Republic of Zimbabwe

Republic of Zimbabwe Chishona: Nyika yeZimbabwe Ndebele: Ilizwe leZimbabwe
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Ex Unitate Vires" From Unity, Strength
Anthem:  "Ishe Komborera Africa"
Capital and largest city	Harare
Official languages	Chishona English Ndebele
Ethnic groups (2020)	86% Black 9% White 5% Other
Religion (2020)	82% Christianity 11% No Religion 7% Other
Demonym(s)	Zimbabwean
Government	Federal parliamentary republic
• President	Gus Frasier
• Prime Minister	Sibusiso Moyo
• Assembly Speaker	Russell Sibanda
• Chief Justice	Gertrude Mhlanga
Legislature	Parliament
Independence from the United Kingdom
• Internal Settlement ratified	November 6, 1970
• Republic declared	December 11, 1971
Area
• Total	390,756 km2 (150,872 sq mi) (60th)
Population
• 2020 census	8,623,400 (97th)
• Density	22/km2 (57.0/sq mi) (200th)
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$79.2 billion (72nd)
• Per capita	$9,184 (94th)
Gini	48.9 high (18th)
HDI	0.706 high (117th)
Currency	Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD)
Time zone	UTC +2
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+260

Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in south-east Africa between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers; bordered four countries, namely Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana. At nearly 400,000 square kilometers, it is the world's sixtieth largest country by land area. The capital and largest city is Harare, which serves as the economic and cultural hub of the country. The country hosts the second-largest White African population on the continent after that of South Africa, while the majority Black African population belongs to the Shona or Ndebele ethnic groups. There are approximately 8.5 million inhabitants, making Zimbabwe the world's 97th-largest country by population. The country is often termed the "Jewel of Africa" by observers because of the economic stability and success the country has enjoyed since independence from the United Kingdom in 1970.

Zimbabwe has one of the most storied and well-document histories of any nation in southern Africa. The area now called Zimbabwe was first inhabited by the Bantu people who arrived during the period known as the Bantu expansion, which occurred between the third and sixth centuries A.D. and were responsible for the construction of the largest and most complex city-state located on this part of the continent, which is known to historians as the Great Gokomere. Established on a wealthly foundation of natural resources, the city-state flourished between the tenth and fifteenth centuries, becoming a mercantile powerhouse that controlled the gold, ivory and copper trades with the Swahili coast and various Arab and Indian states. After the collapse of the Great Gokomere, a long period of war descended on the region and small, competing tribal states governed most of the land.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, European powers began to colonize the continent of Africa. The British Africa Company, led by their primary owner and President Cecil Rhodes, first demarcated the present territory of the country in 1890. There was scattered but sometime fierce resistance from the native Shona and Ndebele tribesmen who inhabited the area, which became called the Gukhurahundi, or conquest. Christian missions operated in the country and founded numerous boarding schools for Shona and Ndebele children, and actively worked to assimilate Black Africans into European cultural and economic practices. Eventually, colonial government was firmly established and the country achieved dominion status within the British Empire in 1946.

Until this point, Zimbabwe had functioned as a mostly self-governing colony of the British Empire. There was an entrenched multi-racial electoral democracy and strong judicial institutions. However, franchise was restricted through the use literacy tests and poll taxes, which effectively disenfranchised nearly 80% of the Black African population. Agitations for full political rights grew as de-colonization swept the continent following World War Two. The country slowly and steadily moved toward these goals during the 1950s and 1960s, however discontent with the pace of reforms led to mass demonstrations in the later 1960s, which ultimately led to the Internal Settlement being announced as a foundation for a new state not based on colonial principles.

A new Constitution establishing a republic was drafted and adopted in 1971, which preserved extensive protections for minority Racial groups and the rule of law within the country. The first Black African Prime Minister, Mr. Abel Mhlalele, assumed office following the victory of his Zimbabwe Democratic Party in the 1974 general elections. He continued to govern the country until 1989, championing multi-racialism, market capitalism, and major social reforms to improve the lives and economic stature of Black Africans in the country. He was succeeded in 1989 by his long-serving Deputy, Mr. Jacob Mudenda, who served as Prime Minister until 2004. The Zimbabwe Democratic Party has won every general election in the country since 1974 and currently holds nearly three-fifths of the seats in the National Assembly. Every election has been considered free and fair by international observers.

Etymology

The name "Zimbabwe" stems from a Shona term for the royal palace located in the city of Great Gokomere in the country's south-east. The remains are now a protected site. Two different theories address the origin of the word. Many sources hold that "Zimbabwe" derives from dzimba-dza-mabwe, translated from the Karanga dialect of Shona as "houses of stones" (dzimba = plural of imba, "house"; mabwe = plural of bwe, "stone"). The Karanga-speaking Shona people live around Great Zimbabwe in the modern-day province of Victoria. Archaeologist Peter Garlake claims that "Zimbabwe" represents a contracted form of dzimba-hwe, which means "venerated houses" in the Zezuru dialect of Shona and usually references chiefs' houses or graves. The country was previously called British Central Africa, until achieving dominion status in 1946, when the current name was adopted.

