Zimbabwe Arts and Culture |
Zimbabwe,
formerly Southern Rhodesia, became a self-governing colony in
1922, a move that was accompanied by effectively excluding most
blacks from the vote, despite the British colony's theoretically
non-racial constitution. In 1930, a land act was passed which excluded Africans
from ownership of the best farming land, further enhancing white
supremacy. In 1965, Southern Rhodesia declared unilateral independence
from Britain. With pressure on the government towards majority
rule, Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) and Zimbabwe
African National Union (ZANU) led domestic opposition. After a
seven-year guerrilla warfare by ZAPU and ZANU, political settlement
was reached in 1979. In 1980 Robert Mugabe's ZANU party won the
election, heralding black majority rule. The country was renamed
Zimbabwe.
Although Mugabe played an important role in ending white
rule in Zimbabwe and putting the country on a stable course after
independence, he now presides over political and social strife
and a shattered economy.
In early 2000, Mugabe’s government
began its controversial land reform program, taking land from white
farmers to distribute to landless blacks. Prior to the reform programme,
whites owned 70 percent of Zimbabwe’s prime farmland.
Mugabe
was declared winner of the 2002 presidential elections, which were
considered seriously flawed by the Zimbabwean opposition and foreign
observers. Prior to these elections, the EU and the US introduced
travel sanctions against Mugabe and some of his senior officials
and froze their assets overseas. Zimbabwe was also suspended from
the Commonwealth after Mugabe's re-election in 2002. In December
2003 it announced it was pulling out of it for good.
Zimbabwe is currently on
the fifth year of an economic recession, with the economy being
steadily weakened by excessive government deficits and a very high
HIV/AIDS infection rate. Recently IMF officials expressed concern
over the continued sharp economic decline and high inflation rates
in Zimbabwe and blamed the inappropriate economic policies, corruption
and the government's human rights record for it. Last year, Zimbabwe’s
GDP fell by 9.3 percent and another decline is projected for 2004.
Year-on-year inflation reached 600 percent during November 2003
to February 2004
Zimbabwe’s involvement in the war in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo has also drained hundreds of millions
of dollars from the economy. Six million people in Zimbabwe currently
face starvation as a result of drought in southern Africa and the
disruption to agriculture brought about by the land reform program.
Commentators remarked Zimbabwe experienced an important step towards
more democracy in October when Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of
Zimbabwe?s largest opposition party Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), was acquitted of plotting to assassinate Mugabe. Human rights
organisations had voiced concern that groups that had been vocal
against Mugabe?s policies had been silenced through harassment
and stated this was evident in Tsvangirai's treason trial where
they believed he was framed. Tsvangirai still faces a second treason
case, which could carry a death penalty upon conviction.
Zanu (PF)
won 78 of the 120 seats in the disputed parliamentary elections
on 31 March 2005. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) won
41, 16 fewer seats than in 2000. Only one independent candidate
won. The parliament totals 151 in all, as the National and Provincial
Chiefs Council elects 10 chiefs to sit in parliament and President
Mugabe appoints 10 governors and resident ministers and 10 non-constituency
members of parliament.
In May 2005 Mugabe embarked upon a clean
up? programme entitled Operation Murambatsvina ( ?Throw out the
trash? ), purportedly aiming to destroy substandard housing. This
has resulted in the demolition of the homes of an estimated one
million people. There has been widespread international condemnation
of his actions, although neighbouring countries have not as yet
spoken out against him. |
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Geographical
location
Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
Political Parties and their leaders
Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert
Gabriel MUGABE]; Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan
TSVANGIRAI]; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; United People's
Party [Daniel SHUMBA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga
or ZANU-Ndonga [Wilson KUMBULA]; Zimbabwe African Peoples Union
or ZAPU [Agrippa MADLELA
Disputes & Controversial issues: (1)
As a result of the perceived undemocratic nature of the 2002 elections,
Britain, the European Union, the Commonwealth and the United Nations
all hit Mugabe’s regime with what is now known as smart sanctions
and travel ban on Mugabe and his cabinet and Commonwealth Countries.
(2) The Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe boundary convergence
is not clearly defined or delimited. |
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People
Basic facts |
Capital
Harare
Area size
386850 sq. km
Climate
Summer runs from October to April and has hot, sunny days with
daytime temperatures around 86ºF (30ºC) in the main centres
and hotter in the low-lying areas such as the Zambezi Valley, Kariba
and Victoria Falls. Afternoon thunderstorms are possible. The rainy
season runs from November to March, although the Eastern Highlands
experience rain throughout most of the year. Winter days are warm
and dry (68ºF/20ºC), with a vast drop in temperature
at night, and runs from May to September. Winter is the most pleasant
time to travel, and is best for game viewing and white water rafting;
however this is also peak tourist season and is the busiest time
of year.
Area comparison
Slightly larger than Germany
Language
English is the official language. Shona, Zulu and other languages
are also spoken.
Source: New Internationalist World Guide 2005/2006
Population
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 2006 est.)
2005 |
13.0 million |
U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)
Population Division (2004) |
2004 |
12.9 million |
U.N. DESA |
2002 |
13.1 million |
U.N. DESA |
Future population estimates
15.8 million (2050 est)
Source: U.N. DESA (2004) |
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Age structure |
0-14 years: 37.4% (male 2,307,170/female
2,265,298)
15-64 years: 59.1% (male 3,616,528/female 3,621,190)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 199,468/female 227,151) (2006
est.) |
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Nationality |
noun: Zimbabwean(s)
adjective: Zimbabwean
Ethnic groups
African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%,
white less than 1%
Religion
African traditional religions 55 percent, Christianity 45 percent.
