   #copyright

Zimbabwe

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Countries;
Countries

   SOS Children works in Zimbabwe. For more information see SOS Children
   in Zimbabwe, Africa
   Republic of Zimbabwe


                  Flag of Zimbabwe Coat of arms of Zimbabwe
                        Flag             Coat of arms

   Motto
   "Unity, Freedom, Work"
   Anthem
   Simudzai Mureza Wedu weZimbabwe  ( Shona)
   Kalibusiswe Ilizwe leZimbabwe  ( Ndebele)
   "Blessed be the land of Zimbabwe"
   Location of Zimbabwe
   Capital
   (and largest city) Harare
   17°50′S, 31°3′E
   Official languages English
   Government Republic
    -  President Robert Mugabe
   Independence
    -  Rhodesia November 11, 1965
    -  Zimbabwe April 18, 1980
   Area
    -  Total 390,757 km² ( 60th)
   150,871  sq mi
    -  Water (%) 1
   Population
    -  July 2005 estimate 13,010,000^1 ( 68th)
    -  Density 33 /km² ( 170th)
   85 /sq mi
   GDP ( PPP) 2005 estimate
    -  Total $30.581 billion ( 94th)
    -  Per capita $2,607 ( 129th)
   HDI (2005) 0.491 (low) ( 151st)
   Currency Dollar ( ZWD)
   Time zone CAT ( UTC+2)
    -  Summer ( DST) not observed ( UTC+2)
   Internet TLD .zw
   Calling code +263
   ^1 Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects
   of excess mortality due to AIDS.

   Zimbabwe ( IPA: [zɪmˈbɑbwe]), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, and
   formerly Republic of Rhodesia, is a landlocked country in the southern
   part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo
   rivers. It borders South Africa to the south, Botswana to the
   southwest, Zambia to the northwest, and Mozambique to the east. The
   name Zimbabwe derives from "dzimba dzemabwe" meaning "houses of stone"
   in the Shona language. Its use as the country's name is a tribute to
   Great Zimbabwe, site of the capital of the Munhumutapa Empire.

History

Precolonial era

   Iron Age Bantu-speaking peoples began migrating into the area about
   2,000 years ago, including the ancestors of the Shona, who account for
   roughly four-fifths of the country's population today. By the middle
   ages, there was a Bantu civilization in the region, as evidenced by
   ruins at Great Zimbabwe, a Shona-speaking state. Around the early 10th
   century, trade developed with Muslim merchants on the Indian Ocean
   coast, helping to develop Great Zimbabwe in the 11th century. The state
   traded gold, ivory, and copper for cloth and glass. It ceased to be the
   leading Shona state in the mid-15th century.

   In 1837, the Shona were conquered by the Ndebele, who forced them to
   pay tribute. Later, in the 19th century, British and Boer traders,
   missionaries, and hunters started encroaching on the area.

Rhodesian era

   In 1888, British imperialist Cecil Rhodes extracted mining rights from
   King Lobengula of the Ndebele. The following year, he obtained a
   charter for the British South Africa Company, which conquered the
   Ndebele and their territory and promoted the colonization of the
   region's land, labour, and precious metal and mineral resources. In
   1895, the territory was named " Rhodesia" after Cecil Rhodes. Both the
   Ndebele and the Shona staged unsuccessful revolts against the
   encroachment on their native lands in 1896 and 1897. Both the Ndebele
   and Shona became subject to the Rhodes administration. This was the
   beginning of a larger settlement of white settlers, that also led to
   the land distribution favouring whites and displacing both the Shona
   and Ndebele and other black people. The land issue in Zimbabwe remains
   a controversial issue to this day.

   In 1911, the territory was divided into Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia)
   and Southern Rhodesia, the latter becoming a self-governing British
   colony in 1922. In 1953, the two parts of Rhodesia were reunited
   together with Nyasaland (now Malawi) in the Federation of Rhodesia and
   Nyasaland, but this dissolved in 1963. The same year, Ian Smith's
   regime declared Unilateral Independence from Britain and Southern
   Rhodesia was renamed to Rhodesia.

White minority rule and civil war

   Cold War politics served as a menacing backdrop for Portuguese and
   British decolonisation in Southern Africa. After African-majority
   governments assumed control in neighbouring Northern Rhodesia and in
   Nyasaland, and after realising that Britain was not prepared to offer
   special conditions to Southern Rhodesia, which had been a
   self-governing colony since 1922, the white-minority government led by
   Ian Smith declared unilateral independence on 11 November 1965.

