total: 88
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 65
under 914 m: 18 (2009)
Pipelines:
oil 771 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,157 km
country comparison to the world: 70
narrow gauge: 2,157 km 1.067-m gauge
note: includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority
(TAZARA) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 91,440 km
country comparison to the world: 54
paved: 20,117 km
unpaved: 71,323 km (2001)
Waterways:
2,250 km (includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula
rivers) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 40
Ports and terminals:
Mpulungu
Military ::Zambia
Military branches:
Zambian National Defense Force (ZNDF): Zambian Army, Zambian Air
Force, National Service (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18-27 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age
with parental consent); Zambian citizenship required; mandatory HIV
testing on enlistment; no conscription (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,678,668
females age 16-49: 2,567,433 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,364,173
females age 16-49: 1,245,220 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 149,567
female: 148,889 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
Transnational Issues ::Zambia
Disputes - international:
in 2004, Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and
Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto
recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia
boundary in the river
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 42,565 (Angola); 60,874 (Democratic
Republic of the Congo); 4,100 (Rwanda) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Zambia is a source, transit, and destination
country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced
labor and sexual exploitation; many Zambian child laborers,
particularly those in the agriculture, domestic service, and fishing
sectors, are also victims of human trafficking; Zambian women, lured
by false employment or marriage offers abroad, are trafficked to
South Africa via Zimbabwe and to Europe via Malawi for sexual
exploitation; Zambia is a transit point for regional trafficking of
women and children, particularly from Angola to Namibia and from the
Democratic Republic of the Congo to South Africa for agricultural
labor
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Zambia is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat
severe forms of trafficking, particularly in regard to its inability
to bring alleged traffickers to justice through prosecutions and
convictions; unlike 2006, there were no new prosecutions or
convictions of alleged traffickers in 2007; government efforts to
protect victims of trafficking remained extremely limited throughout
the year (2008)
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone, small
amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for southern Africa and
possibly Europe; a poorly developed financial infrastructure coupled
with a government commitment to combating money laundering make it
an unattractive venue for money launderers; major consumer of
cannabis
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Zimbabwe (Africa)
Introduction ::Zimbabwe
Background:
The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] South Africa
Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored
whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its
independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more
complete 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. His chaotic land
redistribution campaign, which began in 2000, caused an exodus of
white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread
shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation,
MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his
reelection. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to
win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election,
allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the
Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005,
Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban
rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the
homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the
opposition. President MUGABE in June 2007 instituted price controls
on all basic commodities causing panic buying and leaving store
shelves empty for months. General elections held in March 2008
contained irregularities but still amounted to a censure of the
ZANU-PF-led government with significant gains in opposition seats in
parliament. MDC opposition leader Morgan TSVANGIRAI won the
presidential polls, and may have won an out right majority, but
official results posted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Committee did not
reflect this. In the lead up to a run-off election in late June
2008, considerable violence enacted against opposition party members
led to the withdrawal of TSVANGIRAI from the ballot. Extensive
evidence of vote tampering and ballot-box stuffing resulted in
international condemnation of the process. Difficult negotiations
over a power sharing agreement, allowing MUGABE to remain as
president and creating the new position of prime minister for
TSVANGIRAI, were finally settled in February 2009.
Geography ::Zimbabwe
Location:
Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
Geographic coordinates:
20 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 390,757 sq km
country comparison to the world: 60
land: 386,847 sq km
water: 3,910 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Montana
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 Runde and Save 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: 8.24%
permanent crops: 0.33%
other: 91.43% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,740 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
20 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 4.21 cu km/yr (14%/7%/79%)
per capita: 324 cu m/yr (2002)
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; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste
and heavy metal pollution
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with
Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on
the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water
People ::Zimbabwe
Population:
11,392,629
country comparison to the world: 73
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
2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.9% (male 2,523,119/female 2,473,928)
15-64 years: 52.2% (male 2,666,928/female 3,283,474)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 194,360/female 250,820) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.6 years
male: 16.3 years
female: 18.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.53% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
Birth rate:
31.49 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46
Death rate:
16.19 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
Net migration rate:
NA
note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa
and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 37% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.81 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 32.31 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 71
male: 34.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 29.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 45.77 years
country comparison to the world: 213
male: 46.36 years
female: 45.16 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.69 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
15.3% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.3 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
140,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Zimbabwean(s)
adjective: Zimbabwean
Ethnic groups:
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%
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 English
total population: 90.7%
male: 94.2%
female: 87.2% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male: 9 years
female: 9 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
4.6% of GDP (2000)
country comparison to the world: 84
Government ::Zimbabwe
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe
conventional short form: Zimbabwe
former: Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Harare
geographic coordinates: 17 50 S, 31 03 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
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
Independence:
18 April 1980 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 18 April (1980)
Constitution:
21 December 1979
Legal system:
mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31
December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999)
and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Morgan TSVANGIRAI (since 11
February 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Arthur MUTAMBARA
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the
House of Assembly
elections: presidential candidates nominated with a nomination paper
signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least one from each
province) and elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term
limits); elections last held 28 March 2008 followed by a run-off on
27 June 2008 (next to be held in 2013); co-vice presidents appointed
by the president
election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent
of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 85.5%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 9.3%, other
5.2%; note - first round voting results - Morgan TSVANGIRAI 47.9%,
Robert Gabriel MUGABE 43.2%, Simba MAKONI 8.3%, other 0.6%;
first-round round polls were deemed to be flawed suppressing
TSVANGIRAI's results; the 27 June 2008 run-off between MUGABE and
TSVANGIRAI were severely flawed and internationally condemned
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate (93 seats - 60 elected by
popular vote for a five-year term, 10 provincial governors nominated
by the president, 16 traditional chiefs elected by the Council of
Chiefs, 2 held by the president and deputy president of the Council
of Chiefs, and 5 appointed by the president) and a House of Assembly
(210 seats - all elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - MDC 51.6%,
ZANU-PF 45.8%, other 2.6%; seats by party - MDC 30, ZANU-PF 30;
House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - MDC 51.3%, ZANU-PF
45.8%, other 2.9%; seats by party - MDC 109, ZANU-PF 97, other 4
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; High Court
Political parties and leaders:
African National Party or ANP [Egypt DZINEMUNHENZVA]; Movement for
Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; Movement for
Democratic Change - Mutambara or MDC-M [splinter faction under
Arthur MUTAMBARA]; Peace Action is Freedom for All or PAFA; United
Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; United People's Party or UPP [Daniel
SHUMBA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga
[Wilson KUMBULA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or
ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel MUGABE]; Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or
ZAPU [Agrippa MADLELA]; Zimbabwe Youth in Alliance or ZIYA
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Xolani ZITHA]; National Constitutional
Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Women of Zimbabwe Arise or WOZA
[Jenny WILLIAMS]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU
[Wellington CHIBEBE]
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Machivenyika MAPURANGA
chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100
FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James D. MCGEE
embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare
mailing address: P. O. Box 3340, Harare
telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 through 250-594
FAX: [263] (4) 796-488, or 722-618
Flag description:
seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red,
yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in black
with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing
the long history of the country is superimposed on a red
five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which symbolizes
peace; green symbolizes agriculture, yellow - mineral wealth, red -
blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native
people
Economy ::Zimbabwe
Economy - overview:
The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult
economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal
deficit, an overvalued official exchange rate, hyperinflation, and
bare store shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo drained hundreds of millions of
dollars from the economy. The government's land reform program,
characterized by chaos and violence, has badly damaged the
commercial farming sector, the traditional source of exports and
foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs, turning Zimbabwe
into a net importer of food products. The EU and the US provide food
aid on humanitarian grounds. Badly needed support from the IMF has
been suspended because of the government's arrears on past loans and
the government's unwillingness to enact reforms that would stabilize
the economy. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe routinely prints money to
fund the budget deficit, causing the official annual inflation rate
to rise from 32% in 1998, to 133% in 2004, 585% in 2005, past 1,000%
in 2006, and 26,000% in November 2007, and to 11.2 million percent
in 2008. Meanwhile, the official exchange rate fell from
approximately 1 (revalued) Zimbabwean dollar per US dollar in 2003
to 30,000 per US dollar in September 2007.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.925 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
$2.241 billion (2007 est.)
$2.371 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$10.58 billion
note: hyperinflation and the plunging value of the Zimbabwean dollar
makes Zimbabwe's GDP at the official exchange rate a highly
inaccurate statistic (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-14.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 217
-5.6% (2007 est.)
-4.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$200 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 229
$200 (2007 est.)
$200 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 18.1%
industry: 22.6%
services: 59.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
4.039 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 66%
industry: 10%
services: 24% (1996)
Unemployment rate:
80% (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
Population below poverty line:
68% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 40.4% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
50.1 (2006)
country comparison to the world: 24
50.1 (1995)
Investment (gross fixed):
17.7% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
Budget:
revenues: $941,600
expenditures: $1.092 million (2008 est.)
Public debt:
265.6% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
52.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
14.93 billion% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 222
12,563% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 1
975% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 1
578.96% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$14.18 billion (31 December 2007)
note: this number reflects the vastly overvalued official exchange
rate of 30,000 Zimbabwe dollars per US dollar; at an unofficial rate
of 800,000 Zimbabwe dollars per US dollar, the stock of Zimbabwe
dollars would equal only about US$500 million and Zimbabwe's
velocity of money (the number of times money turns over in the
course of a year) would be nine, in line with the velocity of money
for other countries in the region
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$5.349 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$24.91 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 87
$5.333 billion (31 December 2007)
$26.56 billion (31 December 2006)
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:
-14.7% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168
Electricity - production:
8.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
Electricity - consumption:
10.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
Electricity - exports:
32 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
2.691 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
Oil - consumption:
13,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
Oil - imports:
13,830 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 83
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
Current account balance:
-$584.6 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
-$494.8 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$1.396 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
$1.467 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
platinum, cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing
Exports - partners:
South Africa 32.1%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 9.7%, Botswana
8.7%, China 5.6%, Zambia 4.8%, Japan 4.5%, Italy 4.4%, US 4.3% (2008)
Imports:
$1.915 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
$1.975 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals,
fuels
Imports - partners:
South Africa 60.1%, China 4.2%, Botswana 3.7% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$96 million (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148
$117 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$5.669 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
$5.155 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Zimbabwean dollars (ZWD) per US dollar - NA (2008 est.), 30,000
(2007), 162.07 (2006), 77.965 (2005), 5.729 (2004)
note: these are official exchange rates; non-official rates vary
significantly
Communications ::Zimbabwe
Telephones - main lines in use:
354,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 109
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.655 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 130
Telephone system:
general assessment: system was once one of the best in Africa, but
now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding
requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed
but unused main lines
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines,
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop
installations, and a substantial mobile-cellular network; Internet
connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns
and for some of the smaller ones
international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat; 2 international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and
Gweru)
Radio broadcast stations: