Zimbabwe
Name
| Official name | The Republic of Zimbabwe — the independence of 18 April 1980 (the Lancaster House agreement of 21 December 1979); the constitutions of 1979 (Lancaster House; amended 19 times) and of 2013 (the referendum of 16 March 2013; in force from 22 May and 22 August 2013), amended in 2017 (No. 1), 2021 (No. 2) and 2026 (No. 3 — the seven-year terms, LAW 2); the UN's member (25 August 1980), the African Union's, the SADC's (the 1980 SADCC's founder), the COMESA's; the Commonwealth's member of 1980–2003 (suspended 2002, withdrew 7 December 2003; the 2018 application to rejoin pending by the reports) |
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| Former names | Southern Rhodesia (the British South Africa Company's rule of 1890–1923 and the self-governing colony of 1923–1965; the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland's part of 1953–1963), Rhodesia (the unilateral declaration of 11 November 1965; the republic of 2 March 1970 — recognized by no state), Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1 June – 11 December 1979; Bishop Abel Muzorewa's government), the British colony of Southern Rhodesia again under Lord Soames (12 December 1979 – 18 April 1980) |
| Demonym | Zimbabwean; the Shona (about 70–80% by the estimates, both stated — the Zezuru, the Karanga, the Manyika, the Korekore, the Ndau), the Ndebele (about 13–20%, both stated), the Kalanga, the Tonga, the Venda, the Shangaan (Tsonga), the Nambya, the Sotho, the Tswana, the Chewa, the Xhosa, the San; the white Zimbabweans (about 0.2% — the 'Rhodies' of the old usage) and the mixed-race and the Asian communities |
| Meaning of the name | From Great Zimbabwe, the stone city of the 11th–15th centuries — from the Shona 'dzimba dza mabwe' (the houses of stone) or 'dzimba woye' (the venerated houses, the chiefs' courts) by the two readings (both stated); chosen by the nationalists in the 1960s (ZAPU and ZANU's names); 'Harare' from the chief Neharawa's hill; 'Bulawayo' — 'the place of the killing' by the usual reading (Lobengula's capital) |
| Motto | 'Unity, Freedom, Work' — the national motto (on the coat of arms of 1981); ZANU-PF's 'Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo' ('a country is built by its owners') of the Second Republic and the 'Vision 2030' (the upper-middle-income goal; the term-extension campaign's '2030 agenda', LAW 2); the 'Zimbabwe is open for business' of 2018 |
Quick facts
| Capital | Harare — the capital since 1980 (Fort Salisbury of the pioneer column, 12 September 1890; renamed 18 April 1982), the Harare province of 2,427,209 by the 2022 census (the city about 1.5–1.8 million, both stated); the State House, the New Parliament building at Mount Hampden (the Chinese-built complex handed over in 2022–23), the Harare Gardens, the National Heroes' Acre (1982), the National Sports Stadium, the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (renamed 2017; the new terminal of 2023), the University of Zimbabwe |
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| Largest cities | Harare (about 1.5–1.8 million), Bulawayo (665,940; the industrial capital of the old railway — the Ndebele heartland), Chitungwiza (about 371,000), Mutare (about 224,000; the Eastern Highlands' gateway to Beira), Epworth (about 220,000–230,000), Gweru (about 158,000–180,000), Kwekwe, Kadoma, Masvingo (the Great Zimbabwe's town), Chinhoyi, Marondera, Norton, Ruwa, Bindura, Victoria Falls, Hwange, Beitbridge; the counts of the 2022 census (rounded, both bases stated) |
| Official language | Sixteen official languages by the 2013 constitution (section 6) — Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda and Xhosa; Shona the most spoken (about 70–80% as the first language, both stated), Ndebele the second (the southwest), English the language of the government, the courts and the schools; the literacy among Africa's highest (about 89–94%, both stated) |
