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Zimbabwe is a Southern African country. It borders
Zambia to the north, Mozambique to the northeast and
east, South Africa to the south, Botswana to the
southwest and west, and Namibia to the west. It has a
surface area of 390 580 km2. The country's
main cities are Harare, the capital, with 1,976,400
inhabitants (2004), Bulawayo (1,003,700 inhabitants),
Chitungwiza (423,800 inhabitants), Mutare (195,300
inhabitants) and Gweru (157,500 inhabitants). In the
North, the Zambezi River forms the Victoria Falls, more
than a kilometer wide, and crosses an artificial lake
that is nearly 300 kilometers long. In the south, the
Limpopo River borders the border with South Africa. In
the east, there are the Inyangani mountain ranges, and
in the west, there are forest areas. The whole country
is located at an altitude of more than 300 meters.
Climate
The climate is tropical, with the dry season increasing
from north to south.
Economy
As agriculture had already reached a certain
development, Zimbabwe became one of the largest
exporters of meat and today produces foodstuffs such as
corn, tea, coffee and sugar. Currently, tobacco and
cotton are the products that generate the highest export
earnings, but the production of cotton and also of corn
have suffered the effect of droughts, which has reduced
exports. The textile industry suffers the effects of
South Africa's industrial and customs policy. The mining
sector remains a stronghold of the economy, gaining
importance in relation to tobacco. Gold, iron, asbestos
and, to a lesser extent, chromium, copper and diamonds
form the bulk of the sector. Zimbabwe's main trading
partners are South Africa, the United Kingdom, the
United States of America and Germany.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide
emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is
1.4.
Population
The population was, in 2006, 12 236 805 inhabitants, of
which only 32% live in urban areas. The birth and death
rates are, respectively, 28.01% and 21.84%. Average life
expectancy is 39.29 years.
The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.496
and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG)
is 0.489 (2001). It is estimated that, by 2025, the
population will decrease to 9 481 000 inhabitants,
largely due to the AIDS epidemic affecting the country.
From an ethnic point of view, this country is less
heterogeneous than its neighbors. The majority of the
population is divided into two ethnic groups: Shona
(71%) and Ndebele (16%). Whites represent 2% of the
population. The main religions are Christian (45%),
divided between Protestants (18%), African Christians
(14%) and Catholics (12%), and Animist (40%).
History
The history of Zimbabwe is divided into two major
periods: before British colonization and after the
declaration of independence of Rhodesia. It was the gold
that attracted explorer Cecil Rhodes to this territory,
baptized, in his honor, with the name of Rhodesia, in
1897. He imposed white colonial rule on the country
after a bloody war. Less than 100 years later, a new war
devastated the country, but blacks eventually regained
control of the country and named it Zimbabwe. There is a
geological region called the Great Dike that has
deposits of gold, chromium, nickel and other
minerals. In 1860 Cecil Rhodes's emissaries persuaded
King Lobengula to grant them mining rights. Rhodes
decided that the concession amounted to the entire
territory and invaded it by founding the British Company
of South Africa. There followed a period of war that the
Indians were unable to resist. The whites ended up with
the best farmland. The dominance of the English company
extended until 1923, when the colony started to be
guided directly by the English government. Zimbabwe,
formerly of Southern Rhodesia, became independent on
April 18, 1980, after a long and painful war of national
liberation. Economic difficulties after the war were
mainly due to the high number of refugees.
Zimbabwe went to the polls in March 1996 to re-elect
President Robert Mugabe for another six years, but the
presidential elections were nothing more than formality
as Mugabe was the only candidate. In protest, six
opposition parties boycotted the elections. Abstention
was higher than in the 1990 elections. Only 30% of the
nearly 5 million registered voters went to the polls.
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