Zimbabwe
Webpages concerning "Zimbabwe"
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Wikipedia-Article "Zimbabwe"
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| National motto: Unity, Freedom, Work | |||||
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| Official language | English | ||||
| Capital | Harare 17°50′S 31°03′E |
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| President | Robert Mugabe | ||||
| Area - Total - % water |
Ranked 59th 390,580 km² 1% |
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| Population - Total (2003) -Density |
Ranked 66th 12,576,742 32/km² |
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| HDI (2003) | 0.505 (145th) – medium | ||||
| Independence - Declared - Recognised |
(as Rhodesia) Nov. 11, 1965 (as Zimbabwe) Apr. 18, 1980 |
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| Currency | Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +2 (DST not observed) | ||||
| National anthem | Simudzai Mureza Wedu weZimbabwe (Shona) or Kalibusiswe Ilizwe leZimbabwe (Ndebele) ("Blessed be the land of Zimbabwe") | ||||
| Internet TLD | .zw | ||||
| Calling Code | 263 | ||||
The Republic of Zimbabwe is a country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the west, Zambia to the north and Mozambique to the east.
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History
Main article: History of Zimbabwe
Iron Age
Iron Age Bantu-speaking people began migrating into the area about 2,000 years ago, including the ancestors of the Shona, who account for roughly four fifths of the country's population today. Ruins at Great Zimbabwe, a Shona-speaking state, attest the existence of a medieval Bantu civilization in the region. Linked to the establishment of trade ties with Muslim merchants on the Indian Ocean coast around the early 10th century, Great Zimbabwe began to develop in the 11th century. The state traded gold, ivory, and copper for cloth and glass. It ceased to be the leading Shona state in the mid-15th century.
As of 1837 the Shona were frequently raided by the Ndebele, led by king Mzilikaziwho after fleeing Shaka and his Zulu from what is now South and settled in southern Zimbabwe during the Mfecane. Later in the 19th century British and Boer traders, hunters, and missionaries started encroaching on the area.
Colonial Era
In 1888, British imperialist Cecil Rhodes tricked king Lobengula of the Ndebele who was heir to Mzilikazi into agreement that gave his company extraction rights to mine the Northern part of Zimbabwe for gold. Lobengula solely believed he ruled the northern part of Zimbabwe known as Mashonaland which at that time was under the rule of Shona chiefs [Mambo]. In 1889, Rhodes obtained a charter for the British South Africa Company (BSAC), which conquered the Ndebele and their territory and united it with the northern part of the country they named "Rhodesia" in 1895 after Cecil Rhodes) and promoted the colonization of the region and its land, labour, and precious metal and mineral resources. Both the Ndebele and the Shona staged unsuccessful revolts against white colonialist encroachment on their native lands in 1896-1897. Ambuya Nehanda, Chaminuka, Muponda, and other Shona spirit mediums and rulers were leaders in this rebellion which led to their subsequent capture and execution. The bodies of these leaders were never handed to their people as a way to quell the rebellion. The Shonas and the Ndebeles with their spears and knobkerries were no match to the heavily armed British South Africa Police (as the the police force of Rhodesia was called), who had horses, guns and cannons. This was later known as the first Chimurenga (War of Liberation). Chief Garikai Chiremba was captured by the British and it has been alleged that he revealed ancient Zimbabwean platinum smelting secrets to them.
Under the colonialists, some archaeologists sought to prove that non-Africans built Great Zimbabwe, allegedly for purposes of racist propaganda.
Southern Rhodesia was administered by Rhodes' BSAC until 1922. In a referendum that year, the settler population rejected a proposal for incorporation into the Union of South Africa, and instead became a British self-governing colony. In 1953, Southern Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia (later called Zambia) were combined with Nyasaland, (now called Malawi) to form the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation. After the federation was dissolved in 1963, the white minority administration in Southern Rhodesia (known simply as Rhodesia from 1964) demanded independence, but the British government had adopted a policy of NIBMAR — No Independence Before Majority African Rule.
In response, the government of Prime Minister Ian Smith made a unilateral declaration of independence on November 11, 1965. The United Kingdom called the declaration a direct act of rebellion but did not attempt to reestablish control by force. When negotiations in 1966 and 1968 proved fruitless, the UK requested UN economic sanctions against Rhodesia. In an attempt to distance the country from its colonial master, Smith declared Rhodesia a republic in 1970, but this did not result in international recognition. Smith administered an apartheid like system of segregation, where Black Africans had no basic human rights, and their movement was restricted to rural areas known as Reserves. In those days Blacks were not allowed to work in certain professions that were reserved for whites.
Civil War
Resistance to white rule strengthened and began with the battle of Chinoyi where six freedom fighters of the Zanla forces fought the Rhodesian Front. Zanla and Zipra employed guerrilla tactics that were used by the VC during the Vietnam war as they fought for the right of Black Africans to be treated as equal after decades of the disfranchisement. This was a global phenomenon as the movement to fight for the equal rights for Africans both on the continent and in the diaspora gathered momentum in the latter half of the 20th century. With the end of Portuguese rule in neighbouring Mozambique in 1975, Frelimo led by Samora Machel lent assistance to Zanla forces and the resistance intensified into a large-scale uprising known as the Second Chimurenga or the "War of liberation".