   When negotiations with the Ian Smith administration in 1966 and 1968
   stalemated, the UK requested UN economic sanctions against Rhodesia.
   Faced with no alternative, the white-minority regime declared itself a
   republic in 1970. It was not recognized by the UK or any other state,
   other than white-minority–led apartheid South Africa. The newly
   independent neighbouring African nations of Zambia and Malawi
   meanwhile, declared themselves to be one-party states. During this
   time, the Soviet bloc intensified its efforts to gain a foothold in
   Africa, with troops drafted in from Cuba, Yugoslavia and the USSR,
   openly funding lawless guerrilla warfare in Africa. Large shipments of
   landmines and weaponry were handed over to groups which have been
   criticised by some as being "untrained groups of poorly educated youths
   led by power-hungry political activists".

   Guerrilla fighting against the white minority intensified, and the
   Smith regime opened negotiations with the leaders of the Patriotic
   Fronts Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), led by Robert Mugabe and
   the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), led by Joshua Nkomo. With
   his regime near the brink of collapse, in March 1978 Smith signed a
   desperate accord with three black leaders, led by the moderate Bishop
   Abel Muzorewa, who offered safeguards for white civilians.

   Muzorewa, who had the support not only of the Smith regime but also of
   the white-minority regime in South Africa, lacked credibility among
   significant parts of the African population, and his government soon
   faltered. In 1979, the British Government asked all parties to come to
   Lancaster House in an attempt to negotiate a settlement in the civil
   war.

Independence

   Following the conference, held in London ( 1979– 80), Britain's Lord
   Soames was appointed governor to oversee the disarming of revolutionary
   guerrillas, the holding of elections, and the granting of independence
   to an uneasy coalition government with Joshua Nkomo, head of ZAPU. In
   the free elections of February 1980, Mugabe and his ZANU won a
   landslide victory. Mugabe has won re-election ever since.

   During the first decade of independence Robert Mugabe used the North
   Korean trained Fifth Brigade to silence any opposition from the Ndebele
   nation in an operation referred to as Gukurahundi. The killing was done
   on the pretext of dissidents existing within the Zimbabwean armed
   forces. An estimated 20 000 civilians, mostly Ndebele, were killed or
   disappeared and have not been accounted for to this date. Allegations
   of genocide and ethnic cleansing have resulted in calls for Mugabe's
   arrest and prosecution for crimes against humanity.

   Land issues, which the liberation movement promised to solve,
   re-emerged as the vital issue for the ruling party beginning in 1999.
   Despite majority-rule, and the existence of a "willing buyer-willing
   seller" land reform programme since the 1980s, ZANU (PF) claimed that
   whites made up less than 1% of the population but held 70% of the
   country's commercially viable arable land (though these figures are
   disputed by many outside of the Government of Zimbabwe). Mugabe began
   to redistribute land to blacks in 2000 with a compulsory land
   redistribution; charges that the programme as a whole is designed to
   reward loyal deputies have persisted in Zimbabwe since the beginning of
   the process. Despite claims by both the opposition and the government
   that land reform of one kind or another must take place, the Mugabe
   lead process has been seen as a diversion away from an ill conceived
   war in the DRC and economic maladministration. The legality and
   constitutionality of the process has regularly been challenged in the
   Zimbabwean High and Supreme Courts, however the policing agencies have
   rarely acted in accordance with courts' rulings on these matters. The
   chaotic implementation of the land reform lead to a sharp decline in
   agricultural exports, traditionally the country's leading export
   producing sector. Mining and tourism have surpassed agriculture. As a
   result, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a severe hard currency
   shortage, which has led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in
   imported fuel and consumer goods. In 2002 Zimbabwe was suspended from
   the Commonwealth of Nations on charges of human rights abuses during
   the land redistribution and of election tampering.

   Following elections in 2005, the government initiated " Operation
   Murambatsvina", a supposed effort to crack down on illegal markets and
   homes that had seen slums unfit for human habitation emerge in towns
   and cities. This action has been widely condemned by opposition and
   international figures, who charge that it has left a large section of
   the urban poor homeless. The Zimbabwe government has described the
   operation as an attempt to provide decent housing to the population
   although they have yet to deliver any new housing for the forcefully
   removed people.

