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.)

• 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:

1.02 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.1 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.58 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.64 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

degree of risk:

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 (2016)

conventional long form:

Republic of Zimbabwe

conventional short form:

Zimbabwe

former:

Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia

etymology:

takes its name from the Kingdom of Zimbabwe (13th-15th century) and its capital of Great Zimbabwe, the largest stone structure in pre-colonial southern Africa

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

• previous 1965 (at Rhodesian independence), 1979 (Lancaster House Agreement), 1980 (at Zimbabwean independence);
• latest final draft completed January 2013, approved by referendum 16 March 2013, approved by Parliament 9 May 2013;
• amended many times in 2013;
• note - significant amendments proposed in early 2015 (2016)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Zimbabwe; in the case of a child born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

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 196, MDC-T 70, MDC-N 2, independent 2

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 4 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 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;
• Constitutional Court judge appointment NA;
• judges serve non-renewable 15-year terms

subordinate courts:

• High Court;
• Labor Court;
• Administrative Court;
• regional magistrate courts;
• customary law courts;
• special courts

• Freedom Party [Cosmas MPONDA]
• 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 Harry K. THOMAS, Jr. (since 25 February 2016)

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:

• privatization and competition have driven rapid expansion of telecommunications, particularly cellular voice and mobile broadband, in recent years;
• continued economic instability and infrastructure limitations, such as reliable power, hinder progress

domestic:

• consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, fiber-optic cable, VSAT terminals, and a substantial mobile-cellular network;
• Internet connection is most readily available in Harare and major towns;
• 1 government owned and 3 private cellular providers;
• 3G and VoIP services are widely available with 4G/LTE service being deployed

international:

• country code - 263;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat;
• 5 international digital gateway exchanges;
• fiber-optic connections to neighboring states provide access to international networks via undersea cable (2015)

• 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)

number of registered air carriers:

2; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 4

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

370,164

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

962,642 mt-km (2015)

total:

3,427 km

narrow gauge:

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

country comparison to the world: 53

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)

• 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

refugees (country of origin):

5,414 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (2015)

IDPs:

undetermined (political violence, violence in association with the 2008 election, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2015)

stateless persons:

300,000 (2015)

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 forced labor, including domestic servitude, and prostitution catering to long-distance truck drivers;
• Zimbabwean men, women, and children experience forced labor in agriculture and domestic servitude in rural areas;
• family members may recruit children and other relatives from rural areas with promises of work or education in cities and towns where they end up in domestic servitude and sex trafficking;
• Zimbabwean women and men are lured into exploitative labor situations in South Africa and other neighboring countries

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;
• the government passed an anti-trafficking law in 2014 defining trafficking in persons as a crime of transportation and failing to capture the key element of the international definition of human trafficking – the purpose of exploitation – which prevents the law from being comprehensive or consistent with the 2000 UN TIP Protocol that Zimbabwe acceded to in 2013;
• the government did not report on anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts during 2014, and corruption in law enforcement and the judiciary remain a concern;
• authorities made minimal efforts to identify and protect trafficking victims, relying on NGOs to identify and assist victims;
• Zimbabwe’s 2014 anti-trafficking law required the opening of 10 centers for trafficking victims, but none were established during the year;
• five existing shelters for vulnerable children and orphans may have accommodated child victims;
• in January 2015, an inter-ministerial anti-trafficking committee was established, but it is unclear if the committee ever met or initiated any activities (2015)