483-9326

chief of mission:

Ambassador David Bruce WHARTON (since 15 November 2012)

embassy:

172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare

mailing address:

P. O. Box 3340, Harare

telephone:

[263] (4) 250-593 through 250-594

FAX:

[263] (4) 796-488, or 722-618

• 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 represents agriculture, yellow mineral wealth, red the blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native people

name:

"Kalibusiswe Ilizwe leZimbabwe" [Northern Ndebele language] "Simudzai Mureza WeZimbabwe" [Shona] (Blessed Be the Land of Zimbabwe)

lyrics/music:

Solomon MUTSWAIRO/Fred Lecture CHANGUNDEGA

note: adopted 1994

• mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, diamonds, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel;
• wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages

agriculture:

66%

industry:

10%

services:

24% (1996)

lowest 10%:

2%

highest 10%:

40.4% (1995)

general assessment:

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, 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) (2010)

• government owns all local radio and TV stations;
• foreign shortwave broadcasts and satellite TV are available to those who can afford antennas and receivers;
• in rural areas, access to TV broadcasts is extremely limited (2007)

total:

3,427 km

narrow gauge:

3,427 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2014)

country comparison to the world: 51

total:

97,267 km

paved:

18,481 km

unpaved:

78,786 km (2002)

country comparison to the world: 47

• 18-24 years of age for voluntary military service;
• no conscription;
• women are eligible to serve (2012)

males age 16-49:

2,616,051

females age 16-49:

2,868,376 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,528,166

females age 16-49:

1,646,041 (2010 est.)

male:

154,870

female:

152,550 (2010 est.)

• 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;
• South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration

current situation:

• Zimbabwe is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• Zimbabwean women and girls from towns bordering South Africa, Mozambique, and Zambia are subjected to prostitution, sometimes being sold by their parents;
• Zimbabwean men, women, and children experience forced labor in agriculture and domestic service in rural areas, as well as domestic servitude and sex trafficking in cities and towns;
• Zimbabwean women and men are lured into exploitative labor situations in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Nigeria, South Korea, and South Africa with false job offers, while women and girls are lured to Zambia, China, Egypt, the UK, and Canada and forced into prostitution;
• adults and children from Bangladesh, Somalia, India, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia are trafficked through Zimbabwe en route to South Africa

tier rating:

• Tier 3 - Zimbabwe does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
• corruption in law enforcement and the judiciary continued to impair anti-trafficking efforts in 2013;
• the investigation and prosecution of trafficking offenses and conviction of offenders remained weak, with only two prosecutions being initiated;
• law enforcement did not employ formal procedures to identify and refer trafficking victims to care and continued to rely on NGOs to identify and assist victims;
• temporary regulations in 2014 mandated the creation of an anti-trafficking national action plan and the establishment of centers for trafficking victims, but neither have been implemented;
• Zimbabwe acceded to the UN TIP Protocol in 2013 (2014)