   Zimbabwe's current economic and food crisis, described by some
   observers as the country's worst humanitarian crisis since
   independence, has been attributed, in varying degrees, to a drought
   affecting the entire region, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the
   government's price controls and land reforms.

Politics

   Zimbabwe is a republic, with an executive president and a bicameral
   Parliament. Under constitutional changes in 2005, an upper chamber, the
   Senate, was reinstated. The House of Assembly is the lower chamber of
   Parliament.

   Zanu PF party leader Robert Mugabe, elected Prime Minister in 1980,
   revised the constitution in 1987 to make himself President. President
   Mugabe's affiliated party has won every election since independence on
   April 18, 1980. In some quarters corruption and rigging of elections
   have been alleged. In particular, the elections of 1990 were nationally
   and internationally condemned as being rigged, with the second-placed
   party, Edgar Tekere's Zimbabwe Unity Movement, winning only 20% of the
   vote. Presidential elections were last held in 2002 amid allegations of
   vote-rigging, intimidation and fraud. The next Presidential elections
   are to be held in 2008, although Mugabe is currently trying to amend
   the constitution in an attempt to stay in power until 2010.

   The major opposition party at the moment is the Movement for Democratic
   Change, or MDC, led by Morgan Tsvangirai. The MDC is currently split
   into two factions. One faction, led by Arthur Mutambara is contesting
   the elections to the Senate, while the other led by Morgan Tsvangirai
   is opposed to contesting the elections, stating that participation in a
   rigged election is tantamount to endorsing Mugabe's claim that
   elections in Zimbabwe are completely free and fair. However, the
   opposition parties have resumed participation in national and local
   elections as recently as 2006. The two MDC camps had their congresses
   in 2005 with Morgan Tsvangirai being elected to lead the main splinter
   group which has become more popular than the other group. Professor
   Arthur G.O Mutambara, a Robotics Professor and former NASA robotics
   specialist has replaced Welshman Ncube who was the interim leader after
   the split. Morgan Tsvangirai did not participate in the Senate
   elections, while the Mutambara faction participated and won some seats
   in the senate. The Mutambara faction has however been weakened by
   defections from MPs and individuals who are disillusioned by their
   manifesto. As of 2007, the Tsvangirai-led MDC has become the most
   popular, with crowds as large as 20,000 attending their rallies as
   compared to between 500–5,000 for the other splinter group. There is
   wide disagreement in Zimbabwe and neighbouring states as to whether a
   divided MDC can win presidential elections against a disciplined ruling
   party. The opposition continues to be weak in rural areas, where a
   large number of the population of Zimbabwe resides.

   The 2005 Zimbabwe parliamentary elections were held on March 31 and
   multiple claims of vote rigging, election fraud and intimidation were
   made by the MDC and Jonathan Moyo, calling for investigations into 32
   of the 120 constituencies. Despite the allegations Jonathan Moyo
   participated in the elections and won a seat, enabling him to serve as
   an independent member of Parliament.

Education

   Zimbabwe had a literacy rate of 95.2% in 2000, the highest in Africa,
   although that had slipped to an estimated 90.7% in 2003. Zimbabweans
   generally value and pursue academic achievement, for example, Robert
   Mugabe, the president, has four non-honorary degrees and the cabinet
   has several graduates at PhD level. For males, the country's adult
   literacy rate (the percentage of persons aged 15 and over who can read
   and write) is 97%. Comparison with other SADC countries in 2004 is as
   follows: South Africa, 86%, Zambia, 79.9%, Swaziland, 80.9%, Namibia,
   83.3%, Lesotho, 81.4%, Botswana, 78.9%, Tanzania, 77.1%, Malawi, 61.8%,
   Mozambique, 46.5%.^,^,.

Universities

     * University of Zimbabwe, the first, largest and most complete
     * National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe (NUST), the
       second state university
     * Africa University, in Mutare
     * Midlands State University
     * Bindura University of Science Education
     * Chinhoyi University of Technology
     * Masvingo State University
     * Catholic University in Zimbabwe
     * Zimbabwe Open University
     * Women's University in Africa
     * Solusi University
     * Lupane State University
     * University Without Walls
     * Theological College of Zimbabwe (TCZ)

   The highest professional board for accountants is the Institute of
   Chartered Accountants in Zimbabwe, (ICAZ) with direct relationships
   with similar bodies in South Africa, Canada, UK and Australia, meaning
   if you are a qualified Chartered Accountant from Zimbabwe, you are also
   a member of similar bodies in these countries after writing a
   conversion paper which is normally easier than the normal qualifying
   examination papers. In addition, Zimbabwean-trained Doctors only
   require one year of residence to be fully-licensed doctors in the USA

Administrative divisions

   Administrative divisions of Zimbabwe
   Administrative divisions of Zimbabwe

   Zimbabwe is divided into eight provinces and two cities with provincial
   status. The provinces are subdivided into 59 districts and 1,200
   municipalities.

