Today, let's visit
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a country in Africa, home to about 16.9 million people. Its capital is Harare.
It covers 390,580 square kilometres (150,803 square miles). That's about four times the size of Indiana.
A little history
The hunter-gatherer San people first inhabited the area that eventually became Zimbabwe. Farming communities migrated to the area around A.D. 500 during the Bantu expansion, and Shona-speaking societies began to develop in the Limpopo valley and Zimbabwean highlands around the 9th century. These societies traded with Arab merchants on the Indian Ocean coast and organized under the Kingdom of Mapungubwe in the 11th century. A series of powerful trade-oriented Shona states succeeded Mapungubwe, including the Kingdom of Zimbabwe (ca. 1220-1450), Kingdom of Mutapa (ca. 1450-1760), and the Rozwi Empire. The Rozwi Empire expelled Portuguese colonists from the Zimbabwean plateau, but the Ndebele clan of Zulu King MZILIKAZI eventually conquered the area in 1838 during the era of conflict and population displacement known as the Mfecane.
In the 1880s, colonists arrived with the British South Africa Company (BSAC) and obtained a written concession for mining rights from Ndebele King LOBENGULA. The king later disavowed the concession and accused the BSAC agents of deceit. The BSAC annexed Mashonaland and then conquered Matabeleland during the First Matabele War of 1893-1894, establishing company rule over the territory. In 1923, the UK annexed BSAC holdings south of the Zambezi River, which became the British colony of Southern Rhodesia. The 1930 Land Apportionment Act restricted Black land ownership and established rules that would favor the White minority for decades. A new constitution in 1961 further cemented White minority rule.
In 1965, the government under White Prime Minister Ian SMITH unilaterally declared its independence from the UK. London did not recognize Rhodesia’s independence and demanded more voting rights for the Black majority in the country. International diplomacy and an uprising by Black Zimbabweans led to biracial elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, who led the uprising and became the nation's first prime minister, was the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) from independence until 2017. In the mid-1980s, the government tortured and killed thousands of civilians in a crackdown on dissent known as the Gukurahundi campaign. Economic mismanagement and chaotic implementation of land redistribution policies periodically crippled the economy. General elections in 2002, 2008, and 2013 were severely flawed and widely condemned but allowed MUGABE to remain president. In 2017, Vice President Emmerson MNANGAGWA became president after a military intervention that forced MUGABE to resign, and MNANGAGWA cemented power by sidelining rival Grace MUGABE (Robert MUGABE’s wife). In 2018, MNANGAGWA won the presidential election, and he has maintained the government's longstanding practice of violently disrupting protests and politicizing institutions. Economic conditions remain dire under MNANGAGWA.
What's it like there?
The weather is tropical.
- Location
-
Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
- Size
-
- About four times the size of Indiana
- Slightly larger than Montana
- Climate
-
- Tropical
- Moderated by altitude
- Rainy season (November to March)
- Landscape
-
- 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
- Land use
-
Agricultural land 41.8%
Arable land 10.4%
Permanent crops 0.1%
Permanent pasture 31.3%
Forest 35.9%
Other 22.3%
2023 estimate
- Good to know
-
- Landlocked
- The Zambezi forms a natural river 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)
Who lives there?
About 16.9 million people live in Zimbabwe, and the biggest city is Harare.
- Largest cities
-
Harare Capital 1,542,813 Bulawayo 665,952 Chitungwiza 371,246 Mutare 224,802 Epworth 206,365 Gweru 158,200 Kwekwe 119,863 Kadoma 117,381 Ruwa 94,083 Chinhoyi 90,800 - Languages
-
Shona (official, most widely spoken) 80.9% Ndebele (official, second most widely spoken) 11.5% English (official, traditionally used for official business) 0.3% 13 minority languages (official; includes Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Shangani, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa) 7% Other 0.3% 2022 estimate
Note: Data represent population by mother tongue
- Religions
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Apostolic Sect 40.3% Pentecostal 17% Protestant 13.8% Other Christian 7.8% Roman Catholic 6.4% African traditionalist 5% Other (includes Muslim, Jewish, Hindu) 1.5% None 8.3% 2022 estimate
- Ethnic groups
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African 99.6% (predominantly Shona; Ndebele is the second largest ethnic group), other (includes Caucasian, Asiatic, mixed race) 0.4%
2022 estimate
- Where people live
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Aside from major urban agglomerations in Harare and Bulawayo, population distribution is fairly even, with slightly greater overall numbers in the eastern half, as shown in this population distribution map
- Cities and towns
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Urban population 32.5% of total population
2023
Rate of urbanization 2.41% annual rate of change
2020-25 estimate
- Reading and writing
-
Total population 93.2%
Male 93.1%
Female 93.4%
2019 estimate
- What people are called
-
Noun Zimbabwean(s)
Adjective Zimbabwean
Who's in charge?
Its government is a presidential republic.
- Leaders
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Head of state President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa (since 4 September 2023)
Head of government Vice President Constantino Chiwenga (since 11 September 2023)
- Parliament
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Legislature name Parliament
Legislative structure Bicameral
- Courts
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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 on 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 nonrenewable 15-year terms
Subordinate courts - High Court
- Labor Court
- Administrative Court
- Regional magistrate courts
- Customary law courts
- Special courts
- Constitution
-
History - 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
- Effective 22 May 2013
Amendment process Proposed by the Senate or by the National Assembly
Passage requires two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses of Parliament and assent of the president of the republic
Amendments to constitutional chapters on fundamental human rights and freedoms and on agricultural lands also require approval by a majority of votes cast in a referendum
- Legal system
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Mixed system of English common law, Roman-Dutch civil law, and customary law
- Who can vote
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- 18 years of age
- Universal
How does it make a living?
- In short
-
- Low income Sub-Saharan economy
- Political instability and endemic corruption have prevented reforms and stalled debt restructuring
- New Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency latest effort to combat ongoing hyperinflation
- Reliant on natural resource extraction, agriculture and remittances
- Industries
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- 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
- Farming
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- Sugarcane
- Beef
- Maize
- Cabbages
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Milk
- Onions
- Bananas
- Wheat
2023
Note: Top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
- Exports
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- Gold
- Tobacco
- Nickel
- Minerals
- Diamonds
2023
Note: Top five export commodities based on value in dollars
- Sells most to
-
UAE 45% China 18% South Africa 15% Mozambique 4% Hong Kong 2% 2023
Note: Top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
- Imports
-
- Refined petroleum
- Fertilizers
- Trucks
- Soybean oil
- Stone processing machines
2023
Note: Top five import commodities based on value in dollars
- Buys most from
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South Africa 37% China 15% Bahamas The 5% Singapore 5% UAE 4% 2023
Note: Top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
- Workforce
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6.386 million
2024 estimate
Note: Number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
- Below the poverty line
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38.3%
2019 estimate
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line
- Electricity
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Electrification - total population 50.1%
2022 estimate
Electrification - urban areas 89%
Electrification - rural areas 33.7%
- Government budget
-
Revenues $17 million
Expenditures $23 million
2018 estimate
Want to read more? Try the Wikipedia article or the Human Rights Watch report.
Have a great day!
I'll look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.
The more we all learn about the world, the better a place it becomes. Thank you for your curiosity!