Edition 2005 — Zimbabwe — World Factbook

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 39.2% (male 2,522,609/female 2,474,131) 15-64 years: 57.1% (male 3,686,354/female 3,592,662) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 235,478/female 235,756) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

404 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 17 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 8 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 387 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 186 under 914 m: 196 (2004 est.) Military Zimbabwe

Area

land: 386,670 sq km
total: 390,580 sq km
water: 3,910 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Montana

Background

The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the 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 begun 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. Opposition and labor groups launched general strikes in 2003 to pressure MUGABE to retire early; security forces continued their brutal repression of regime opponents. Geography Zimbabwe

Birth rate

29.74 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $1.593 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $1.325 billion

Capital

Harare

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Constitution

21 December 1979

Country name

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

Currency (code)

Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD)

Currency code

ZWD

Current account balance

$-230.3 million (2004 est.)

Death rate

24.66 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$4.086 billion (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph G. SULLIVAN
embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare
FAX: [263] (4) 796488
mailing address: P. O. Box 3340, Harare
telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 and 250-594

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
chief of mission: Ambassador Simbi Veke MUBAKO
FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326
telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100

Disputes - international

Botswana has 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

Distribution of family income - Gini index

50.1 (1995)

Economic aid - recipient

$178 million; note - the EU and the US provide food aid on humanitarian grounds (2000 est.)

Economy - overview

The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit, an overvalued exchange rate, soaring inflation, and bare shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the country's failure to meet budgetary goals. Inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to 133% at the end of 2004, while the exchange rate fell from 24 Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar to 6,200 in the same time period. 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.

Electricity - consumption

11.22 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

3 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

8.839 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 47%
hydro: 53%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

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

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar - 4,303.28 (2004), 697.424 (2003), 55.036 (2002), 55.052 (2001), 44.418 (2000) note: these are official exchange rates, non-official rates vary significantly

Executive branch

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the House of Assembly
chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 56.2%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 41.9%
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 6-year term; election last held 9-11 March 2002 (next to be held March 2008); co-vice presidents appointed by the president
head of government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Exports

$1.409 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing

Exports - partners

South Africa 31.5%, Switzerland 7.4%, UK 7.3%, China 6.1%, Germany 4.3% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Zimbabwe

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 symbolizes agriculture, yellow - mineral wealth, red - blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native people Economy Zimbabwe

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 18.1%
industry: 24.3%
services: 57.7% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-8.2% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$24.37 billion (2004 est.)

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 People Zimbabwe

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Highways

paved: 8,692 km
total: 18,338 km
unpaved: 9,646 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

24.6% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

170,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1.8 million (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.97% highest 10%: 40.42% (1995)

Illicit drugs

transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European markets This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$1.599 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels

Imports - partners

South Africa 46.9%, Botswana 3.6%, UK 3.4% (2004)

Independence

18 April 1980 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

-7.8% (2004 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

Infant mortality rate

female: 64.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
male: 70.32 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 67.69 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

133% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Internet country code

.zw

Internet hosts

4,501 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

6 (2000)

Internet users

500,000 (2002) Transportation Zimbabwe

Investment (gross fixed)

9.9% of GDP (2004 est.)

Irrigated land

1,170 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; High Court

Labor force

4.23 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 66%, industry 10%, services 24% (1996)

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: 8.32%
other: 91.34% (2001)
permanent crops: 0.34%

Languages

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

Legal system

mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Assembly (150 seats - 120 elected by popular vote for five-year terms, 12 nominated by the president, 10 occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and 8 occupied by provincial governors appointed by the president)
election results: percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 59.6%, MDC 39.5%, other 0.9%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 78, MDC 41, Independents 1
elections: last held 31 March 2005 (next to be held NA 2010)

Life expectancy at birth

female: 38.03 years (2005 est.)
male: 40.2 years
total population: 39.13 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
female: 87.2% (2003 est.) Government Zimbabwe
male: 94.2%
total population: 90.7%

Location

Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid
vectorborne disease: malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 2,840,053 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 1,148,590 (2005 est.)

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female: 19.24 years (2005 est.)
male: 19.28 years
total: 19.26 years

Military branches

Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (2005)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$217 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

4.3% (2004) Transnational Issues Zimbabwe

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age (est.) (2004)

National holiday

Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

Nationality

adjective: Zimbabwean
noun: Zimbabwean(s)

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

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population negligible migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Pipelines

refined products 261 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; National Alliance for Good Governance or NAGG [Shakespeare MAYA]; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; 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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Brian KAGORO]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU [Lovemore MATOMBO]

Population

12,746,990 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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

70% (2002 est.)

Population growth rate

0.51% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Binga, Kariba

Public debt

52.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

1.14 million (1997)

Railways

narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2004)
total: 3,077 km

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs: 100,000-150,000 (MUGABE-led political violence, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2004)

Religions

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$57 million (2004 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines
international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)

Telephones - main lines in use

300,900 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

379,100 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

16 (1997)

Televisions

370,000 (1997)

Terrain

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

Total fertility rate

3.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate