Zimbabwe: Fact file
Updated November 2010
| Name | Republic of Zimbabwe |
| Area | 390 757 sq km |
| Capital | Harare |
| Major cities | Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Mutare, Gweru, Kwekwe, Kadoma, Masvinga (Frame 2008, 1304) |
| Boundaries | Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana (landlocked) |
| Population | 12.644 million, 2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009a) |
| Natural pop growth | 0.27%, 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009b) |
| Urbanisation | 36.8%, 2007 est (UN Statistics Division undated) |
| Life expectancy | Female 44.3 yrs, male 43.4 yrs; 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009c, 2009d) |
| Infant mortality | 46/1000, 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009e) |
| HIV/AIDS prevalence | 15.3%, 15-49 yr 2007 est (UN Statistics Division 2009f) |
| Adult literacy rate | 91%; 2003-2008 est (UN Statistics Division 2010a) |
| Military expenditure | 3.8% of GDP; 2005 (UN Statistics Division 2010b) |
| Health expenditure | 9.3% of GDP; 2006 (UN Statistics Division 2008) |
| Legal system | Roman-Dutch, customary Law (Saki & Chiware 2007) |
| Independence | 18 April 1980 from UK |
| GDP | US$0.641 billion, 2007 est (IMF 2008) |
| GDP per capita | US$314, 2008 est (UN Statistics Division 2009g) |
| GDP growth rate | 5.7%, 2009 (IMF 2010, 72) |
| Main exports | Gold, tobacco, iron alloys, platinum, cotton (Frame 2008, 1308) |
| Currency | 1 Zimbabwe Dollar (Z$) = 100 Cents |
| Unemployment | 94%, end 2008 est (Money Web 2009) |
| Inflation rate | no data |
| External debt ratio | 25.3% of GDP, 2009 (IMF 2010, 95) |
| Roads | 61 630 km rural; 19 000 km State roads, 7 500 tarred (SADC 2007, 284) |
| Rail | 2 760 km (National Railways of Zimbabwe Undated) |
| Airports | 17 paved; 3 international (Harare, Bulawayo, Kariba) (Avigation Networks Undated) |
| Ethnic groups | Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%; Asian 1%; White 1% (Nations Encyclopedia 2007) |
| Languages | Official: English, Major: Shona, Sindebele, Manyika, Kalanga; 15 others (Lewis 2009) |
| Religion | Christian 84%, Muslim 1%, African Traditional Religion practiced alongside Christianity or on its own (US State Department 2010) |
References
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IMF 2008 World Economic Outlook Database, April 2008, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/01/weodata/index.aspx [opens new window] (accessed 25 Nov 2010).
IMF 2010 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, October, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2010/AFR/eng/pdf/sreo1010.pdf, [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 25 Nov 2010).
FRAME, I 2008 (ed) Africa South of the Sahara 2008, Routledge.
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MONEY WEB 2009 "Zimbabwe unemployment soars to 94%", 29 January, [www] http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page87?oid=262730&sn=Detail (offline 25 Nov 2010).
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