Zimbabwe is situated in southern Africa. It is a completely landlocked
country. To the east lies Mozambique, to the north and west Zambia,
Botswana is in het south-west and in the south Zimbabwe borders
South-Africa.
The major part of Zimbabwe is located on a plateau with an altitude of
800 to 1200 metres above sea-level. Mountaineous areas can be found in
the northern and eastern part of the country. The highest mountain is
Mount Inyangani (2600 metres). Most mountains and hills consist of old
vulcanic rock. The Zimbabwe plateau is characterized by a rolling
landscape with rock mass rising above it, the so-called kopjes.
The biggest river is the Zambezi that forms the border with Zambia.
This river flows to the north and northeast and finally into the Indian
Ocean. The Victoria Falls on the border with Zambia are amongst the
biggest and the most spectacular falls in the world. The Limpopo river
is the border between Zimbabwe and South-Africa.
Name
The word Zimbabwe means "house of stone". The name is derived from the
Great Zimbabwe ruins, constructions of stone that were built in the
thirteenth century. They are situated in the south of the country and
once formed the centre of the Munhumatapa-kingdom in southern Africa.
The Great Zimbabwe ruins in Masvingo province
Climate
The weather in Zimbabwe can be divided in three seasons:
Winter (May, June, July, August) - cool and dry
Spring (September, October) - hot and dry
Summer (November - April) - hot and wet
On average the country has seven and a half hours of sun a day.
Rainfall is not evenly distributed over Zimbabwe. In the south and
southwest the annual rainfall is less than 400 mm. In the mountains in
the northeast more than 1,000 mm of rain is falling each year.
Temperatures vary from 20º C in July (winter) to 30º C in October. The
valleys along the rivers are significantly hotter, due to their lower
altitude. In the Eastern Highlands the temperatures are lower than
average, both in winter and summer. The nights are often cold.
History
1100 The likely beginning of Great Zimbabwe
1840 The Ndebele people migrate from the south to the land that forms
present-day Zimbabwe
1890 The BSAC (British South Africa Company) led by Cecil Rhodes agrees
with the Ndebele king on a pact about mining minerals
1893 Cecil Rhodes conquers Matabele land
1923 Founding of the colony of South Rhodesia, with its own government
1965 Unilateral declaration of independence by the white minority
1972-1980 Second Chimurenga (War of Liberation)
1980 Independence
Size and population
The size of Zimbabwe is 390,245 square kilometres, which means that the
country is about eleven times bigger than the Netherlands. More than
twelve million people live in Zimbabwe. The vast majority of the
population is of African black descent (Shona, Ndebele and some smaller
tribes). Small European (1%) and Asian (1%) communities exist.
Most people speak Shona or Ndebele, although English is quite commonly
spoken as well.
Independence
Before independence Zimbabwe was called Rhodesia. Black liberation
fighters have fought for years to overthrow the white government. For
the new government one of the main goals was to raise the standard of
living and the level of education for the black population. To achieve
this goal, the wealth within Zimbabwe had to be spread more evenly.
The last years have shown a sharp decline in the economic, the
political and the human rights situation. Education and healthcare used
to be on a high standard but are now detoriating.
Agriculture
The main food crop is corn. The most important export crop is tobacco.
Other corps are sugarcane, millet, sorghum, wheat, cotton, potatoes,
nuts, soya beans, oranges, bananas, tea and coffee. Zimbabwe is also an
export country for flowers. Seven out of ten Zimbabweans are directly
or indirectly dependent on agriculture.
Until recently, the big agricultural estates in Zimbabwe were mainly
owned by about 4,500 white farmers. These estates often cover thousands
of hectares. The farmers used to employ many black labourers. Almost
all estates have now been nationalized, often in a violant way. As a
justification for this, the government used the need to reform and
redistribute the land. The black labourers have been expelled from the
farms. The estates often have fallen into the hands of the elite from
the reigning Zanu-pf party. Agricultural production has declined
dramatically, which has caused an increase in poverty and more recently
also famine.
Industry
Zimbabwe's industry produces clothing, shoes, metals, food products,
chemicals, textiles, wood and paper.
The main source of energy is the hydropower from the Kariba reservoir,
situated in the Zambezi near the border with Zambia. Hydropower
produces electricity.
Another important source of income in Zimbabwe is tourism. Each year
300,000 tourists visit the country.
Mining
Zimbabwe exports many minerals, like nickel, iron, tin, silver and
copper.
Education
The first four years after independence in 1980, the government
invested enormously in education. The number of pupils in primary
schools tripled, secondary schools welcomed six times more pupils than
before. Sometimes schools do not have enough classrooms and pupils are
taught in the open air. Sometimes pupils go to school in shifts: one
group will attend school in the morning, the other in the afternoon.
This system is called "hot-seating".
Many schools are located in the countryside. The white government that
ruled the country before 1980 opened little schools for African
children. Nowadays almost all Zimbabwean children attend school.
Initially education was free, but since a couple of years tuition has
to be paid.
Healthcare
Since indepedence Zimbabwe can rely on a well organized healthcare
system. Hospitals, health centres and clinics are available, both in
the big cities and in smaller towns. Until recently healthcare was
free.
Everywhere on the countryside clinics have been built and healthcare
workers have been trained. Due to the bad economic situation many
doctors and nurses have left for South-Africa or Europe.
Malaria (which is caused by a moskito bite) is still not completely
beaten. Bilharzia, a disease that is caused by infected water in slowly
running rivers, remains a problem in some parts of Zimbabwe.
HIV/ Aids is a huge problem in Zimbabwe. According to UNAIDS figures,
33.7% of the population aged 15-50 is infected, as well as 240,000
children aged 0-15.
Because of this last disease, life expectancy has dropped to about 43
years.
Media
Both radio and television are being controlled by the government. Next
to the officially controlled press, several independent papers are
issued: one newspaper (The Daily News) and three weekly papers (The
Independent, The Standard and The Financial Gazette). All press is in
English.
Religion
Religion plays an important part in the life of Zimbabweans. More than
half of the population is christian - the Catholic and the Anglican
church are the major religions.
Churches are well visited and most services are very spirited. Muslim
and hindu communities do occur, but are small in Zimbabwe. Traditional
African religions influence the christian churches and organise their
own worshipping services.
