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| Geography |
| 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 |
| Location: | Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia |
| Geographic coordinates: | 20 00 S, 30 00 E |
| Area: | total: 390,757 sq km land:386,847 sq kmwater:3,910 sq km
Size comparison: slightly larger than Montana |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 3,066 kmborder countries:Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km |
| Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
| Climate: | tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March) |
| Terrain: | mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 mhighest point:Inyangani 2,592 m |
| Natural resources: | coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals |
| Land use: | arable land: 8.24%permanent crops:0.33%other:91.43% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 1,740 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare |
| Current Environment 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 |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protectionsigned, but not ratified:none of the selected agreements |
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| People |
| Population: | 11,392,629country comparison to the world: 73 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 2009 est.) |
| 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) (2009 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 17.6 yearsmale:16.3 yearsfemale:18.8 years (2009 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.53% (2009 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 31.49 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
| Death rate: | 16.19 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | NAnote:there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2009 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years:1.02 male(s)/female15-64 years:0.81 male(s)/female65 years and over:0.78 male(s)/femaletotal population:0.9 male(s)/female (2009 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 32.31 deaths/1,000 live births male:34.9 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale:29.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 45.77 years male:46.36 yearsfemale:45.16 years (2009 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 3.69 children born/woman (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 15.3% (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 1.3 million (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 140,000 (2007 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Zimbabwean(s)adjective:Zimbabwean |
| Ethnic groups: | African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1% |
| Religions: | syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1% |
| Languages: | English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write Englishtotal population:90.7%male:94.2%female:87.2% (2003 est.) |
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| Government |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe conventional short form:Zimbabweformer:Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy |
| Capital: | name: Hararegeographic coordinates:17 50 S, 31 03 Etime difference:UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| 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 |
| Independence: | 18 April 1980 (from the UK) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 18 April (1980) |
| Constitution: | 21 December 1979 |
| Legal system: | mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | 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)head of government:Prime Minister Morgan TSVANGIRAI (since 11 February 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Arthur MUTAMBARAcabinet:Cabinet appointed by the president and prime minister; responsible to the House of Assemblyelections: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 28 March 2008 followed by a run-off on 27 June 2008 (next to be held in 2013); co-vice presidents are drawn from party leadershipelection 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 were severely flawed and internationally condemned |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate (93 seats - 60 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 held by the president and deputy president of the Council of Chiefs, and 5 appointed by the president) and a House of Assembly (210 seats - all elected by popular vote for five-year terms)elections:last held 28 March 2008 (next to be held in 2013)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 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court; High Court |
| 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 [splinter faction under Arthur MUTAMBARA]; 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] |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Machivenyika MAPURANGAchancery:1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009telephone:[1] (202) 332-7100FAX:[1] (202) 483-9326 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Charles RAYembassy:172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Hararemailing address:P. O. Box 3340, Hararetelephone:[263] (4) 250-593 through 250-594FAX:[263] (4) 796-488, or 722-618 |
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| Economy |
| 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 futher political improvement for greater growth. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity):$332.1 million (2009 est.) $320.3 million (2008 est.)$2.371 billion (2006 est.)note:data are in 2009 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate):NAnote:the Zimbabwean dollar was taken out of circulation, making Zimbabwe's GDP at the official exchange rate a highly inaccurate statistic (2009 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 3.7% (2009 est.) -14.4% (2008 est.)-4.6% (2006 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP):$200 (2008 est.) $200 (2007 est.)$200 (2006 est.)note:data are in 2009 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 19.1%industry:23.9%services:56.9% (2009 est.) |
| Labor force: | 3.84 million (2009 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 66%industry:10%services:24% (1996) |
| Unemployment rate: | 95% (2009 est.); 80% (2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 68% (2004) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2%highest 10%:40.4% (1995) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 50.1 (2006) 50.1 (1995) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices):5.1% (2009 est.) 14.9 billion% (2008 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed):21.5% of GDP (2009 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $138 millionexpenditures:$258 million (2008 est.) |
| Public debt: | 304.3% of GDP (2009 est.) 265.6% of GDP (2008 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs |
| 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 |
| Industrial production growth rate: | -2% (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 8.89 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 10.89 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 32 million kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 2.691 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 13,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 0 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 13,830 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| 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 - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $-597.4 million (2009 est.) $-584.6 million (2008 est.) |
| Exports: | $1.09 billion (2009 est.) $1.396 billion (2008 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | platinum, cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing |
| Exports - partners: | South Africa 32.1%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 9.7%, Botswana 8.7%, China 5.6%, Zambia 4.8%, Japan 4.5%, Italy 4.4%, US 4.3% (2008) |
| Imports: | $2.03 billion (2009 est.) $1.915 billion (2008 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels |
| Imports - partners: | South Africa 60.1%, China 4.2%, Botswana 3.7% (2008) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $111 million (31 December 2009 est.) $96 million (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $5.821 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $5.669 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $NA |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $NA |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA (31 December 2008) $5.333 billion (31 December 2007)$26.56 billion (31 December 2006) |
| Exchange rates: | Zimbabwean dollars (ZWD) per US dollar - 234.25 (2009), (2008), 30,000 (2007), 162.07 (2006), 77.965 (2005)note:these are official exchange rates; non-official rates vary significantly |
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| Communications |
| Telephones in use: | 354,000 (2008)country comparison to the world: 109 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 1.655 million (2008) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main linesdomestic: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 onesinternational:country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; 2 international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 16 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .zw |
| Internet hosts: | 29,094 (2009) |
| Internet users: | 1.421 million (2008) |
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| Transportation |
| Airports: | 215 (2009)country comparison to the world: 28 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 19over 3,047 m:32,438 to 3,047 m:21,524 to 2,437 m:5914 to 1,523 m:9 (2009) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 1961,524 to 2,437 m:3914 to 1,523 m:119under 914 m:74 (2009) |
| Pipelines: | refined products 270 km (2008) |
| Railways: | total: 3,077 km narrow gauge:3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2008) |
| Roadways: | total: 97,267 km paved:18,481 kmunpaved:78,786 km (2002) |
| Waterways: | on Lake Kariba (2008) |
| Ports and terminals: | Binga, Kariba |
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| Military |
|
| Military branches: | Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) (2009) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18-24 years of age for compulsory military service; women are eligible to serve (2007) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 3,264,258females age 16-49:3,048,049 (2008 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,198,727females age 16-49:1,436,232 (2009 est.) |
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