As the Rhodesian Front RF military was suffering from defeat after defeat the Smith regime opened negotiations with the leaders of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), led by Robert Mugabe after the assassination of Herbert Chitepo in Zambia in 1975, and the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), led by Joshua Nkomo. These two groups combined to form the Patriotic Front. With his regime near the brink of collapse, Smith in March 1978 signed a desperate accord with three black leaders who offered safeguards for whites headed by Bishop Abel Muzorewa.
Muzorewa, who not only had the support of Smith but with the white-minority regime in South Africa as well, lacked credibility among significant sectors of the African population. The Muzorewa government soon faltered. In 1979, the British Government asked all parties to come to Lancaster House in an attempt to negotiate a settlement in the civil war.
Independence
Following the conference, held in London (1979-1980), Britain's Lord Soames was appointed governor to oversee the disarming of revolutionary guerrillas, the holding of elections, and the granting of independence to an uneasy coalition government with Joshua Nkomo, head of Zimbabwe African People's Union. In the free elections of February 1980, Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) won a landslide victory. Mugabe has won re-election ever since.
In 1982 Nkomo was ousted from his cabinet; when a cache' of weapons of war was discovered at properties owned by him and his top lieutenants, sparking fighting between ZAPU supporters in the southern Ndebele-speaking region of the country and the ruling ZANU. There was widespread attacks on white farmers and Shonas in small parts of Masvingo, Midlands, and Matebeleland provinces. The most famous of these was known as Gwesela who led his followers in attacks against Shonas. This saw the government mobilising the 5th Brigade to quell the insurgency; however the turn of events led to atrocities being committed against the Ndebele by the infamous Fifth Brigade (known as the Gukurahundi), headed by Colonel Perence Shiri. Ultimately, Mugabe and Nkomo held peace talks that saw a return to calm and the reunification of the Patriotic Front. Clemency was given to those that had committed atrocities on both sides. The peace accord in 1987, resulted in PF ZAPU's merger (1988) into the ZANU Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF).
The drought in southern Africa, perhaps the worst of the century, affected Zimbabwe so severely that a national disaster was declared in 1992. The drought compounded the country's debt crisis, and the ensuing IMF-backed economic adjustment and austerity program caused further widespread hardship.
Despite majority rule, whites made up less than 1% of the population but held 70% of the country's commercially viable arable land, of which only a small parcel had been purchased and reallocated to Blacks since independence in 1980. However whites held no political power. Land redistribution from whites reemerged as the political issue beginning in 1999.
In the aftermath of Mugabe's handling of the land crisis, which moved to redistribute land to blacks, Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations on charges of human rights abuses and of election tampering in 2002 of which there was no evidence to prove such. Later, Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth.
Following elections in 2005, the government initiated "Operation Murambatsvina" in a supposed effort to crackdown on illegal markets and homes, that had seen slums unfit for human habitation emerge in towns and cities. This action has been widely condemned by opposition and international figures, who charge that it has left a large section of the urban poor homeless. However the Government has initiated "Operation Garikai" which seeks to provide decent housing to the population.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a republic, with an executive president and a unicameral Parliament, formerly known as the House of Assembly. Under constitutional changes in 2005, the Senate, abolished in 1990, was to be reinstated, with the existing chamber becoming the National Assembly.
Zanu PF Robert Mugabe, elected Prime Minister in 1980, revised the constitution in 1987 to make himself President. President Mugabe's affiliated party has won every election since independence 18 April 1980. In some quarters corruption and rigging elections have been stated. In particular the elections of 1990 were nationally and internationally condemned as being rigged, with the second-placing party, Edgar Tekere's Zimbabwe Unity Movement, winning only 20% of the vote. Presidential elections were last held in 2002 amid allegations of vote-rigging, intimidation, and fraud. The next Presidential elections are to be held 2008.
The major opposition party at the moment is the Movement for Democratic Change, or MDC, led by Morgan Tsvangirai. At the present time, November 2005, the MDC is currently split into two factions. One faction, led by Welshman Ncube is contesting the elections to the Senate, while the other led by Morgan Tsvangirai is opposed to contesting the elections, stating that participation in a rigged election is tantamount to endorsing Mugabe's claim that elections in Zimbabwe are completely free and fair.
The 2005 Zimbabwe parliamentary elections were held on March 31. While the African Union reported no major irregularities, opposition figures such as Archbishop Pius Ncube have made charges of vote rigging.
Education
Zimbabwe had a literacy rate of 90.2% in 2000, the highest in Africa. For males, the country's adult literacy rate (the percentage of persons aged 15 and over who can read and write) of 93%. Comparison with other SADC countries in 2004 is as follows: South Africa, 86%, Zambia, 79.9%, Swaziland, 80.9%, Namibia, 83.3%, Lesotho, 81.4%, Botswana, 78.9%, Tanzania, 77.1%, Malawi, 61.8%, Mozambique, 46.5%.
