2010 Edition

Background

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. 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. President MUGABE in June 2007 instituted price controls on all basic commodities causing panic buying and leaving store shelves empty for months. General elections held in March 2008 contained irregularities but still amounted to a censure of the ZANU-PF-led government with the opposition winning a majority of seats in parliament. MDC opposition leader Morgan TSVANGIRAI won the most votes in the presidential polls, but not enough to win outright. In the lead up to a run-off election in late June 2008, considerable violence enacted against opposition party members led to the withdrawal of TSVANGIRAI from the ballot. Extensive evidence of vote tampering and ballot-box stuffing resulted in international condemnation of the process. Difficult negotiations over a power-sharing government, in which MUGABE remained president and TSVANGIRAI became prime minister, were finally settled in February 2009, although the leaders have yet failed to agree upon many key outstanding governmental issues.

Area

land

386,847 sq km

total

390,757 sq km

water

3,910 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Montana

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Inyangani 2,592 m

lowest point

junction of the Runde and Save Rivers 162 m

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

324 cu m/yr (2002)

total

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

Geographic coordinates

20 00 S, 30 00 E

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

Irrigated land

1,740 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km

total

3,066 km

Land use

arable land

8.24%

other

91.43% (2005)

permanent crops

0.33%

Location

Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Natural resources

coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

Terrain

mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east

Total renewable water resources

20 cu km (1987)

Age structure

0-14 years: 43.9% (male 2,523,119/female 2,473,928) 15-64 years: 52.2% (male 2,666,928/female 3,283,474) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 194,360/female 250,820) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

31.57 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

14.9 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

4.6% of GDP (2000)

Ethnic groups

African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

15.3% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

140,000 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1.3 million (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

28.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

33.44 deaths/1,000 live births

total

30.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects

Life expectancy at birth

female

47.11 years (2010 est.)

male

47.98 years

total population

47.55 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English

female

87.2% (2003 est.)

male

94.2%

total population

90.7%

Major infectious diseases

animal contact disease

rabies (2009)

degree of risk

high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease

malaria

water contact disease

schistosomiasis

Median age

female

18.9 years (2010 est.)

male

16.7 years

total

17.8 years

Nationality

adjective

Zimbabwean

noun

Zimbabwean(s)

Net migration rate

12.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2009 est.)

Population

11,651,858 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

2.954% (2010 est.)

Religions

syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

9 years (2003)

male

10 years

total

9 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.83 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population

0.91 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.66 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

37% of total population (2008)

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

Capital

geographic coordinates

17 50 S, 31 03 E

name

Harare

time difference

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

Constitution

21 December 1979

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Zimbabwe

conventional short form

Zimbabwe

former

Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Charles A. RAY

embassy

172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare

FAX

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

mailing address

P. O. Box 3340, Harare

telephone

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador Machivenyika MAPURANGA

FAX

[1] (202) 483-9326

telephone

[1] (202) 332-7100

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president and prime minister; responsible to the House of Assembly (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President John NKOMO (since December 2009) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004)

election results

Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 85.5%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 9.3%, other 5.2%; note - first round voting results - Morgan TSVANGIRAI 47.9%, Robert Gabriel MUGABE 43.2%, Simba MAKONI 8.3%, other 0.6%; first-round round polls were deemed to be flawed suppressing TSVANGIRAI's results; the 27 June 2008 run-off between MUGABE and TSVANGIRAI was severely flawed and internationally condemned

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 five-year term (no term limits); elections last held on 28 March 2008 followed by a run-off on 27 June 2008 (next to be held in 2013); co-vice presidents drawn from party leadership

head of government

Prime Minister Morgan TSVANGIRAI (since 11 February 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Arthur MUTAMBARA

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

18 April 1980 (from the UK)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; High Court

Legal system

mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate (93 seats - 60 members elected by popular vote for a five-year term, 10 provincial governors nominated by the president and the prime minister, 16 traditional chiefs elected by the Council of Chiefs, 2 seats held by the president and deputy president of the Council of Chiefs, and 5 members appointed by the president) and a House of Assembly (210 seats - members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - MDC 51.6%, ZANU-PF 45.8%, other 2.6%; seats by party - MDC 30, ZANU-PF 30; House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - MDC 51.3%, ZANU-PF 45.8%, other 2.9%; seats by party - MDC 109, ZANU-PF 97, other 4

elections

last held on 28 March 2008 (next to be held in 2013)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Solomon MUTSWAIRO/Fred Lecture CHANGUNDEGA note: adopted 1994

name

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

Political parties and leaders

African National Party or ANP [Egypt DZINEMUNHENZVA]; Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; Movement for Democratic Change - Mutambara or MDC-M [Arthur MUTAMBARA] (splinter faction of the MDC); Peace Action is Freedom for All or PAFA; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; United People's Party or UPP [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; National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Women of Zimbabwe Arise or WOZA [Jenny WILLIAMS]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU [Wellington CHIBEBE]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs

Central bank discount rate

NA% (31 December 2009) 975% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

NA% (31 December 2009 est.) 578.96% (31 December 2007)

Current account balance

-$414.2 million (2010 est.) -$807.5 million (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$5.772 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $5.667 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

50.1 (2006) 50.1 (1995)

Economy - overview

The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems. 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. The EU and the US provide food aid on humanitarian grounds. Until early 2009, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe routinely printed money to fund the budget deficit, causing hyperinflation. The power-sharing government formed in February 2009 has led to some economic improvements, including the cessation of hyperinflation by eliminating the use of the Zimbabwe dollar and removing price controls. The economy is registering its first growth in a decade, but will be reliant on further political improvement for greater growth.

