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The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the South Africa Company
in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated to keep whites in power.
In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but
the UK did not recognize the act and demanded voting rights for
the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia).
UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections
in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the
nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler
(as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political
system since independence.
Area: 390,580 sq km
Population: 11,365,366
Ethnic groups: African 98% (Shona 71%, Ndebele 16%, other
11%), 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%
Languages: : English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language
of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal
dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85%
male: 90%
female: 80% (1995 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 25.06% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.5 million (1999
est.) (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 160,000 (1999 est.)
Capital: Harare
Administrative divisions: 8 provinces and 2 cities* with
provincial status; Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central,
Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North,
Matabeleland South, Midlands.
Political parties and leaders: Movement for Democratic Change
or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; Popular Democratic Front or PDF [Austin
CHAKAODZA]; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; Zimbabwe African National
Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga [Ndabaningi SITHOLE]; Zimbabwe African
National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert MUGABE]; Zimbabwe
Unity Movement or ZUM [Edgar TEKERE]
Economy - overview: The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide
variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles to consolidate
earlier moves to develop a market-oriented economy. Its involvement
in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example,
has already drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy.
Badly needed support from the IMF suffers delays in part because
of the country's failure to meet budgetary goals. Inflation rose
from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to 59% in 1999 and 60% in 2000.
The economy is being steadily weakened by excessive government deficits
and AIDS; Zimbabwe has the highest rate of infection in the world.
Per capita GDP, which is twice the average of the poorer sub-Saharan
nations, will increase little if any in the near-term, and Zimbabwe
will suffer continued frustrations in developing its agricultural
and mineral resources.
Population below poverty line: 60% (1999 est.)
Currency: Zimbabwean dollar
Information taken from the CIA
world factbook.
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Cambridge or ex-Cambridge students that
have spent time in Zimbabwe (click here
to add yourself):
Name: James Lynch
Email: jimbob_lynch@hotmail.com
College: Corpus 1999-2002
Where did you go? Howard High School, near Glendale, Mashonaland
Central, Zimbabwe.
What did you do? I spent three months teaching African history
(!) and coaching some rugby at Howard, a Salvation Army Mission
school, not far north of Harare. I used the gap year company Africa
and Asia Venture (which also does schemes in Kenya, Uganda, Botswana
and Malawi) and had a lot of fun in an amazing country - before
it went into meltdown. The company was really expensive though and
I can't really see where the money was going.
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