1992 Edition

Climate

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

Coastline

none - landlocked

Comparative area

slightly larger than Montana

Disputes

quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia is in disagreement

Environment

recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare; deforestation; soil erosion; air and water pollution

Land area

386,670 km2

Land boundaries

3,066 km total; Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km

Land use

arable land 7%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 12%; forest and woodland 62%; other 19%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Maritime claims

none - landlocked

Natural resources

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

Note

landlocked

Terrain

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

Total area

390,580 km2

Birth rate

40 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

African 98% (Shona 71%, Ndebele 16%, other 11%); white 1%, mixed and Asian 1%

Infant mortality rate

59 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

3,100,000; agriculture 74%, transport and services 16%, mining, manufacturing, construction 10% (1987)

Languages

English (official); Shona, Sindebele

Life expectancy at birth

60 years male, 64 years female (1992)

Literacy

67% (male 74%, female 60%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Zimbabwean(s); adjective - Zimbabwean

Net migration rate

-3 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

17% of wage and salary earners have union membership

Population

11,033,376 (July 1992), growth rate 2.9% (1992)

Religions

syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, a few Muslim

Total fertility rate

5.4 children born/woman (1992)

Administrative divisions

8 provinces; Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo (Victoria), Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands

Capital

Harare

Chief of State and Head of Government

Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Co-Vice President Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987); Co-Vice President Joshua M. NKOMO (since 6 August 1990)

Constitution

21 December 1979

Diplomatic representation

Counselor (Political Affairs), Head of Chancery, Ambassador Stanislaus Garikai CHIGWEDERE; Chancery at 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 332-7100 US: Ambassador Edward Gibson LANPHER; Embassy at 172 Herbert Chitapo Avenue, Harare (mailing address is P. O. Box 3340, Harare); telephone [263] (4) 794-521

Executive branch

executive president, 2 vice presidents, Cabinet

Executive President

last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1996); results - Robert MUGABE 78.3%, Edgar TEKERE 21.7%

Flag

seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white equilateral triangle edged in black based on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle

Independence

18 April 1980 (from UK; formerly Southern Rhodesia)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament

Long-form name

Republic of Zimbabwe

Member of

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

Parliament

last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (150 total, 120 elected) ZANU-PF 117, ZUM 2, ZANU-S 1

Political parties and leaders

Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Robert MUGABE; Zimbabwe African National Union-Sithole (ZANU-S), Ndabaningi SITHOLE; Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM), Edgar TEKERE; Democratic Party (DP), Emmanuel MAGOCHE

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

parliamentary democracy

Agriculture

accounts for 11% of GDP and employs 74% of population; 40% of land area divided into 4,500 large commercial farms and 42% in communal lands; crops - corn (food staple), cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; livestock - cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; self-sufficient in food

Budget

revenues $2.7 billion; expenditures $3.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $330 million (FY91)

Currency

Zimbabwean dollar (plural - dollars); 1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY80-89), $389 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.6 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $36 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $134 million

Electricity

3,650,000 kW capacity; 7,500 million kWh produced, 700 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1 - 4.3066 (March 1992), 3.4282 (1991), 2.4480 (1990), 2.1133 (1989), 1.8018 (1988), 1.6611 (1987)

Exports

$1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: agricultural 35% (tobacco 20%, other 15%), manufactures 20%, gold 10%, ferrochrome 10%, cotton 5% partners: Europe 55% (EC 40%, Netherlands 5%, other 15%), Africa 20% (South Africa 10%, other 10%), US 5%

External debt

$2.96 billion (December 1989 est.)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $7.1 billion, per capita $660; real growth rate 3.5% (1991 est.)

Imports

$1.6 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.) commodities: machinery and transportation equipment 37%, other manufactures 22%, chemicals 16%, fuels 15% partners: EC 31%, Africa 29% (South Africa 21%, other 8%), US 8%, Japan 4%

Industrial production

growth rate 5% (1991 est.); accounts for 35% of GDP

Industries

mining, steel, clothing and footwear, chemicals, foodstuffs, fertilizer, beverage, transportation equipment, wood products

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

25% (1991 est.)

Overview

Agriculture employs three-fourths of the labor force and supplies almost 40% of exports. The manufacturing sector, based on agriculture and mining, produces a variety of goods and contributes 35% to GDP. Mining accounts for only 5% of both GDP and employment, but supplies of minerals and metals account for about 40% of exports. Wide year-to-year fluctuations in agricultural production over the past six years have resulted in an uneven growth rate, one that on average has matched the 3% annual increase in population. Helped by an IMF/World Bank structural adjustment program, output rose 3.5% in 1991. A drought beginning toward the end of 1991 suggests rough going for 1992.

Unemployment rate

at least 30% (1991 est.)

Airports

491 total, 401 usable; 22 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 32 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

12 major transport aircraft

Highways

85,237 km total; 15,800 km paved, 39,090 km crushed stone, gravel,

stabilized soil

23,097 km improved earth; 7,250 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

Lake Kariba is a potential line of communication

Pipelines

petroleum products 8 km

Railroads

2,745 km 1.067-meter gauge; 42 km double track; 355 km electrified

Telecommunications

system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; consists of microwave links, open-wire lines, and radio communications stations; 247,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 8 AM, 18 FM, 8 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe National Police (including Police Support Unit, Paramilitary Police), People's Militia

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $412.4 million, about 6% of GDP (FY91 est.)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 2,355,965; 1,456,829 fit for military service