Geography

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa that lies wholly within the tropics. The country straddles an extensive high inland plateau that descends northward to the Zambezi river valley and southward to the Limpopo river valley. Likewise, the climate is greatly varied by altitude, with areas of higher elevation enjoying more mild temperatures. There is a dry season, lasting during the cooler winter months between May and September. On the contrary, the rainy season lasts between the summer months of November and March.

Biodiversity

The national bird of Zimbabwe, the African fish eagle.

The country is mostly savannah, although the moist and mountainous eastern highlands support areas of tropical evergreen and hardwood forests. Trees found in these Eastern Highlands include teak, mahogany, enormous specimens of strangling fig, forest Newtonia, big leaf, white stinkwood, chirinda stinkwood, knobthorn and many others.

In the low-lying parts of the country fever trees, mopane, combretum and baobabs abound. Much of the country is covered by miombo woodland, dominated by brachystegia species and others. Among the numerous flowers and shrubs are hibiscus, flame lily, snake lily, spider lily, leonotus, cassia, tree wisteria and dombeya. There are around 350 species of mammals that can be found in Zimbabwe. There are also many snakes and lizards, over 500 bird species, and 131 fish species. The prominent wild fauna includes African buffalo, African bush elephant, black rhinoceros, southern giraffe, African leopard, lion, plains zebra, and several antelope species.

Government and politics

Zimbabwe is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic. The country previously was a dominion of the British Empire, and Queen Elizabeth II was Queen of Zimbabwe from 1952 until the abolition of the monarchy in 1971. Zimbabwe has been considered remarkable by observers for the stable political climate, being one of a handful of countries in Africa to have not experienced a coup d'etat. The country ranks highly on the Ibrahim Index of African Government, placing third in the year 2018. The Constitution of Zimbabwe enacted in 1971 was drafted following the Internal Settlement in 1970, and the respected source of law in the country, being upheld by firm judicial institutions, which have consistently ranked the best on the African continent.

Parties and elections

Since achieving responsible government within the British Empire in 1923, Zimbabwe has held regular democratic elections for the Parliament. During the post-war period, the Progressive Republican Party won every election until rising discontent led to the Internal Settlement between the various political groups at the time, including the Zimbabwe Democratic Party, the Zimbabwe Congress Party, the National Patriotic Front, among others. Universal suffrage was achieved in 1971 with the enactment of the new republican constitution, and since 1974, the Zimbabwe Democratic Party has won every general election.

Elections in Zimbabwe on the national level utilize plurality voting in single-member constituencies. There are eleven "reserved constituencies" and an additional twelve "best losers" who ensure representation of White Zimbabweans within the unicameral National Assembly. Election conduct has been consistently observed as both free and fair by international organizations such as the African Union and the United Nations. Local elections take place at the provincial and municipal levels across the country at fixed four-year intervals. Zimbabwe has relatively low representation of women in the political sphere, which has led many to criticize the Government for not taking steps to provide redress to this inequality.

Foreign relations

Zimbabwe maintains cordial relations with neighboring countries, and has a particularly close relationship with Mozambique and South Africa as these countries are the primary trade and transportation routes in and out of the country. On the international stage, Zimbabwe maintains strategic neutrality in most conflicts, and is a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement. There have been occasional diplomatic spars with Zambia over water rights regarding the Kariba Dam project and additionally from illegal immigration into Zimbabwe from that country.

Military

The armed forces of Zimbabwe is the Zimbabwe Defence Force, which consists of the Zimbabwe Army, the Zimbabwe Air Force, and the Zimbabwe National Guard. The military of Zimbabwe relies heavily on support, training, and equipment from both the United Kingdom and the United States, both have which designated the country "preferred status" with regard to military exchange. The current budget for the Zimbabwe Defence Force is $1.5 billion, or approximately two-percent of the countries Gross Domestic Product. There have been no armed conflicts within the country and the Zimbabwe Defence Force has never been deployed at-large abroad, except for peacekeeping missions under the United Nations, which the country actively participates in.

Law enforcement and crime

Crime is considered a problem in Zimbabwe, and mostly manifests in the form of robbery and petty theft. Instances of rape and murder also occur on a regular basis, especially in township areas located on the outskirts of cities. Zimbabwe has the world's 70th highest murder rate. The Zimbabwe Police Service conducts most police functions within the country, has a positive reputation in the country and is ranked low for perceptions of corruption and misconduct, but lacks enough officers to appropriately respond to every criminal instance. Capital punishment is a legal sanction in Zimbabwe and is imposed regularly for cases of murder, and the country utilizes a judicial system inspired by British common law practices and indigenous customary law.

Economy

Agriculture and science

Income, wealth, and poverty

Transportation

Energy

Demographics

Population

Language

Religion

Health

Education

Culture

Food

Music

Sports

Mass media

National symbols

See also

Notes