Source: NI World Guide 2005/2006
Percentage urban population
2003 |
35.0 percent |
U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report
2005 |
2002 |
34.5 percent |
UNDP - Human Development Report 2004 |
Year women granted right to vote
1919 1957
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Where two figures are shown, the first refers to a partial recognition
of the right to vote and the second to the year women received the right to
vote on a universal and equal basis.
Net percentage of girls enrolled in primary education
80 (2003)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Percentage of population under 15
2003 |
41.0 percent |
UNDP - Human Development Report 2005 |
2002 |
43.1 percent |
UNDP - Human Development Report 2004 |
|
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STANDARD OF LIVING |
Average life expectancy
37.2 years (2000-2005)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Life expectancy - male
37.3 years (2003)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Life expectancy - female
36.5 years (2003)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Infant mortality
2003 |
78 per 1,000 live births |
UNDP - Human Development Report 2005 |
2002 |
76 per 1,000 live births |
UNDP - Human Development Report 2004 |
Child mortality - deaths before the age of five
2003 |
126 per 1,000 live births |
UNDP - Human Development Report 2005 |
2002 |
123 per 1,000 live births |
UNDP - Human Development Report 2004 |
Births attended by skilled personnel
73 percent (1995-2003)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Maternal mortality
1100 per 100,000 live births (2000)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 200
Human development index (HDI rank)
2005 |
145 |
UNDP - Human Development Report 2005 |
2004 |
147 |
UNDP - Human Development Report 2004 |
Percentage of children under weight for age (under age
5)
13 percent (2003)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Percentage of undernourished population
44 percent (2000-2002 average)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Population with access to improved water
83 percent (2002)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Population with access to improved sanitation
57 percent (2002)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Literacy - average
90.0 percent (2003)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Literacy - male
93.8 percent (2003)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Literacy - female
86.3 percent (2003)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Landlines telephones
2004 |
27 per 1,000 people |
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2005 |
2002 |
25 per 1,000 people |
UNDP - Human Development Report 2004 |
Cellular telephone subscribers
36 per 1,000 people (2004)
Source: ITU 2005
Internet users
2004 |
69 per 1,000 people |
ITU 2005 |
2003 |
68 per 1,000 people |
ITU 2004 |
2002 |
43 per 1,000 people |
UNDP - Human Development Report 2004 |
Transparency International corruption ranking (1=least
corrupt, 145=most corrupt)
2005 |
107 (joint) |
Transparency International |
2004 |
114 |
Transparency International |
Signatory of International Convention on the Prevention
and Punishment for the crime of Genocide
Yes (1948)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Signatory of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman
or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
No (1984)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Yes (1989)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005 |
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ECONOMY & AID |
Percentage of population living
on less than US$1 a day
56.1 percent (1990-2003 average)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
GNI per capita, Atlas method
2004 |
620 current US$ |
World Bank Data Profile Tables 2006 |
2003 |
920 current US$ |
World Bank Data Profile Tables 2005 |
The purpose of the Atlas conversion factor is to reduce the
impact of exchange rate fluctuations in a cross-country comparison
of national incomes. The Atlas conversion factor for any year
is the average of a country?s exchange rate (or alternative conversion
factor) for that year and its exchange rates for the two preceding
years.
GDP
2004 |
4.7 current US$ billions |
World Bank Data Profile Tables 2006 |
2003 |
7.9 current US$ billions |
World Bank Data Profile Tables 2005 |
Annual GDP growth
2004 |
-4.2 percent |
World Bank Data Profile Tables 2006 |
2003 |
-10.4 percent |
World Bank Data Profile Tables 2005 |
Annual inflation
350.2 percent (2004)
Source: World Bank Data Profile Tables 2006
Share of income or consumption (poorest 10 percent)
1.8 (2003)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Share of income or consumption (richest 10 percent)
40.3 (2003)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005 |
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HEALTH |
Physicians
6 per 100,000 people (1990-2004 average)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Percentage HIV+ (adults aged 15-49)
24.65 percent (End 2003)
Source: U.N. Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 2004
Malaria
Risk from P.falciparum from November through June in areas below
1200 metres and throughout the year in the Zambezi valley. Negligible
risk in Harare and Bulawayo. Resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine
reported. (2004-2005)
Source: U.N. World Health Organisation (WHO) 2005
TB cases
2004 |
674 per 100,000 people |
WHO 2006 |
2003 |
679 per 100,000 people |
WHO 2005 |
2002 |
683 per 100,000 people |
WHO 2004 |
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CONFLICT & MIGRATION |
Number of refugees originating
here
7162 (2003)
Source: Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Number of refugees residing here
13277 (2003)
Source: UNHCR
Number of internally displaced people\Estimate
569685 (2005)
Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) 2006
Landmine casualties per year
2004 |
4 |
Landmine Monitor Report 2005 |
2003 |
26 |
Landmine Monitor Report 2004 |
Casualty figures may include both civilians and military
personnel injured or killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Signatory to landmine convention?
Yes (1997)
Source: Landmine Monitor Report 2005
Percentage of GDP spent on military
2.1 percent (2003)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Percentage of GDP spent on education
4.7 percent (2000-2002)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
Percentage of GDP spent on health
4.4 percent (2002)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2005 |
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Zimbabwean Music |
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Map of Zimbabwe |
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| Click map to
enlarge |
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USEFUL INFORMATION |
Time zone
GMT +2
Climate description
Warm throughout the year, with rains between November and March.
The highland areas are wet and the lowlands dry with slight rainfall.
Currency
Zimbabwe dollar
Telephone dialling code
(+) 263
Driving (left/right)
Left |
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