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Zimbabwe (IPA: ), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, and formerly known as the Republic of Rhodesia, is a landlocked country in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It borders South Africa to the south, Botswana to the west, Zambia to the northwest, and Mozambique to the east. The name Zimbabwe derives from "" meaning "houses of stone" in the Shona language. Its use as the country's name is a tribute to Great Zimbabwe, site of the capital of the Munhumutapa Empire.
History The precolonial era
Colonialization In 1888, British imperialist Cecil Rhodes extracted mining rights from King Lobengula of the Ndebele. In 1889 Rhodes obtained a charter for the British South Africa Company, which later conquered the Matabeleland and Mashonaland territory (renamed "Rhodesia" after Cecil Rhodes) during the Matabele Wars (1893-1897) and promoted the colonization of the region and its land, labor, and precious metal and mineral resources. Both the Ndebele and the Shona staged unsuccessful revolts against white colonialist encroachment on their native lands during the Second Matabele Rebellion/War of 1896-1897 in what today known in Zimbabwe as the First War of Independence. In 1911 the territory was divided into Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Southern Rhodesia, the latter becoming a self-governing British colony in 1922. In 1953 the two parts of Rhodesia were reunited in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and after its dissolution in 1963 the whites demanded independence from Southern Rhodesia (Rhodesia from 1964). White minority rule and civil war As African majority governments were assuming control in neighboring Northern Rhodesia and in Nyasaland, the white-minority government, led by Ian Smith, unilaterally declared its independence from Great Britain on November 11, 1965. The United Kingdom called the declaration an act of rebellion but did not reestablish control by force. When negotiations in 1966 and 1968 proved fruitless, the UK requested UN economic sanctions against Rhodesia. The white-minority regime declared itself a republic in 1970. It was not recognized by the UK or by any other state. After Smith's Unilateral Declaration of Independence, various African nationalist and leftist groups increased agitation for majority rule. In 1971, the black nationalist factions formed a joint alliance to overthrow the government. Operating from bases in FRELIMO-controlled in the (then) Portugese colony of Mozambique and Zambia, the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), led by Joshua Nkomo and Zimbabawe African National Union (ZANU), led by Robert Mugabe, waged a campaign of guerrilla war and terrorism against Smith's government. The guerillas enjoyed support from various Communist nations. For its part, the Rhodesian government was an international pariah due to its racist policies, and although it had limited support from Portugal (whose own African colonies were adjacent to Rhodesia), and South Africa, it enjoyed no international recognition. An arms embargo against the government imposed by the United Nations weakened the war effort. Still, the Rhodesian government managed to fight successfully against the nationalist movements until a left-leaning junta overthrew the Portugese government and dismantled the Portugese Empire in 1974-75. Surrounded by hostile black-led states on almost all sides, Rhodesia's position became untenable. In 1978, Smith signed an accord with three black leaders who offered safeguards for whites headed by Bishop Abel Muzorewa. Although Muzorewa had the support of Smith and the South African government, he was unable to gain significant support among the black population, and his 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 London conference, Britain's Lord Soames was appointed governor-general of the newly-restored colony of Southern Rhodesia. Soames oversaw the disarming of revolutionary guerrillas, the holding of elections, and the official granting of independence to the colony -- now officially renamed Zimbabwe. An uneasy coalition government between Nkomo and Mugabe was established. In the free elections of February 1980, Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) won a landslide victory. Mugabe has won reelection ever since. In 1982 Nkomo was ousted from his cabinet, sparking fighting between ZAPU supports in the Ndebele-speaking region of the country and the ruling ZANU. A peace accord was negotiated in 1987, resulting in ZAPU's merger (1988) into the 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 confounded the country's debt crisis. Despite majority rule, whites made up less than 1% of the population but held 70% of the country's commercially viable arable land. Land redistribution reemerged as the vital issue beginning in 1999. In the aftermath of Mugabe's handling of the land reform, which involved the (often violent) seizure of land from various white property owners and its redistribution to blacks, Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations on charges of human rights abuses and of election tampering in 2002. Later, Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth. The chaotic implementation of the compulsory land redistribution program in 2000 lead to a sharp decline in agricultural exports, traditionally the country's leading export-producing sector. As a result, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a severe hard currency shortage, which has led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods. Following elections in 2005, the government initiated "Operation Murambatsvina" in a supposed effort to crackdown on illegal markets and homes. In reality, the operation aimed to disperse the urban poor, which had formed the core constituency for Mugabe's political opponents. This action has been widely condemned by opposition and international figures, who charge that it has left a large section of Zimbabwe's population homeless. The Zimbabwe government has described the operation as an attempt to provide decent housing to the population, but little housing has been built. Zimbabwe's current economic and food crisis, described by some observers as the country's worst humanitarian crisis since independence, has been attributed, in varying degrees, to a drought affecting the entire region, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the government's price controls and land reforms. Politics Zimbabwe is a republic, with an executive president and a bicameral Parliament. Under constitutional changes in 2005, an upper chamber, the Senate, was reinstated. The House of Assembly is the lower chamber of Parliament. 