ZIMBABWE                                                                        
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 390,580 km2; land area: 386,670 km2                                 
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly larger than Montana                                  
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 3,066 km total; Botswana 813 km, Mozambique                    
1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km                                    
                                                                                
Coastline: none--landlocked                                                     
                                                                                
Maritime claims: none--landlocked                                               
Disputes: quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia is in                  
disagreement                                                                    
                                                                                
Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to             
March)                                                                          
                                                                                
Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high                  
veld); mountains in east                                                        
                                                                                
Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel,                  
copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals                 
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 7%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and                    
pastures 12%; forest and woodland 62%; other 19%; includes irrigated            
NEGL%                                                                           
                                                                                
Environment: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare;             
deforestation; soil erosion; air and water pollution                            
                                                                                
Note: landlocked                                                                
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 10,720,459 (July 1991), growth rate 2.9% (1991)                     
                                                                                
Birth rate: 41 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: - 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                        
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 61 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 64 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Zimbabwean(s); adjective--Zimbabwean                         
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: African 98% (Shona 71%, Ndebele 16%, other 11%);              
white 1%, mixed and Asian 1%                                                    
                                                                                
Religion: syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%,              
Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, a few Muslim                             
                                                                                
Language: English (official); Shona, Sindebele                                  
                                                                                
Literacy: 67% (male 74%, female 60%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1990 est.)                                                      
                                                                                
Labor force: 3,100,000; agriculture 74%, transport and services                 
16%, mining, manufacturing, construction 10% (1987)                             
                                                                                
Organized labor: 17% of wage and salary earners have union                      
membership                                                                      
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Republic of Zimbabwe                                            
                                                                                
Type: parliamentary democracy                                                   
Capital: Harare                                                                 
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 8 provinces; Manicaland, Mashonaland                  
Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo (Victoria),               
Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands                                
                                                                                
Independence: 18 April 1980 (from UK; formerly Southern Rhodesia)               
                                                                                
Constitution: 21 December 1979                                                  
                                                                                
Legal system: mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law                     
                                                                                
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 April (1980)                             
                                                                                
Executive branch: executive president, 2 vice presidents, Cabinet               
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament                                       
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Court                                                  
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State and Head of Government--Executive President Robert               
Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987);                                        
Co-Vice President Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987);                
Co-Vice President Joshua M. NKOMO (since 6 August 1990)                         
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Robert MUGABE;       
Zimbabwe African National Union-Sithole (ZANU-S), Ndabaningi SITHOLE;           
Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM), Edgar TEKERE                                     
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal at age 18                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
Executive President--last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held                
NA March 1995);                                                                 
results--Robert MUGABE 78.3%; Edgar TEKERE 21.7%;                               
                                                                                
Parliament--last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held                         
NA March 1995);                                                                 
results--percent of vote by party NA;                                           
seats--(150 total, 120 elected) ZANU 117, ZUM 2, ZANU-S 1                       
                                                                                
Communists: no Communist party                                                  
                                                                                
Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-77, GATT, IAEA,                  
IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM              
(observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,        
UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO                                                   
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Counselor (Political Affairs), Head of               
Chancery, Ambassador Stanislaus Garikai CHIGWEDERE; Chancery at                 
2852 McGill Terrace NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-7100;          
                                                                                
US--Ambassador (vacant); Embassy at 172 Herbert Chitapo                         
Avenue, Harare (mailing address is P. O. Box 3340, Harare);                     
telephone  263  (4) 794-521                                                     
Flag: seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black,                
red, yellow, and green with a white equilateral triangle edged in black         
based on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird is superimposed on a red        
five-pointed star in the center of the triangle                                 
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: Agriculture employs three-fourths of the labor force and              
supplies almost 40% of exports. The manufacturing sector, based on              
agriculture and mining, produces a variety of goods and contributes 35%         
to GDP. Mining accounts for only 5% of both GDP and employment, but             
supplies of minerals and metals account for about 40% of exports. Wide          
year-to-year fluctuations in agricultural production over the past six          
years have resulted in an uneven growth rate, one that on average matched       
the 3% annual increase in population.                                           
                                                                                
GDP: $5.6 billion, per capita $540; real growth rate 4.2% (1990                 
est.)                                                                           
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13% (1989)                                    
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: at least 20% (1990 est.)                                     
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $2.7 billion; expenditures $3.3 billion, including             
capital expenditures of $330 million (FY91)                                     
                                                                                
Exports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989);                                           
                                                                                
commodities--agricultural 35% (tobacco 20%, other 15%),                         
manufactures 20%, gold 10%, ferrochrome 10%, cotton 5%;                         
                                                                                
partners--Europe 55% (EC 40%, Netherlands 5%, other 10%),                       
Africa 20% (South Africa 10%, other 10%), US 5%                                 
                                                                                
Imports: $1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1989);                                           
                                                                                
commodities--machinery and transportation equipment 37%, other                  
manufactures 22%, chemicals 16%, fuels 15%;                                     
                                                                                
partners--EC 31%, Africa 29% (South Africa 21%, other 8%), US 8%,               
Japan 4%                                                                        
                                                                                
External debt: $2.96 billion (December 1989 est.)                               
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate 4.7% (1988 est.); accounts                   
for 35% of GDP                                                                  
                                                                                
Electricity: 2,036,000 kW capacity; 5,460 million kWh produced,                 
540 kWh per capita (1989)                                                       
                                                                                
Industries: mining, steel, clothing and footwear, chemicals,                    
foodstuffs, fertilizer, beverage, transportation equipment, wood products       
                                                                                
Agriculture: accounts for about 15% of GDP and employs 74% of                   
population; 40% of land area divided into 4,500 large commercial farms          
and 42% in communal lands; crops--corn (food staple), cotton, tobacco,          
wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; livestock--cattle, sheep, goats, pigs;       
self-sufficient in food                                                         
                                                                                
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY80-89), $389                   
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments          
(1970-88), $2.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $36 million;             
Communist countries (1970-89), $134 million                                     
                                                                                
Currency: Zimbabwean dollar (plural--dollars);                                  
1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents                                            
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1--2.6724 (January               
1991), 2.4480 (1990), 2.1133 (1989), 1.8018 (1988), 1.6611 (1987), 1.6650       
(1986), 1.6119 (1985)                                                           
                                                                                
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June                                                     
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: 2,745 km 1.067-meter gauge; 42 km double track; 355 km               
electrified                                                                     
                                                                                
Highways: 85,237 km total; 15,800 km paved, 39,090 km crushed                   
stone, gravel, stabilized soil: 23,097 km improved earth; 7,250 km              
unimproved earth                                                                
                                                                                
Inland waterways: Lake Kariba is a potential line of communication              
                                                                                
Pipelines: 8 km, refined products                                               
                                                                                
Civil air: 12 major transport aircraft                                          
                                                                                
Airports: 499 total, 415 usable; 23 with permanent-surface runways;             
2 with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 35 with              
runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                           
                                                                                
Telecommunications: system was once one of the best in Africa, but              
now suffers from poor maintenance; consists of radio relay links,               
open-wire lines, and radio communications stations; 247,000 telephones;         
stations--8 AM, 18 FM, 8 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station            
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Police                 
Support Unit, Paramilitary Police, People's Militia                             
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,263,724; 1,399,354 fit for                
military service                                                                
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $412.4 million, NA% of GDP (FY91 est.)                    
                                                                                
