Republic of Zimbabwe

President: Robert Mugabe (1980)

Land area: 149,293 sq mi (386,669 sq km); total area: 150,804 sq mi (390,580 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 12,236,805 (growth rate: 0.6%); birth rate: 28.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 51.7/1000; life expectancy: 39.3; density per sq mi: 82

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Harare, 2,331,400 (metro. area), 1,919,700 (city proper)

Other large cities: Bulawayo, 965,000; Chitungwiza, 411,700

Monetary unit: Zimbabwean dollar

Languages: English (official), Shona, Ndebele (Sindebele), numerous minor tribal dialects

Ethnicity/race: African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1%

Religions: syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%

Literacy rate: 91% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $24.99 billion; per capita $ $2,100. Real growth rate: –7%. Inflation: 585% official data; private sector estimates are much higher (yearend 2005 est.). Unemployment: 80%. Arable land: 8%. Agriculture: corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs. Labor force: 3.94 million; agriculture 66%, services 24%, industry 10% (1996). 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. Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals. Exports: $1.644 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing. Imports: $2.059 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels. Major trading partners: South Africa, Switzerland, UK, China, Germany, Botswana (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 212,000 (in addition there are about 20,000 fixed telephones in wireless local loop connections) (1997); mobile cellular: 111,000 (2001). Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998). Radios: 1.14 million (1997). Television broadcast stations: 16 (1997). Televisions: 370,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000). Internet users: 100,000 (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 3,077 km (2002). Highways: total: 18,338 km; paved: 8,692 km; unpaved: 9,646 km (1999 est.). Waterways: the Mazoe and Zambezi rivers are used for transporting chrome ore from Harare to Mozambique. Ports and harbors: Binga, Kariba. Airports: 430 (2002) .

International disputes: dormant dispute remains where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe boundaries converge.

 

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