This is despite the fact that international agencies like the World Bank and IMF in the early 1990's had been calling on government to reduce its spending and reduce the civil service of which the bulk are teachers and health professionals. The literacy rate is higher than most developed countries and this is with the limited resources that the government of Zimbabwe has. [1] [2] [3]
Provinces
Main article: Provinces of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is divided into 8 provinces and 2 cities with provincial status: Bulawayo (city), Harare (city), Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, and Midlands.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country, surrounded by South Africa to the South, Botswana to the west, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east and northeast. The northwestern border is defined by the Zambezi River. Victoria Falls is a popular tourist destination on the Zambezi. To the south, Zimbabwe is separated from South Africa by the Limpopo River.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Zimbabwe
The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles to consolidate earlier progress in developing a market-oriented economy. Its involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 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 to 600% in 2003. The economy is being steadily weakened by AIDS. The political tension between Zimbabwe and some Developed countries makes it unlikely that the West; this is also worsened by the negative publicity that has tarnished the image of Zimbabwe abroad.
The lack of foreign exchange that has been caused to some extent by the lack of Balance of Payments support from the IMF have resulted in fuel, electric power and water shortages and a lack of other basic supplies. The purpose and the role of the Zimbabwe Democracy Act of 2000[4] in United States legislation could be responsible for the pressure that the IMF is exerting on Zimbabwe; as this law instructs all American citizens sitting on boards of international agencies or financial institutions to vote against Zimbabwe on matters patterning to debt rescheduling, or cancellation, and assistance support. In 2003 Libya supplied fuel, partially in exchange for land, but Zimbabwe could not meet the basic payments, and supplies have since stopped. In 2004 a system of auctioning scarce foreign currency for importers was introduced, which temporarily lead to a slight reduction in the foreign currency crisis, but by mid 2005 foreign currency shortages were once again chronic.
In 2005, the currency was devalued by the central bank four times. By September, the official exchange rate had fallen from Z$5,730 to Z$26,003 to the US dollar, but at that date it was reported that that was only one half to one third the rate available on the black market. By November 2005, the foreign currency auctions had been abandoned. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe(RBZ) announced that market forces would determine the exchange rates. The Zim dollar's decline continues. By Dec. 15, the official exchange rate had fallen to Z$78,250 for one US dollar, while on the black market the exchange rate hovered around the six-figure mark.
For more information on the Zimbabwean Dollar, please see: Zimbabwean dollar
In July 2005 Zimbabwe was reported to be appealing to the South African government for US$1 billion of emergency loans. On July 26, 2005, it was also reported that Zimbabwe had agreed a trade deal with China, providing mineral and other concessions in exchange for economic aid; details of the agreement were not made public.
The increasingly close "business" relationship between China and Zimbabwe has sparked much controversy. The gift of two turboprop aircraft by China to the country's Air Zimbabwe has been a sign of things to come.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe celebrates its national holiday on April 16.
- Music of Zimbabwe
- List of writers from Zimbabwe
- Reps Theatre - local theatre company
- Over the Edge - local theatre company
Miscellaneous topics
Fixed land lines are operated by Tel-One, a government parastatal. There are 3 Mobile network (cell phone) providers: Econet Wireless, Net*One and Telecel.
- Foreign relations of Zimbabwe
- Land reform in Zimbabwe
- List of cities in Zimbabwe 4 Cities in Zimbabwe
- Military of Zimbabwe
- Place names in Zimbabwe
- Reporters without borders World-wide press freedom index 2004: Rank 155 out of 167 countries
- Transportation in Zimbabwe
External links
Government
- Parliament of Zimbabwe official government site
- Zimbabwe Government Online official government site and mirror site
News
- New Zimbabwe UK-Based independent daily newspaper
- AllAfrica.com - Zimbabwe news headline links
- IFEX - Zimbabwe press freedom violations
- The Sunday Mirror weekly newspaper
- Zimbabwe Independent weekly newspaper
- The Zimbabwean UK-based independent weekly newspaper
- The Herald State-owned daily newspaper
- Zimbabwe Situation A comprehensive collection of news stories concerning Zimbabwe from different sources
Overviews
- BBC News - Country Profile: Zimbabwe
- CIA World Factbook - Zimbabwe
- Guardian Unlimited - Special Report: Zimbabwe
- Joinafrica.com - Zimbabwe
- US State Department - Zimbabwe includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports
Protest movements
Directories
- Columbia University Libraries - Zimbabwe directory category of the WWW-VL
- Open Directory Project - Zimbabwe directory category
- Stanford University - Africa South of the Sahara: Zimbabwe directory category
- Yahoo! - Zimbabwe directory category
Tourism
Other
- Amnesty International (Zimbabwe)
- itsbho.com Leading Zimbabwean entertainment website
- RSF report on Zimbabwe from 2003
- Writers of Zimbabwe - a website for Zimbabwean Writers
- Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
- ZIMBABWE Information and Links
- 5 year archive of Zimbabwe news updated daily
- Zimbabwe Crisis Newsletter published during the controversial 2000 parliamentary elections
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