Upgrade your Encarta experience

Also on Encarta

Also on MSN
Zimbabwe Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Republic of Zimbabwe
Capital Harare
Area 390,759 sq km
150,873 sq mi
Zimbabwe: Flag and Anthem
Zimbabwe: Flag and Anthem
Expand
People
Population 12,311,143 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 0.59 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 12,915,433 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 12,221,257 (2007 estimate)
Population density 32 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)
82 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 36 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 64 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Harare 1,903,510 (2002)
Bulawayo 676,787 (2002)
Chitungwiza 321,782 (2002)
Mutare 153,000 (2002)
Gweru 137,000 (2002)
Ethnic groups
Shona 71 percent
Ndebele 16 percent
Other 13 percent
Languages
English (official), Shona, Ndebele
Religious affiliations
Syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 40 percent
Protestant 12 percent
Roman Catholic 10 percent
Ethnoreligionists or indigenous beliefs 30 percent
Other (including Muslim and Hindu) 8 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 39.5 years (2007 estimate)
Female 38.4 years (2007 estimate)
Male 40.6 years (2007 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 51 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)
Population per physician 17,439 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 1,959 people (1990)
Literacy rate
Total 91.9 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 88.7 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 95.1 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 11.1 percent (1999-2000)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 7 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 39 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government Presidential republic
Head of state President
Head of government President
Legislature Unicameral legislature
House of Assembly: 150 members
Voting qualifications Universal at age 18
Constitution 18 April 1980
Highest court Supreme Court
Armed forces Army, Air Force
Total number of military personnel 29,000 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 1.7 percent (2003)
First-level political divisions Ten provinces
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $3.4 billion (2005)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $259.20 (2005)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 18.1 percent (2005)
Industry 22.6 percent (2005)
Services 59.3 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers 5,762,575 (2005)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 26 percent (1994)
Industry 28 percent (1994)
Services 47 percent (1994)
Unemployment rate 8.2 percent (2002)
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $2,484 million (1997)
Total expenditure $2,834 million (1997)
Monetary unit
1 Zimbabwe dollar (Z$), consisting of 100 cents
Agriculture
Tobacco, cotton, maize, sugarcane, coffee, cassava, wheat, sorghum, millet, cattle
Mining
Chromium, gold, nickel, asbestos, copper, silver, emeralds, lithium, tin, iron ore, cobalt, coal, diamonds, kyanite, platinum, zinc, lead
Manufacturing
Food products, metals, chemicals, textiles
Major exports
Tobacco, ferrochrome, gold, nickel metal, cotton, steel, textiles
Major imports
Machinery and transportation equipment, basic manufactures, chemicals, fuels
Major trade partners for exports
United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa, Japan, and China
Major trade partners for imports
South Africa, Congo (DRC), Mozambique, United Kingdom, and Germany
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 50.83 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 49.17 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 402 (1999 estimate)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 25 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 36 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 3.8 (2003)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 18 (1996)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 50 (2002)
Paved road as a share of total roads 19 percent (2002)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
© 2008 Microsoft