| Currency | The ZiG (Zimbabwe Gold; ZWG; 5 April 2024) beside the U.S. dollar (the multicurrency system since 2009 — the dollar about 70–80% of the transactions by the counts, both stated); about ZiG 26–27 to the U.S. dollar in September 2026 (26.63 on 25 September by the reports; the street rate about 15–20% weaker by the reports) — the band of ZiG 25–27 through 2026; the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (Governor John Mushayavanhu) — the policy rate of 27.5% (29 September 2026; 35% to June, 30% from June), the ZWG inflation of 3.2% in July 2026 (ZimStat) and about 3.7% in September (by the reports); the reserves above US$2 billion in September 2026 (about two months of imports, by the Reserve Bank's statement) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 the year round (Central Africa Time; no daylight saving) — the same clock as South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique, 3 hours 30 minutes behind India (IST) |
| Calling code, internet and ISO codes | +263 (the operators Econet, NetOne — the state's — and Telecel; the EcoCash mobile money); internet .zw; the Cyber and Data Protection Act (2021; the 'security' and the 'free speech' lines both stated, LAW 2); ISO 3166 ZW, ZWE, 716; the vehicle code ZW; the IOC code ZIM, FIFA code ZIM; the aircraft registration Z-; the plugs of Types D and G at 220–240 V and 50 Hz |
| Area | About 390,757 km² (150,872 sq mi) — about the 60th of the world, about 12% of India's area; landlocked, the borders with four states — Mozambique (about 1,231 km; the longest), Botswana (about 813 km), Zambia (about 797 km; the Zambezi and Lake Kariba), South Africa (about 225 km; the Limpopo at Beitbridge); Namibia's Caprivi tip within about 150 m at the Kazungula meeting point (no shared border by the usual reading) |
| Population | 15,178,979 by the census of 21–30 April 2022 (ZimStat; the first digital count) — 13,061,239 in 2012, 11,631,657 in 2002; about 16.5–17 million by the 2025–26 estimates (both stated); the growth about 1.5% a year between the censuses; the provinces by the 2022 census — Harare 2,427,209, Manicaland about 2.04 million, Midlands about 1.81 million, Mashonaland West about 1.89 million, Masvingo about 1.64 million, Mashonaland East about 1.73 million, Mashonaland Central about 1.38 million, Matabeleland North about 0.83 million, Matabeleland South about 0.76 million, Bulawayo 665,940 (rounded) |
| Density | About 39 people per km² by the 2022 census (about 42–44 by the estimates, both stated) — Harare about 2,700 per km² of the province, Bulawayo about 1,200, against the dry Matabeleland North and South (about 10–14); about 32–39% urban by the census and the estimates (both stated) |
| Religion | Christian about 84–87% by the 2022 census and the surveys (both stated) — the Apostolic and the African independent churches the largest group (the vaPostori in the white robes — Johane Marange's and Johane Masowe's churches; about a third or more), the Pentecostals (the ZAOGA, the United Family International Church), the Protestants (the Methodists, the Anglicans, the Seventh-day Adventists, the Dutch Reformed), the Catholics (about 7–10%); the traditional beliefs (the Mwari cult of the Matobo, the svikiro mediums) about 4%; no religion about 10%; the Muslims under 1% |
| Government type | Unitary presidential republic under the constitution of 2013 as amended in 2026 — the President elected by the joint sitting of Parliament for seven years from the next cycle (the direct popular vote of 2013–2023 replaced; the transitional term of President Mnangagwa to 2030 — both the government's 'continuity' and the opposition's 'constitutional coup' lines stated, LAW 2), two Vice Presidents, the bicameral Parliament (the National Assembly of 280 and the Senate enlarged from 80 to 90), the Constitutional Court; Freedom House's 'Not Free' (about 26–28 of 100 by its 2024–25 editions — both stated) |
| Head of state | President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa ('the Crocodile' — Ngwena; since 24 November 2017) — born 15 September 1942 in the Zvishavane district (Shabani); the liberation war's 'Crocodile Gang' (1964), the death sentence commuted for his youth (1965), the 10 years in prison; the minister of state security (1980–88; the Gukurahundi years — his role both stated, LAW 2), justice, finance and defense, the speaker (2000–05) and the vice president (2014–17); fired on 6 November 2017 and returned after the military's takeover; elected 30 July 2018 (50.8%) and 23–24 August 2023 (52.6%), both disputed (LAW 2); the term extended to 2030 by the 2026 amendment (LAW 2); his birthday, 15 September, declared Munhumutapa Day, a public holiday, in September 2026 |
