Zimbabwe General Information

Zimbabwe is a small landlocked country in the southern part of Africa. It borders South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique. Its residents are mostly from the Shona ethnic group (82%) and the Ndebele ethnic group (14%). The rest of the population is made up of other African ethnicities (2%) and a minority population of Asians, Caucasians, and mixed races (2%). English is the official language but numerous tribal dialects are used. The most significant of these languages are Shona and Sindebele or Ndebele. Half of Zimbabweans have syncretic beliefs, incorporating some Christian traditions with indigenous beliefs. A quarter are Christians, 24% hold indigenous beliefs, and 1% are Muslim or other.

Motto: Unity, Freedom, Work

Anthem: Simudzai Mureza Wedu weZimbabwe (Shona) or Kalibusiswe Ilizwe leZimbabwe (Ndebele) ("Blessed be the land of Zimbabwe")

GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate: Total $6.186 billion
Per capita: $500 

Capital and largest city: Harare

Area:
total: 390,580 sq km
land: 386,670 sq km
water: 3,910 sq km

Natural resources:
coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

Land use:
arable land: 8.24%
permanent crops: 0.33%
other: 91.43% (2005)

Population:
12,382,920
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 50.58 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 53.29 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 47.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 39.73 years
male: 40.87 years
female: 38.55 years (2008 est.)

Unemployment rate:
80% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
68% (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs

Industries:
mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel; wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages

Industrial production growth rate:
0.5% (2007 est.)

ASAP Africa in Zimbabwe

ASAP Africa's main office is in Mutare, near the border with Mozambique. Eight staff members work from this office, to support field staff and provide adminstrative support.

Learn more about what ASAP Africa does in Zimbabwe.

Links

For more information about Zimbabwe including pictures, statistics, and personal stories, take a look at these links:

CIA World Factbook

Official Zimbabwe Government Site

National Geographic

Wikipedia’s info on Zimbabwe including the coat of arms, flag, map, and photos

AfricaNet- Zimbabwe

University of Pennsylvania’s list of online resources relating to Zimbabwe

US Department of State information sheet

BBC’s Zimbabwe page

The Zimbabwe Situation’s collection of Zimbabwe news

All Africa’s list of Zimbabwe news stories

HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe

UNICEF’s Zimbabwe page

The World Bank’s Zimbabwe page

Amnesty International’s Zimbabwe page

Africa and Zimbabwe maps
Map courtesy of www.theodora.com/maps used with permission