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 on April 18 1980. In some quarters corruption and rigging elections have been alleged. In particular, the elections of 1990 were nationally and internationally condemned as being rigged, with the second-placed 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 in 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 two MDC camps had their congresses earlier this year with Morgan Tsvangirai being elected to lead the main splinter group which has become more popular than the other group. Professor Arthur G.O Mutambara a Robotics Professor and former NASA robotics specialist has been appointed to replace Welshman Ncube who was the interim leader after the split. The Mutambara faction has however been weakened by defections from MPs and individuals who are disillusioned by their manifesto. To date the Tsvangirai led MDC has become the most popular with crowds as large as 20,000 attending their rallies as compared to between 500–5,000 for the other splinter group. 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 95.2% in 2000, the highest in Africa. Zimbabweans generally value and pursue academic achievement, for example, Robert Mugabe, the president, has four non-honorary degrees and the cabinet, has several graduates at PhD level or higher. For males, the country's adult literacy rate (the percentage of persons aged 15 and over who can read and write) is 97%. 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%. Universities The highest professional board for accountants is the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Zimbabwe (ICAZ) with direct relationships with similar bodies in South Africa, Canada, UK and Australia. Following conversion examinations (normally easier than the standard qualification examinations), chartered accountants from Zimbabwe may become members of the equivalent bodies in these countries. Administrative divisions
Geography
Economy Having abandoned earlier efforts to develop a market-oriented economy, the government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems. Among these are a shortage of foreign exchange, soaring inflation and basic supply shortages. Its 1998–2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. According to official figures, inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to a high of 1204.6% in August 2006, a state of hyperinflation. The exchange rate fell from 24 Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar to 250(000) Zimbabwean dollars per US Dollar (official rate) and 850(000) Zimbabwean dollars per US Dollar (parallel rate), in the same period. Demographics and ethnicity According to the United Nations World Health Organization, the life expectancy for men is 37 years and the life expectancy for women is 34 years of age, the lowest in the world in 2006.• An association of doctors in Zimbabwe have made calls for President Mugabe to make moves to assist the ailing health service.• Zimbabwe has a very high HIV infection rate. In 2001, it was measured at its highest level ever of 33.7% for people aged 15–49. Subsequent figures from the Zimbabwean government show an apparent decrease, down to about 20%, and these are the figures reported by UNAIDS; however, the reliability of the Mugabe government's figures on HIV is highly debatable. On 3 October 2006, Zimbabwe launched the world's first official HIV/AIDS Toolkit, which forms the basis for a global AIDS prevention, treatment and support plan. The country was chosen to test it because of its excellence in initiating different strategies on home based care. It has managed to reduce its HIV/AIDS prevalence rate from 20.1 percent 2005 to 18.1 percent 2006. The figure was as high as 26 percent a few years ago.• Ethnic groups (2005 estimates): (The black ethnic groups total 98% of the popualation.) Culture Zimbabwe has many different cultures which may include beliefs and ceremonies, one of them being Shona. The Shona people have many sculptures and carvings of gods which are made with the finest materials available. Football is the most popular sport in Zimbabwe, although rugby and cricket also have a following, traditionally among the white minority. Zimbabwe celebrates its national holiday on April 18. Arts Traditional arts in Zimbabwe include pottery, basketry, textiles, jewelry, and carving. Among the distinctive qualities are symmetrically patterned woven baskets and stools carved out of a single piece of wood. Shona sculpture in essence has been a fusion of African folklore with European influences. Also, a recurring theme in Zimbabwean art is the metamorphosis of man into beast. Religion There are various forms of spiritual practice in Zimbabwe. Forty to fifty percent of Zimbabweans attend Christian churches. However like most former European colonies, Christianity is often mixed with enduring traditional beliefs. Besides Christianity, the Mwari is the most practiced non-Christian religion which involves ancestor worship and spiritual intercession; the Mbira Dza Vadzimu, which means "Voice of the Ancestors", an instrument related to many lamellaphones ubiquitous throughout Africa, is central to many ceremonial proceedings. Mwari is an unknown supreme being that communicates with humans through cave-dwelling oracles known as the Voice of Mwari * *. 1% of the population is Muslim. Abner Chauke is the current bishop of Zimbabwe's Free Methodist Church. Language English is the official language of Zimbabwe, though only 2% consider it their native language, mainly the white and Coloured (mixed race) minorities. The rest of the population speak Bantu languages like Shona (76%) and Ndebele (18%). Shona has a rich oral tradition, which was incorporated into the first Shona novel, Feso by Solomon Mutswairo, published in 1957. English is spoken primarily in the cities, but less so in rural areas. Cuisine Like in many African countries, a majority of Zimbabweans depend on staple foods. Mealie meal or cornmeal as it is known in other parts of the world is used to prepare 'bota', a porridge made by mixing the cornmeal with water, to produce a thick paste. This is usually flavored with peanut butter, milk, butter, and sometimes even jam. Bota is usually eaten for breakfast. Cornmeal is also used to make sadza, which is usually eaten for dinner, and by many for lunch too. The process of making sadza is similar to bota, however after the paste has been cooking for several minutes, more cornmeal is added to thicken the paste until it is hard. This meal is usually served with greens, (spinach, collard greens, rape) etc, beans and meat that is stewed, grilled or roasted. Sadza is also commonly eaten with curdled milk commonly known as lacto (mukaka wakakora), or a small dried fish called kapenta. On special occasions rice and chicken with cabbage salad is often served as the main meal. Graduations, weddings and any other family gatherings will usually be celebrated with the killing of a goat or cow, which will be braaied (an Afrikaans word for a barbecue) for the family. For the Afrikaners, meat is especially important, though often expensive and rare in Zimbabwe. Biltong, a type of jerky, is a popular snack. It is prepared by hanging bits of raw meat to dry in the sun. Boerewors (pronounced burr-uh-voars) is served alongside sadza. It is a long sausage, often well-spiced, composed of various meats, and barbecued. Afrikaners - possibly borrowing from the Britons' fancy for tomatoes - like to serve their sadza with a tomato and onion sauce. See also Lists Government News Protest movements Directories Tourism Other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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