Zimbabwe: Fact file

Updated May 2008

Name Republic of Zimbabwe
Area 390 757 sq km (Frame 2008, 1304)
Capital Harare
Major cities Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Mutare, Gweru, Kwekwe, Kadoma, Masvinga (Frame 2008, 1304)
Boundaries Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana (landlocked)
Population 13.1 million, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Pop growth rate 1.0%, 2005-15 (UNDP 2007/8)
Urbanisation 35.9%, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Life expectancy Female 40.2 yrs, male 41.4 yrs, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Infant mortality 81/1000, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
HIV/AIDS prevalence 15.6%, adults, 2007 est (Zimbabwe National Monitoring and Evaluation Taskforce 2008, 4)
Adult literacy rate Female 86.2%, male 92.7%, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Military expenditure 2.3% of GDP; 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Health expenditure 3.5% of GDP; 2004 (UNDP 2007/8)
Legal system Roman-Dutch, customary Law (Saki & Chiware 2007)
Independence 18 April 1980 (from UK)
GDP US$0.641 billion, 2007 est (IMF 2008a)
GDP per capita US$55, 2007 est (IMF 2008a)
GDP growth rate -6.1%, 2007 est (IMF 2008a)
Main exports Gold, tobacco, iron alloys, platinum, cotton (Frame 2008, 1308)
Currency 1 Zimbabwe Dollar (Z$) = 100 Cents
Unemployment 70%, 2005 est (Frame 2008, 1305)
Inflation rate 10 453%, 2007 (IMF 2008a)
External debt ratio 20.1% of GDP, 2007 (IMF 2008b)
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 (Ethnologue.com undated)
Religion Christian 67.5% (Independent 40.3%, Protestant 15.0%, Roman Catholic 9.6%), African Traditional Religion 30.1%, Nonreligious 1.0%, others 1.3% (Religious Freedom 2001)

References

AVIGATION NETWORKS UNDATED "Airports in Zimbabwe", [www] http://worldaerodata.com/countries/Zimbabwe.php [opens new window] (accessed 25 Apr 2007).

ETHNOLOGUE.COM UNDATED "Languages of Zimbabwe" [www] http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=ZW [opens new window] (accessed 25 Apr 2008).

FRAME, I 2008 (ed) Africa South of the Sahara 2008, Routledge.

IMF 2008a World Economic Outlook Database, April 2008, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/01/weodata/index.aspx [opens new window] (accessed 21 Apr 2008).

IMF 2008b Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2007/AFR/ENG/sreo0407.pdf, 118 [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 22 Apr 2008).

NATIONAL RAILWAYS OF ZIMBABWE UNDATED "Corporate Information", [www] http://www.nrz.co.zw/about/corporateinfor.html [opens new window] (accessed 25 Apr 2008).

NATIONS ENCYCLOPEDIA 2007 "Zimbabwe: Ethnic groups", http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Zimbabwe-ETHNIC-GROUPS.html [opens new window] (accessed 25 Apr 2008).

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2001 "Nation profile: Zimbabwe", [www] http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/nationprofiles/Zimbabwe/rbodies.html [opens new window] (accessed 25 Apr 2008).

SADC 2007 "Zimbabwe" IN Country Profiles, [www] http://www.sadcreview.com/pdfs07/zimbabwe2007_08.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 25 Apr 2008).

SAKI, O & CHIWARE, T 2007 "The Law in Zimbabwe" IN GlobaLex, Hauser School of Law Programme, [www] http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Zimbabwe.htm [opens new window] (accessed 25 April 2007).

UNDP 2007/8 "Zimbabwe", IN Human Development Report 2007/8, [www] http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_ZWE.html [opens new window] (accessed 25 Apr 2008).

ZIMBABWE NATIONAL MONITORING AND EVALUATION TASKFORCE 2008 "United Nations General Assembly (UNGASS) Report on HIV and AIDS Follow-Up To The Declaration Of Commitment On HIV/AIDS: Zimbabwe Country Report", [www] http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/zimbabwe_2008_country_progress_report_en.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 5 may 2008).