1993 Edition

Area

total area: 390,580 km2 land area: 386,670 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than Montana

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

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

International disputes

quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia is in disagreement

Irrigated land

2,200 km2 (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land: 7% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 12% forest and woodland: 62% other: 19%

Location

Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

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

Birth rate

38.16 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

17.68 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

75.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force

3.1 million by occupation: agriculture 74%, transport and services 16%, mining, manufacturing, construction 10% (1987)

Languages

English (official), Shona, Sindebele

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 42.82 years male: 41.2 years female: 44.49 years (1993 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 67% male: 74% female: 60%

Nationality

noun: Zimbabwean(s) adjective: Zimbabwean

Net migration rate

-7.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population

10,837,772 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate

1.32% (1993 est.)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

5.26 children born/woman (1993 est.)

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

Digraph

ZI

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Counselor (Political Affairs), Head of Chancery, Ambassador-designate Amos Bernard Muvengwa MIDZI

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%

FAX

[263] (4) 796-488

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)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament

Member of

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-15, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe conventional short form: Zimbabwe former: Southern Rhodesia

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; Forum Party, Enock DUMBUTSHENA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

parliamentary democracy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Edward Gibson LANPHER embassy: 172 Herbert Chitapo Avenue, Harare mailing address: P. O. Box 3340, Harare telephone: [263] (4) 794-521

Agriculture

accounts for 13% 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

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; 8,920 million kWh produced, 830 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1 - 6.3532 (February 1993), 5.1046 (1992), 3.4282 (1991), 2.4480 (1990), 2.1133 (1989), 1.8018 (1988)

Exports

$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: agricultural 35% (tobacco 20%, other 15%), manufactures 20%, gold 10%, ferrochrome 10%, cotton 5% partners: UK 14%, Germany 11%, South Africa 10%, Japan 7%, US 5% (1991)

External debt

$3.9 billion (March 1993 est.)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Imports

$1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.) commodities: machinery and transportation equipment 37%, other manufactures 22%, chemicals 16%, fuels 15% partners: UK 15%, Germany 9%, South Africa 5%, Botswana 5%, US 5%, Japan 5% (1991)

Industrial production

growth rate 5% (1991 est.); accounts for 38% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

45% (1992 est.)

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $6.2 billion (1992 est.)

National product per capita

$545 (1992 est.)

National product real growth rate

-10% (1992 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 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 severe drought in 1991/92 caused the economy to contract by about 10% in 1992.

Unemployment rate

at least 35% (1993 est.)

Airports

total: 485 usable: 403 with permanent-surface runways: 22 with runways over 3,659 m: 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 29

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 212 km

Railroads

2,745 km 1.067-meter gauge (including 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 Republic 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 age 15-49 2,315,461; fit for military service 1,436,671 (1993 est.)