Zimbabwe Information

Location: Southern Africa, northeast of Botswana, north of South Africa

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references: Africa

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

Land boundaries: total: 3,066 km border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March) Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east Elevation extremes: lowest point: junction of the Lundi and Savi rivers 162 m highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m

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

Land use: arable land : 7% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 13% forests and woodland: 23% other: 57% (1993 est.) Irrigated land: 1,930 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Desertification Geography - note: landlocked

Transport

Railways: total : 2,759 km (1995) narrow gauge: 2,759 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified; 42 km double track) (1995 est.)

Highways: total: 91,099 km paved: 15,486 km unpaved : 75,613 km (1993 est.)

Waterways: the Mazoe and Zambezi rivers are used for transporting chrome ore from Harare to Mozambique

Pipelines: petroleum products 212 km

Ports and harbors: Binga, Kariba Airports: 402 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 203 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m : 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 184 (1996 est.) Airports - with unpaved runways: total : 199 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 198 (1996 est.)

The Republic of Zimbabwe is in Southern Africa. Neighbouring countries are the Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Mozambique. The capital city of Zimbabwe is Harare. Chitengwisa and Bulawayo are second to Harare

Zimbabwe's terrain consists of high plateau with mountains in the east of the country.

Rivers include the Limpopo, Lundi, Sabi and Zambezi. Zimbabwe has a tropical climate with temperatures varying according to altitude. (The Highveld is more than one thousand two hundred meters above sea level; the Middleveld is between six hundred and one thousand two hundred meters and Lowveld is below six hundred meters above sea level).

The wet season runs from November to March.

Environment

Zimbabwe is between the Limpopo and the Zambezi rivers. The Victoria Falls on the Zambezi are on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. At the end of the 1950s the Zambezi was dammed at Kariba to provide hydro-electric power to Zimbabwe and Zambia. Lake Kariba is one of the world's largest man-made lakes. The area surrounding Lake Kariba is home to much wildlife such as the buffalo, crocodile, elephant, hippopotamus and rhinoceros. Among other animals in Zimbabwe are antelopes, cheetahs, giraffes, leopards, lions and zebras.

Zimbabwe's National Parks include Chizarira National Park, Gonarezhou National Park, Kazuma Pan National Park, Matusadona National Park, Matobo National Park, Nyanga National Park and Zambezi National Park. Mana Pools National Park (Sapi and Chewore Safari Area) on the banks of the Zambezi is a World Heritage site.

Architecture

Great Zimbabwe, a National Monument on the UNESCO World Heritage list, was a city built by a Bantu-speaking civilization sometime around the end of the first millennium. The ruins of Great Zimbabwe consists of the Acropolis, the Great Enclosure and the Valley Enclosures.

The site of Khami, built after Great Zimbabwe is also a World Heritage site. The stone structures of Great Zimbabwe and Khami were built using the dry stone technique. The area would have also contained buildings made from "dagga" the traditional materials of mud and thatch. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Colonial architecture was dominant in Zimbabwe. Since independence (1980) Colonial buildings in Harare (Salisbury) have made way for modern buildings and skyscrapers.

Population
Twelve million three hundred thousand. (2006)
Ninety-seven percent of the population are Bantu: Shona (seventy-one percent) and Ndebele (sixteen percent).

Languages

English is the official language. Shona and Ndebele (Matabele) are the two most important indigenous languages.

Religion

Twenty-five percent of the population are Christian; twenty-four percent have indigenous beliefs and a minority are Muslims. Half the population practice a mixture of Christian and indigenous beliefs.

Food

People of European descent living in Zimbabwe have had some influenced on the cuisine of the country. However staple foods for much of the population include corn and millet. . Groundnuts and fruit are grown. Soups and stews are supplemented with meat or eaten with "sadza" a traditional porridge. Beer is brewed locally.