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.

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