   The provinces include:
     * Bulawayo (city)
     * Harare (city)
     * Manicaland
     * Mashonaland Central
     * Mashonaland East
     * Mashonaland West
     * Masvingo
     * Matabeleland North
     * Matabeleland South
     * Midlands

   Districts: see Districts of Zimbabwe

   Municipalities: see Municipalities of Zimbabwe

Geography

   Satellite image of Zimbabwe, generated from raster graphics data
   supplied by The Map Library
   Satellite image of Zimbabwe, generated from raster graphics data
   supplied by The Map Library
   Bridal Veil Falls, Eastern Highlands
   Bridal Veil Falls, Eastern Highlands

   Zimbabwe is a landlocked country, surrounded by South Africa to the
   south, Botswana to the west, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to
   the east and northeast. Inyangani is the highest mountain in Zimbabwe
   at 2,592 meters. The north-western border is defined by the Zambezi
   River. Victoria Falls is a popular tourist destination on the Zambezi.
   To the south, Zimbabwe is separated from South Africa by the Limpopo
   River. Zimbabwe also shares a border with Namibia to the west via a
   narrow land corridor.

Economy

   The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic
   problems after having abandoned earlier efforts in developing a
   market-oriented economy. Current problems include a shortage of foreign
   exchange, soaring inflation, and supply shortages. Zimbabwe's
   involvement from 1998 to 2002 in the war in the Democratic Republic of
   the Congo drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy.

   Mineral exports, agriculture, and tourism are the main foreign currency
   earners of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is the biggest trading partner of South
   Africa south of the equator. Since land redistribution began,
   agricultural exports, especially tobacco, have declined sharply.

   The downward spiral of the economy has been attributed mainly to
   mismanagement, corruption and Zimbabwe's inability to feed itself after
   evicting more than 4000 white farmers in the controversial farm
   invasions of 2000.

   According to official figures, inflation rose from an annual rate of
   32% in 1998 to a high of 1,729.9% in February 2007, a state of
   hyperinflation. The exchange rate fell from 24 Zimbabwean dollars per
   US dollar to 250(000) Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar (official rate)
   and 10,000(000) Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar (parallel rate), in
   the same period.

   Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe reached a record annual rate of some 1,730%
   as reported on 10 March 2007. Mugabe points to foreign governments and
   alleged "sabotage" as the cause of this, as well as the country's 80%
   unemployment rate. Critics of Mugabe's administration, however,
   immediately indicate the main cause of some of these issues stems from
   Mugabe's controversial program which sought to seize land from white
   commercial farmers.

   Robert Mugabe has repeatedly blamed sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by
   the EU and the USA for the state of the Zimbabwean economy. Governments
   that imposed the sanctions have however argued that the sanctions are
   only meant to target government officials and not ordinary citizens.

Demographics and ethnicity

   According to the United Nations World Health Organization, the life
   expectancy for men is 37 years and the life expectancy for women is 34
   years of age, the lowest in the world in 2006. An association of
   doctors in Zimbabwe have made calls for President Mugabe to make moves
   to assist the ailing health service. Zimbabwe has a very high HIV
   infection rate. In 2001, it was measured at its highest level ever of
   33.7% for people aged 15–49.

   On 3 October 2006, Zimbabwe launched the world's first official
   HIV/AIDS Toolkit, which forms the basis for a global AIDS prevention,
   treatment and support plan. The country was chosen to test it because
   of its excellence in initiating different strategies on home based
   care.

Ethnic groups (2005 est.)

