Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe A landlocked country in southern Africa, surrounded by Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, and Botswana.

Physical

On the northwest boundary of Zimbabwe with Zambia are the Victoria Falls and Lake Kariba on the Zambezi, and on the boundary with South Africa is the Limpopo. The country stands mainly on a plateau drained by tributaries of these and other rivers.

Economy

The main exports are tobacco, gold, metal alloys, and cotton. Mineral resources include gold, nickel, copper, tin, chrome, gems, and coal. The main cash crops are tobacco, maize, cotton, coffee, and sugar. Beef production is also important. Agriculture has substantially recovered from the devastation of the liberation war. Industry consists of food-processing, metal-refining, chemicals, and textiles.

History

Zimbabwe is named after the ancient palace city of Great Zimbabwe, a 24-ha (64-acre) site, that dates from the 11th to the 15th centuries. Gold and copper were exported from more than 1000 mines by the 10th century AD, the trade passing through Sofala, in Mozambique, to Arab hands. In the early 15th century the region's riches enabled the rise of the Shona (Karanga) empire, with the stone-built city as its capital. The sovereign had an elaborate court and constitution, and trade links with both sides of Africa; but after Portuguese incursions in the 16th century, Zimbabwe's fortunes steadily declined. In 1629 an attempt to expel the Portuguese resulted in the installation of a puppet ruler. After 1693 the territory was absorbed by the Rozvi empire. In the early 19th century, the Ndebele, under their leader MZILIKAZI, invaded the country from the south. He created a kingdom of Matabeleland, which for the next 50 years was to be in a state of permanent tension with the Shona to the north, in what came to be called Mashonaland. When Mzilikazi died he had obtained a peace treaty with the new Transvaal Republic, and he was succeeded by his son Lobengula. In 1889 the British South Africa Company of Cecil RHODES was founded, and in 1890 his Pioneer Column marched into Mashonaland. Following the Jameson Raid and the Matabele War of 1893, Mashonaland and Matabeleland were united. Rebellion erupted in 1896–97, but it was ruthlessly suppressed. Rapid economic development followed, the country becoming the crown colony of Southern Rhodesia in 1911 and a self-governing colony in 1923.

After the victory of the right-wing Rhodesian Front in 1962, the colony sought independence but refused British demands for Black political participation in government and, under Prime Minister Ian Smith, issued the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965, renouncing colonial status and declaring Rhodesian independence. Subsequent British-sponsored attempts at negotiating a political compromise failed and nationalist forces waged an increasingly successful guerrilla campaign. Military pressure finally forced Smith to concede the principle of Black majority rule, but the regime of the moderate Bishop Muzorewa could not come to an accommodation with the guerrilla leaders of the Patriotic Front, Robert MUGABE and Joshua NKOMO. Following the Lancaster House Conference (1979) Robert Mugabe was elected Prime Minister, and Rhodesia became the republic of Zimbabwe in 1980.

The decade of the 1980s saw a revival of tension between Shona and Ndebele, personified by Mugabe and Nkomo. The new constitution of 1987 not only eased this, by merging the two parties of which Mugabe and Nkomo were leaders, but also ended racial representation and created the office of executive President. With internal domestic tensions eased, Zimbabwe played a leading role in the politics of southern Africa, while its five-year plan (1986–90) did much to expand the economy. The state of emergency of 1965 was finally ended in July 1990. Since that date the country has suffered grievously from an unprecedentedly severe drought. Controversial land redistribution plans were enacted during 1993–94, with productive farms owned by whites and by black opposition leaders being seized by the government. In April 1995, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), which had ruled the country since the inception of black majority rule, won its fourth successive election victory with an increased majority. The leader of the only opposition party to win seats, the Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole of ZANU-Ndonga, was arrested on charges of conspiracy to assassinate President Mugabe later the same year. In March 1996 Mugabe was re-elected as President; turnout at the polls was lower than 40% of the electorate.

Capital:	Harare
Area:	390,759 sq km (150,873 sq miles)
Population:	11,044,000 (1998 est)
Currency:	1 Zimbabwe dollar = 100 cents
Religions:	Protestant 17.5%; African indigenous 13.6%; Roman Catholic 11.7%; traditional beliefs 40.0%
Ethnic Groups:	Shona 70.8%; Ndebele Nguni 15.8%; Nyanja 5.0%; European 2.0%; Asian 0.1%
Languages:	English (official); Shona; Ndebele
International Organizations:	UN; Commonwealth; OAU; SADC; Non-Aligned Movement