| Head of government | The President heads the government (no prime minister since the Government of National Unity's Morgan Tsvangirai of 2009–2013) with the Vice Presidents Constantino Chiwenga (since 28 December 2017; the former commander of the defense forces, the November 2017 takeover's leader; his July 2026 call for the referendum on the amendment by the reports, LAW 2) and Kembo Mohadi (since 2017; resigned 1 March 2021, reappointed 11 September 2023); the cabinet — Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube (since 2018) |
| Legislature | Parliament (bicameral) — the National Assembly of 280 (210 constituency seats, 60 seats of the women's quota and 10 of the youth quota; Speaker Jacob Mudenda since 2013) and the Senate (80, enlarged to 90 by the 2026 amendment with 10 appointed by the President; President of the Senate Mabel Chinomona since 2018); the election of 23–24 August 2023 — ZANU-PF 177 seats and the CCC 104 by the count after the reruns (both counts stated), ZANU-PF's two-thirds after the 2023–24 recalls and the by-elections; the terms lengthened from five to seven years by the 2026 amendment (the next general vote moved from 2028 to 2030, LAW 2) |
| National Day | 18 April — Independence Day (1980; the 46th of 2026); the other holidays — 1 January, 21 February (the Robert Gabriel Mugabe National Youth Day — from 2018), Good Friday to Easter Monday, 1 May (Workers' Day), 25 May (Africa Day), the Heroes' Day and the Defense Forces Day (the second Monday and Tuesday of August), 15 September (Munhumutapa Day — declared in September 2026 on the President's birthday), 22 December (Unity Day — the 1987 accord), 25 and 26 December |
| Driving side and HDI | Left (the British legacy; the road network of about 88,000 km by the counts, about a fifth paved — both stated; the Beitbridge–Harare–Chirundu highway rebuilt in 2020–24); Human Development Index about 0.55–0.60 by the 2024 and the 2025 reports (both stated), 'medium', about 150th–160th of 193; the life expectancy about 61–65 years (both stated); the GDP a head about US$2,100–3,300 by the counts on the old and the rebased bases (2025; both stated) |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | The flag of 18 April 1980 — seven horizontal stripes of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow and green, with a white triangle at the hoist edged in black bearing a red five-pointed star and the yellow Zimbabwe Bird (the soapstone bird of Great Zimbabwe); the green the land and the agriculture, the yellow the mineral wealth, the red the blood of the liberation war, the black the majority people, the white the peace, the star the hopes for the future and the bird the national identity by the usual reading; credited to Cedric Herbert; the proportion 1:2Flag of Zimbabwe |
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| Coat of arms | The coat of arms of 21 September 1981 — the green shield with the 14 wavy blue and white lines (the water) and the Great Zimbabwe's walls in the chief, the two kudu supporters on the mound of the wheat, the cotton and the maize, the crossed rifle and hoe (the defense and the agriculture), the red star and the Zimbabwe Bird above; the motto 'Unity, Freedom, Work' on the scroll |
| National anthem | 'Blessed Be the Land of Zimbabwe' (in Shona 'Simudzai Mureza weZimbabwe', in Ndebele 'Kalibusiswe Ilizwe leZimbabwe') — the words of Solomon Mutswairo and the music of Fred Changundega; adopted in March 1994, replacing 'Ishe Komborera Africa' (the 1980–94 anthem on the melody of 'Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika') (no lyrics quoted) |
| National motto | 'Unity, Freedom, Work' — on the coat of arms; the Unity Accord's 'one nation' of 22 December 1987 (ZANU and ZAPU merged into ZANU-PF) |
| National colors | Green, yellow, red, black and white — the flag's; the 'Warriors' football team's green and gold, the 'Chevrons' cricket team's red, the 'Sables' rugby team's green; ZANU-PF's green, yellow, red and black; the opposition CCC's yellow (2022–24) |
| National animal | The sable antelope by the usual line (the rugby 'Sables'; no animal by law), the African fish eagle and the bateleur (both read into the Zimbabwe Bird, both stated), the elephant (Hwange's herds — among Africa's largest), the black and the white rhinos, the lion, the painted dog (Mana Pools and Hwange), the pangolin, the kudu (the arms' supporters) |
| National flower and tree | The flame lily (Gloriosa superba; the national flower — protected by law; the 1947 brooch of Princess Elizabeth), the msasa (Brachystegia spiciformis — the spring's red leaves of the highveld; the national tree by the usual line), the baobab of the lowveld and the Zambezi valley, the mopane, the jacaranda avenues of Harare (the October bloom) |
| National dish | Sadza (the stiff porridge of the white maize meal — eaten by the hand with the relish; the national dish by the usual line), the muriwo (the greens) and the nyama (the meat), the dovi (the peanut butter stew), the matemba and the kapenta (the small dried fish of Lake Kariba), the madora (the mopane worms), the mazhanje (the wild loquat), the maheu (the fermented maize drink), the Chibuku (the sorghum beer) and the Zambezi lager |
| National sport | Football by custom — the 'Warriors' (the Africa Cup of Nations of 2004, 2006, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2025; no World Cup); cricket — the 'Chevrons' (the Test status of 6 July 1992; the 1983 World Cup win over Australia, the 2003 World Cup co-host with Kenya and South Africa, the 2027 World Cup co-host with South Africa and Namibia; Andy Flower, Heath Streak — died 3 September 2023); rugby — the 'Sables' (the World Cups of 1987 and 1991 and the qualification of July 2025 for 2027); the women's hockey gold of the 1980 Moscow Olympics (the 'Golden Girls'); Kirsty Coventry (the swimming golds of 2004 and 2008; the president of the International Olympic Committee from 23 June 2025 — the first woman and the first African) |
| Heritage listings | Five World Heritage properties by UNESCO's list — Mana Pools National Park with the Sapi and the Chewore safari areas (1984; natural), Great Zimbabwe National Monument (1986; cultural), Khami Ruins National Monument (1986; cultural), Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (1989; natural — shared with Zambia), Matobo Hills (2003; cultural — the rock art and the Mwari shrines); the intangible — the Mbende Jerusarema dance (2005/2008), the art of crafting and playing the mbira/sansi (2020, with Malawi) |
| Symbol status | The flag, the anthem, the coat of arms and the public seal by the 2013 constitution (section 4) and the Flag of Zimbabwe Act; the holidays by the Public Holidays and Prohibition of Business Act (Munhumutapa Day by the statutory instrument of September 2026); the flag's misuse an offense (the 2016 #ThisFlag movement of Pastor Evan Mawarire — his arrests and acquittals, both lines stated, LAW 2); no national dish, sport or animal by law — the sadza, the football and the sable by custom |
Geography
| Location | Southern Africa between about 15° 30′ and 22° 30′ S and 25° and 33° 10′ E — a landlocked plateau between the Zambezi (north) and the Limpopo (south); the borders with Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa and Botswana; the Indian Ocean about 250–300 km from the eastern border (Beira, Mozambique — the nearest port, about 290 km from Mutare) |
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| Regions | Ten provinces — eight provinces and two metropolitan provinces (Harare and Bulawayo): Manicaland (Mutare), Mashonaland Central (Bindura), Mashonaland East (Marondera), Mashonaland West (Chinhoyi), Masvingo (Masvingo), Matabeleland North (Lupane), Matabeleland South (Gwanda), Midlands (Gweru); the 2013 constitution's devolution to the provincial councils (unimplemented in full by the critics' line and 'in progress' by the government's — both stated, LAW 2); the 91–92 rural and the 32 urban councils (both counts stated); the natural regions I–V of the farming zones (the wet east to the dry south and west) |
| Highest point | Mount Nyangani (Inyangani) — about 2,592 m (2,592–2,593 m by the surveys, both stated), in the Nyanga National Park of the Eastern Highlands (Manicaland); the Mount Binga on the Mozambique border (about 2,436 m; the Chimanimani's highest); the Mutarazi Falls near Nyangani (about 762 m; Zimbabwe's highest and among Africa's tallest) |
| Lowest point | The confluence of the Runde and the Save rivers in the southeast lowveld — about 162 m (Gonarezhou's edge, near the Mozambique border); the Zambezi at Kanyemba (about 330–370 m, both stated) and the Limpopo at the Crooks Corner (about 200 m) the other low points |
| Longest river | The Zambezi — about 2,574 km in all (Africa's fourth-longest; the Zambia border for about 797 km — Victoria Falls, the Batoka Gorge, Lake Kariba, the Mana Pools reach); the Limpopo (about 1,750 km; the South Africa border), the Save (about 400 km in Zimbabwe), the Runde, the Mazowe, the Gwayi, the Shangani, the Sanyati, the Manyame, the Mzingwane |
| Largest lake | Lake Kariba — about 5,580 km² (about 220 km long; shared with Zambia), the reservoir of the Kariba Dam (built 1955–59; the Tonga people's displacement of about 57,000 by the counts, both stated) — among the world's largest artificial lakes by the volume; the Tugwi-Mukosi (2017; the largest inland reservoir — about 1.8 billion cubic m), Lake Mutirikwi (Kyle; 1960), Lake Chivero (the Harare's water); no large natural lake |
| Largest island | No sea islands (landlocked); the islands of Lake Kariba — Fothergill, Spurwing, Antelope, Chete and others of the drowned hills — and the Zambezi's islands above the falls; the 'islands' of the Mana Pools and the Kariba's game-rescue of Operation Noah (1958–64; about 6,000 animals saved by the counts) |
| Climate | Tropical, moderated by the altitude — the highveld's mild summers (Harare about 25–28 °C in October) and the cool dry winters (May–August; the frost on the high ground); the rainy season of November–March (about 1,000–1,500 mm in the east, under 400–600 mm in the south and west); the lowveld and the Zambezi valley hot (over 40 °C); the El Niño droughts (1992, 2016, 2024 — the state of disaster of 3 April 2024) |
| Natural hazards | The droughts (1991–92 — the worst of the century; 2024's — the maize harvest down by about 70% by the reports), the tropical cyclones (Eline 2000; Idai of March 2019 — about 340 dead in Zimbabwe and hundreds missing, both counts stated, the Chimanimani's ruin), the floods of the Save and the Tokwe, the lightning, the cholera of 2008–09 (about 4,200–4,300 dead by the WHO's counts, both stated) and of 2023–24, the human-wildlife conflict (the elephants' raids), the wildfires |
| Nearby countries | Zambia (the north; the Zambezi; the Victoria Falls Bridge and the Chirundu bridge), Mozambique (the east; the Beira and the Maputo corridors), South Africa (the south; Beitbridge on the Limpopo — the region's busiest crossing), Botswana (the west and the southwest; Plumtree), Namibia (the Caprivi tip at Kazungula — no shared border by the usual reading); Malawi, Eswatini and Lesotho near |
| Minerals and resources | Gold (the 2026 output goal about 55.6 metric tons by the reports; the small-scale miners' half), the platinum-group metals of the Great Dyke (among the world's largest reserves — the Zimplats, the Unki, the Mimosa), lithium (Africa's largest producer — Bikita, Arcadia, Sabi Star; the ban on the raw ore's export of December 2022), diamonds (Marange — the 2008 killings and the Kimberley Process's disputes, both lines stated, LAW 2), chrome, coal (Hwange), nickel, iron ore; the mining exports US$6.21 billion in the first half of 2026 (by the reports) |
| Protected areas | About 27–28% of the land protected by the counts (both stated) — 11 national parks and the safari areas; Hwange National Park (about 14,650 km²; the largest — about 45,000 elephants by the counts; Cecil the lion's death of 2015), Mana Pools, Gonarezhou (the second-largest), Matobo, Nyanga, Chimanimani, Matusadona, Zambezi National Park, Victoria Falls; the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (2002) and the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) area (2011) |
| Extreme points | North: the Zambezi near Kanyemba (about 15° 37′ S); south: the Limpopo near Beitbridge and the Shashe confluence (about 22° 25′ S); west: the Zambezi near Kazungula (about 25° 14′ E); east: the Chimanimani mountains on the Mozambique border (about 33° 04′ E); the coordinates rounded (the usual counts) |
| Land and water | About 99% land and 1% water (Kariba's half, the reservoirs); the highveld (above 1,200 m; about a quarter of the land), the middleveld (900–1,200 m), the lowveld (below 900 m — the Zambezi, the Save and the Limpopo valleys); the Great Dyke (about 550 km long — the mineral ridge from the north to the south); the Eastern Highlands; the granite kopjes and the balancing rocks (the Matobo's and Epworth's) |
| Islands and coasts | Landlocked — no coast; the trade through Beira (the Beira corridor and the Feruka fuel pipeline), Maputo, Durban (the busiest route by the road through Beitbridge) and Walvis Bay; the Kariba's inland shores (the Kariba town, the Binga, the Mlibizi ferry); the 'Zimbabwe-Mozambique' corridor's railway |
| The country | The 60th-largest state by the area — the plateau of the stone cities (Great Zimbabwe, Khami), the Zambezi's falls and the dam, the Great Dyke's metals, the Eastern Highlands' tea and the timber, the lowveld's sugar (Triangle and Hippo Valley), the tobacco of the Mashonaland; once the region's 'breadbasket' (the land reform of 2000 and the farm output's fall — both the government's 'restoration' and the critics' 'collapse' lines stated, LAW 2) |
People
| Population | 15,178,979 by the census of April 2022 (ZimStat; women about 52%) — about 16.5–17 million by the 2025–26 estimates (both stated); about 61% rural; the diaspora of about 3–5 million (both stated) in South Africa, the UK, Botswana, the U.S. and Australia |
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| Growth rate | About 1.5% a year between the 2012 and the 2022 censuses; about 1.7–2.0% by the UN's estimates (both stated) — the emigration's drag; the fertility's fall from about 6.7 children (the early 1980s) to under 4 |
| Fertility rate | About 3.4–3.9 children per woman by the 2022 census and the surveys (both stated) — higher in the rural Mashonaland and the Matabeleland North, about 2.5–3 in Harare and Bulawayo; the contraceptive use about 65–67% (among Africa's highest; the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council of 1985) |
| Life expectancy | About 61–65 years by the 2022 census and the UN estimates (both stated) — the fall to about 43–45 at the HIV peak of the early 2000s and the recovery; the women about 4–5 years longer than the men |
| Age structure | Median age about 18–19 years; about 40% under 15 and about 4–5% over 65 by the 2022 census (both bases stated); the youth's unemployment and the emigration (the nurses' and the teachers' moves to the UK — by the reports) |
| Urbanization | About 32–39% urban by the census and the estimates (both stated) — Harare and Chitungwiza's metro of about 2.5–3 million, Bulawayo, the mining towns; Operation Murambatsvina (May–July 2005; about 700,000 people's homes or livelihoods destroyed by the UN's count — the 'clean-up' and the 'mass eviction' lines both stated, LAW 2) |
| Ethnic groups | The Shona (about 70–80%, both stated — the Zezuru, the Karanga, the Manyika, the Korekore, the Ndau), the Ndebele (about 13–20%, both stated — the Nguni of Mzilikazi's 1830s migration), the Tonga (the Zambezi valley), the Kalanga, the Venda, the Shangaan, the Nambya, the Sotho, the Tswana, the Chewa and the Malawian-origin communities, the San; the white Zimbabweans (about 0.2%; about 24,000–30,000 by the counts, both stated — about 270,000 in the 1970s), the mixed-race and the Indian communities |
| Languages | Sixteen official languages (the 2013 constitution); Shona and Ndebele the national lingua francas, English the schools' and the courts' medium; the mother-tongue teaching of the early grades (the 2015 curriculum); the sign language official since 2013 |
| Religion | Christian about 84–87% (the Apostolic and the independent churches about a third or more; the Pentecostals, the Protestants, the Catholics about 7–10%) by the census and the surveys (both stated); the traditional religion about 4% (the Mwari shrines of the Matobo; the svikiro spirit mediums — Mbuya Nehanda's legacy), no religion about 10%; the Muslims under 1% (the Malawian-origin and the Asian communities) |
| Health | The HIV prevalence about 11% of the adults (about 1.3 million people; the 95-95-95 targets met by the 2023 reports — among the first in Africa, by the UNAIDS's line); the cholera of 2008–09 (about 98,500 cases and about 4,200–4,300 dead by the WHO's counts, both stated) and of 2023–24; the malaria of the lowveld; the health workers' exodus; the public hospitals' shortages (the 2019 doctors' strike — the 'sacked doctors' and the 'unlawful strike' lines both stated, LAW 2) |
| Education | The literacy about 89–94% (both stated; among Africa's highest — the 1980s' expansion of the schools); the free basic state-funded education of the Education Amendment Act (2020; the fees' persistence by the critics' line, both stated); the University of Zimbabwe (1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland; the 1957 charter), the National University of Science and Technology (Bulawayo, 1991), Midlands State, Africa University (Mutare, 1992 — the United Methodist's), the Chinhoyi and the Great Zimbabwe universities |
| Migrants and diaspora | About 3–5 million Zimbabweans abroad by the estimates (both stated) — South Africa (about 1–2 million; the Zimbabwean Exemption Permits and their court battles, LAW 2; the xenophobic attacks of 2008 and the 2020s), the UK (the 'Harare North'; the care workers' visas), Botswana, the U.S., Australia, Canada; the remittances about US$2.5–3 billion a year by the counts (both stated); the U.S. visa suspension of 8 August 2025 and the partial travel restrictions of 16 December 2025 |
| Social indicators | The extreme poverty about 38–40% by the World Bank's counts (both stated); the Gini about 0.50; the Gukurahundi of 1983–87 in Matabeleland and the Midlands (about 20,000 killed by the CCJP and the estimates; lower by the government's line — both stated, LAW 2; the 2019 hearings' plan and the chiefs' process of 2024–25 by the reports); the land reform's displacement of the farm workers (about 200,000–300,000, both stated) |
| Cities and provinces | Harare 2,427,209, Bulawayo 665,940, Chitungwiza about 371,000, Mutare about 224,000, Epworth about 220,000–230,000, Gweru about 158,000–180,000, Kwekwe about 120,000, Kadoma about 116,000, Masvingo about 90,000 (the counts of the 2022 census, rounded, both bases stated where the city and the district differ); the provinces' capitals — Mutare, Bindura, Marondera, Chinhoyi, Masvingo, Lupane, Gwanda, Gweru |
| Names and customs | The totems (mutupo — the clan's animal; the marriage's taboo within it), the lobola (the bride wealth), the kurova guva (the bringing home of the spirit a year after the death), the ancestor spirits (vadzimu) and the n'anga (the healers); the Shona sculpture (the Tengenenge and the Chapungu — the 1950s–60s' school), the mbira music (the bira ceremonies), the chimurenga music (Thomas Mapfumo), the Jit and the Sungura; the names of the meaning ('Tendai' — be thankful, 'Rufaro' — joy) |
| Media and sport culture | The ZBC (the state's broadcaster; the licensing of the private television of 2020–21 — ZTN, 3KTV, NRTV, Channel Dzimbahwe), The Herald and the Chronicle (the state's), the NewsDay, the Daily News (banned 2003; back on the streets 2011), The Standard, the Zimbabwe Independent; the press freedom ranks of the RSF (about 106th–116th of 180 in 2024–25, both stated); the football's Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United (the Barbourfields and the Rufaro); the cricket's Harare Sports Club; the music of Oliver Mtukudzi (died 23 January 2019) and Thomas Mapfumo |
Government
| System | Unitary presidential republic under the 2013 constitution as amended by the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act, 2026 (Act No. 6 of 2026; signed 7 July 2026) — the President, the Parliament and the councils elected for seven years instead of five; the President chosen by the joint sitting of Parliament (more than half of the votes; a runoff if needed) from the next cycle; the Senate enlarged to 90; a new delimitation commission and the voter roll moved to the Registrar-General; the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission repealed; no referendum held — the government's 'no referendum required' line and the Law Society's and the opposition's 'referendum mandatory under section 328(9)' line both stated (LAW 2) |
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| Head of state | President Emmerson Mnangagwa (ZANU-PF; since 24 November 2017) — the second president after Robert Mugabe (the executive president of 1987–2017 and the prime minister of 1980–87; Canaan Banana the ceremonial president of 1980–87); the term to 2030 by the 2026 amendment's transitional clause (the 2028 end of the 2013 text's two-term limit replaced — LAW 2); acting presidents during his travels — Vice President Chiwenga (18–21 September 2026 at the UN General Assembly's time, by the reports) |
| Head of government | The President heads the cabinet; Vice Presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi; the ministers of Finance (Mthuli Ncube, since 2018) and Sport (Anselem Sanyatwe — from 25 March 2025, after Kirsty Coventry's IOC election); the Chief Secretary to the President and the Cabinet; the cabinet's roll by the reports (the reshuffles of 2024–26) |