Electricity - consumption

10.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

32 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports

2.691 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

8.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

Zimbabwean dollars (ZWD) per US dollar - 234.25 (2010), 234 (2008), 30,000 (2007), 162 (2006), 78 (2005)

Exports

$1.869 billion (2010 est.) $1.213 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

platinum, cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing

Exports - partners

Democratic Republic of the Congo 14.82%, South Africa 13.39%, Botswana 13.23%, China 7.82%, Zambia 7.3%, Netherlands 5.39%, UK 4.93% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

19.5%

industry

24%

services

56.5% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$400 (2010 est.) $400 (2009 est.) $400 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

4.1% (2010 est.) -1.3% (2009 est.) -14.4% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$5.574 billion note: in 2009, the Zimbabwean dollar was taken out of circulation, making Zimbabwe's GDP at the official exchange rate a highly inaccurate statistic (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$4.395 billion (2010 est.) $4.223 billion (2009 est.) $4.279 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 40.4% (1995)

Imports

$2.871 billion (2010 est.) $2.413 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels, food products

Imports - partners

South Africa 62.24%, China 4.2% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

4% (2010 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.03% (2010 est.) 5.1% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

21% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

3.848 million (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

66%

industry

10%

services

24% (1996)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA (31 December 2008) $5.333 billion (31 December 2007) $26.56 billion (31 December 2006)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

11,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

13,830 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

68% (2004)

Public debt

241.6% of GDP (2010 est.) 282.6% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$376 million (31 December 2010 est.) $351 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$3.057 million (31 December 2009 est.) $NA (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Stock of domestic credit

$1.186 million (31 December 2008 est.) $60 (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$NA (31 December 2009 est.) $2.151 million (31 December 2008 est) note: the money data for Zimbabwe for 2007 reflected the vastly overvalued official exchange rate of 30,000 Zimbabwe dollars per US dollar; at an unofficial rate of 800,000 Zimbabwe dollars per US dollar, the stock of Zimbabwe dollars, narrowly defined, would equal only about US$500 million and Zimbabwe's velocity of money (the number of times money turns over in the course of a year) would be nine, in line with the velocity of money for other countries in the region

Unemployment rate

95% (2009 est.) 80% (2005 est.)

Broadcast media

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

Internet country code

.zw

Internet hosts

29,866 (2010)

Internet users

1.423 million (2009)

Telephone system

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

general assessment

system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance

international

country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; 2 international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)

Telephones - main lines in use

385,100 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.991 million (2009)

Airports

216 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

19 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 9 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

197 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 120 under 914 m: 74 (2010)

Pipelines

refined products 270 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Binga, Kariba

Railways

narrow gauge

3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2008)

total

3,077 km

Roadways

paved

18,481 km

total

97,267 km

unpaved

78,786 km (2002)

Waterways

on Lake Kariba (2009)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 2,366,038 females age 16-49: 2,742,036 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,327,894 females age 16-49: 1,525,815 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

152,875 (2010 est.)

male

155,117

Military branches

Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF)

Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) (2009)

Military expenditures

3.8% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation

18-24 years of age for compulsory military service; women are eligible to serve (2010)

Disputes - 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

Illicit drugs

transit point for cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines en route to South Africa page last updated on January 20, 2011 ======================================================================

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

569,685 (MUGABE-led political violence, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2007)

refugees (country of origin)

2,500 (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Zimbabwe is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; large scale migration of Zimbabweans to surrounding countries - as they flee a progressively more desperate situation at home - has increased; rural Zimbabwean men, women, and children are trafficked internally to farms for agricultural labor and domestic servitude and to cities for domestic labor and commercial sexual exploitation; NGOs believe internal trafficking increased during the year, largely due to the closure of schools, worsening political violence, and a faltering economy; young men and boys are trafficked to South Africa for farm work, often laboring for months in South Africa without pay before "employers" have them arrested and deported as illegal immigrants; young women and girls are lured abroad with false employment offers that result in involuntary domestic servitude or commercial sexual exploitation; men, women, and children from neighboring states are trafficked through Zimbabwe en route to South Africa

tier rating

Tier 3 - the Government of 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 made minimal progress in combating trafficking in 2008, and members of its military and the former ruling party's youth militias perpetrated acts of trafficking on local populations; anti-trafficking efforts were further weakened as it failed to address Zimbabwe's economic and social problems during the reporting period, thus increasing the population's vulnerability to trafficking within and outside of the country (2009)