   The black ethnic groups total 98% of the population
     * Shona 80–84%. The ruling party is linked to the Shona majority
       ethnic group and a small Ndebele group from Joshua Khomo's ZAPU,
       although there is also considerable opposition support among the
       Shona.
     * Ndebele 8–10%. The Ndebele are descended from Zulu migrations in
       the nineteenth century and the other tribes with which they mixed.
       Support for the opposition is particularly strong both from the
       Ndebele and the Shona majority. Up to 1 million Ndebele may have
       left the country over the last five years, mainly for South Africa.
     * Bantus of other ethnicity 8–10%.
     * White Zimbabweans Less than 1%. These are mostly of British origin,
       but some are of Afrikaner, Portuguese or Dutch origin. The white
       population dropped from a peak of 275,000 in 1970 to possibly
       120,000 in 1999, and was estimated at no more than 60,000 in 2006,
       possibly much less. Most emigration has been to the UK, South
       Africa, Zambia and Australia.
     * Mixed race 0.5%.
     * Asian ethnic groups (various) 0.5%. Mostly Indian and Chinese.
       Zimbabwe is now experiencing a surge of Asian immigrants who run
       business. If the trend continues, they will surpass whites as the
       largest non-African minority group in Zimbabwe.

Human rights

   There have been widespread reports of various civil and political human
   rights abuses throughout Zimbabwe, in particular against opponents of
   the government. According to human rights organizations such as Amnesty
   International and Human Rights Watch the government of Zimbabwe
   violates the rights to shelter, food, freedom of movement and
   residence, freedom of assembly and the protection of the law. There are
   assaults on the media, the political opposition, civil society
   activists, and human rights defenders.

Culture

   Football is the most popular sport in Zimbabwe, although rugby and
   cricket also have a following, traditionally among the white minority.

   Zimbabwe celebrates its national holiday on April 18.

Arts

   Traditional arts in Zimbabwe include pottery, basketry, textiles,
   jewelery, and carving. Among the distinctive qualities are
   symmetrically patterned woven baskets and stools carved out of a single
   piece of wood. Shona sculpture in essence has been a fusion of African
   folklore with European influences. Also, a recurring theme in
   Zimbabwean art is the metamorphosis of man into beast.

Religion

   There are various forms of spiritual practice in Zimbabwe. Forty to
   fifty percent of Zimbabweans attend Christian churches. However like
   most former European colonies, Christianity is often mixed with
   enduring traditional beliefs. Besides Christianity, Ancestral worship
   is the most practiced non-Christian religion which involves ancestor
   worship and spiritual intercession; the Mbira Dza Vadzimu, which means
   "Voice of the Ancestors", an instrument related to many lamellophones
   ubiquitous throughout Africa, is central to many ceremonial
   proceedings. Mwari simply means God the creator, musika vanhu. Around
   1% of the population is Muslim.

Language

   English is the official language of Zimbabwe, though less than 2%
   consider it their native language, mainly the white and Coloured (mixed
   race) minorities. The rest of the population speak Bantu languages like
   Shona (76%) and Ndebele (18%). Shona has a rich oral tradition, which
   was incorporated into the first Shona novel, Feso by Solomon Mutswairo,
   published in 1957. English is spoken primarily in the cities, but less
   so in rural areas. Radio and Television news is now broadcast in three
   languages: Shona, Ndebele and English.

Food

   Like in many African countries, a majority of Zimbabweans depend on
   staple foods. Mealie meal or cornmeal as it is known in other parts of
   the world is used to prepare bota, a porridge made by mixing the
   cornmeal with water, to produce a thick paste. This is usually
   flavoured with peanut butter, milk, butter and sometimes even jam. Bota
   is usually eaten for breakfast. Cornmeal is also used to make sadza,
   which is usually eaten for dinner, and by many for lunch too. The
   process of making sadza is similar to bota, however after the paste has
   been cooking for several minutes, more cornmeal is added to thicken the
   paste until it is hard. This meal is usually served with greens, (
   spinach, collard greens) etc, beans and meat that is stewed, grilled or
   roasted. Sadza is also commonly eaten with curdled milk commonly known
   as lacto (mukaka wakakora), or a small dried fish called kapenta
   (matemba). On special occasions rice and chicken with cabbage salad is
   often served as the main meal.

   Graduations, weddings and any other family gatherings will usually be
   celebrated with the killing of a goat or cow, which will be braaied (an
   Afrikaner form of barbecue) for the family.

   For the Afrikaners, (although a small part of the white minority group,
   their recipes are popular), meat is especially important, though often
   expensive and now rare in Zimbabwe. Biltong, a type of jerky, is a
   popular snack, prepared by hanging bits of raw meat to dry in the sun.
   Boerewors ( pronounced /børəvɞɾs/ - bore-wore-vorse) is served
   alongside sadza. It is a long sausage, often well-spiced, composed of
   various meats, and barbecued.

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