Zim Facts of Interest
Official Name: Republic of Zimbabwe
Highest Point: Mount Inyangani 2592 m (8504 ft) above sea level
Lowest Point: Limpopo River Basin in the southeastern part of the country 162 m (530 ft) above sea level
Natural hazards: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare.
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.
Population: 11,163,160 (July 1999 est.)
Urban/Rural Breakdown: 33%Urban, 67%Rural (1996 estimate)
Largest Cities: Harare 1,184,169; Bulawayo 620,936; Chitangwiza 274,035; Mutare 131,808; Gweru 124,735 (1992 census)
Official Language: English
Other Languages: Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), and other local languages
Religions: 50% Combined traditional beliefs and Christianity, 25% Christianity, 24% Traditional beliefs, 1% Other including Hinduism and Islam
Ethnic Groups: 80% Shona, 19% Ndebele, 1% Other including Europeans, Asians, and mixed races
Economy—overview: The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles to consolidate earlier progress in developing a market-oriented economy. Its involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, has already drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF suffers delays in part because of the country's failure to meet budgetary goals. Inflation rose from an annual rate of 25% in January 1998 to 47% in December and will almost certainly continue to increase in 1999. The economy is being steadily weakened by AIDS; Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of infection in the world. Per capita GDP, which is twice the average of the poorer sub-Saharan nations, will increase little if any in the near-term, and Zimbabwe will suffer continued frustrations in developing its agricultural and mineral resources.
Chief Economic Products:
Employment Breakdown: 68% Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; 24% Services; 8% Industry
Major Trading Partners: South Africa, Great Britain, Germany, United States, Japan, Botswana, Italy, Netherlands
Exchange Rate: Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1—39.3701 (January 1999), 21.4133 (1998), 11.8906 (1997), 9.9206 (1996), 8.6580 (1995), 8.1500 (1994)
Agriculture: Tobacco (still the most important cash crop in Zimbabwe), cotton, maize, sugarcane, coffee, cassava, wheat, sorghum, millet, cattle
Fishing: Dagaas, other fish
Mining: Chromium, gold, nickel, asbestos, copper, silver, emeralds, lithium, tin, iron ore, cobalt, coal, diamonds, kyanite, platinum, zinc, lead
Manufacturing: Food products, metals, chemicals, textiles
Currency: Zimbabwe dollar
Military branches: Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police (includes Police Support Unit, Paramilitary Police)
"I can take anything that anyone can dole upon me, as my soul belongs to the ranges of Zim." --W.W.
Mutare, also Umtali, is a road hub on the Harare-Beira Railroad, shipping the products of the surrounding district. It was founded in 1890 and was moved to its present site on the railroad line in 1896.
Gweru is a commercial, manufacturing and transportation center, established in 1894 as a military post for the European settlers during the Ndebele (Matabele) revolt of 1896.
Chitangwiza, in northeastern Zimbabwe in Mashonaland East Province, is a newer residential suburb of the capital city of Harare, which lies 25 km (15 mi) to the north. It was established in 1975 to accommodate some of the rapidly growing migrant population of Harare. Small, preexisting urban settlements at Saint Marys, Seki and Zengeza, dating from the 1950s through 1970s, were incorporated into the new city. Chitangwiza grew rapidly as a result of the war of independence, drought and the removal of restrictions on mobility after independence in 1980. Transportation is a major problem, as most residents of this working-class community commute to jobs in Harare. The supply of housing, tightly controlled by the government, falls far short of demand, resulting in the severe overcrowding of many homes and construction of illegal backyard dwellings. Although it has its own city council, established in 1978, Chitangwiza is functionally a part of greater Harare. There is a single-town plan to govern the future development of these two cities.
Anthem: "Ngaikomborerwe Nyika yeZimbabwe" ("Blessed Be the Land of Zimbabwe")
Capital: Harare, formerly known as Salisbury, in Mashonaland East Province; founded as a military post by the British South Africa Company's Pioneer Column in 1890, the community was named Fort Salisbury in honour of Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury, who was then the British prime minister. It developed as a trading center after the railroad from Beira, Mozambique, reached it in 1899. The city became the capital of the British colony of Southern Rhodesia in 1923, and it served as the capital of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1953 to 1963. The name Harare was widely used for the city beginning in 1982. The city serves as a distribution center for the surrounding agricultural and mining region. The largest city of Zimbabwe, Harare is a prominent link in the country's transportation network which is one of the best systems in Africa.
Bulawayo, the second largest city of Zimbabwe, was founded by the Ndebele in the mid-1800s, and it served as the headquarters of the Ndebele king Lobengula. In 1893, the British occupied the settlement. It was moved south to its present site in 1894. A railroad was constructed to the town in 1897.
Flag: The Zimbabwean flag was adopted in 1980. The Pan-African colors, representing agricultural and mineral wealth and freedom, were borrowed from the flag of the Zimbabwe African National Union, which led the struggle for majority rule. The black stripe recognizes the achievement of black majority rule, while the white triangle represents the desire for peace and cooperation with the white minority. The soapstone bird is a symbol of the ancient city of Zimbabwe, while the red star represents internationalism and the future.