| Legislature | Parliament (bicameral; the New Parliament building at Mount Hampden) — the National Assembly of 280 (Speaker Jacob Mudenda) and the Senate (80 to 90 by the 2026 amendment; President of the Senate Mabel Chinomona); ZANU-PF's two-thirds majority in both houses (the 2023–24 CCC recalls by Sengezo Tshabangu's letters and the by-elections — the 'infiltration' and the 'lawful recall' lines both stated, LAW 2); the amendment's passage — 216–42 in the National Assembly (18 June 2026), 75–4 in the Senate (24 June 2026), the Senate amendments 226–41 (30 June 2026) |
| Parties | ZANU-PF (the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front; 1963 as ZANU, merged with ZAPU on 22 December 1987; the ruling party since 1980 — President Mnangagwa its first secretary); the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC; 2022 — Nelson Chamisa's party until his exit of 25 January 2024, its factions after); the MDC (Douglas Mwonzora's); ZAPU (revived 2008); the NCA (Lovemore Madhuku's); Nelson Chamisa's return to the active politics (January 2026) and his new movement's plans (August 2026 — by the reports); the war veterans' faction of Blessed Geza (the March 2025 calls for Mnangagwa's exit — both his and the party's lines stated, LAW 2) |
| Judiciary | The Constitutional Court (2013), the Supreme Court, the High Court, the Labor, the Administrative and the Electoral Courts, the magistrates' courts, the customary courts of the chiefs; Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza (from May 2026 — the first woman; Luke Malaba's successor after his term's 2021 extension and its court fight, both lines stated, LAW 2); the Judicial Service Commission; the court challenges to the 2026 amendment — struck off on 17 June 2026 for the High Court route, the fresh filings of July 2026 (Vhurande Mahlupeko's of 18 July, the fourth), the hearing of 22 September 2026 with the judgment reserved (by the reports) |
| Administrative divisions | Ten provinces (eight provinces and the metropolitan provinces of Harare and Bulawayo) and about 63 districts by the counts (both stated); the provincial ministers of state; the 2013 constitution's provincial councils (devolution's progress both ways, LAW 2); the 1,970-odd wards; the urban and the rural district councils; the chiefs (about 270–290; the Council of Chiefs and the 18 chiefs in the Senate) |
| Constitution and rights | The 2013 constitution (the COPAC process of 2009–13; the referendum of 16 March 2013 — about 94.5% yes) with its Declaration of Rights; amended by No. 1 (2017; the President's power over the top judges' appointments), No. 2 (2021; the judges' tenure, the women's quota extended, the running mates scrapped) and No. 3 (2026; the seven-year terms, LAW 2); the Patriotic Act (2023; the 'harming the national interest' offense) and the PVO Amendment Act (2025; the rules for the NGOs — by the reports) both with the 'sovereignty' and the 'shrinking civic space' lines stated (LAW 2) |
| Military | The Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF; formed 1980 from the Rhodesian forces and the ZANLA and the ZIPRA guerrillas — the Zimbabwe National Army and the Air Force of Zimbabwe; about 29,000–30,000 active by the counts, both stated) — the Commander General Emmanuel Matatu (from 21 November 2025, by the reports; General Philip Valerio Sibanda's successor); the Fifth Brigade of the Gukurahundi (LAW 2); the interventions in Mozambique (1982–92), the DR Congo (1998–2002; about 11,000–12,000 troops) and the SADC mission in Cabo Delgado (2021–24); the November 2017 takeover ('Operation Restore Legacy' — LAW 2) |
| Foreign relations | The SADC's chair (August 2024 – August 2025; the Harare summit of 17 August 2024), the African Union's, the UN's; China ('all-weather friend' — the largest investor in the lithium, the Hwange expansion, the Parliament building), Russia, Belarus, the UAE (the gold trade), South Africa (the trade and the migrants); the U.S. — the sanctions program ended on 4 March 2024 with the Global Magnitsky designations of President Mnangagwa and others instead (both the 'targeted' and the 'illegal sanctions' lines stated, LAW 2), the visa suspension (August 2025) and the travel restrictions (December 2025); the EU's arms embargo; the UK; the Commonwealth's return bid (pending by the reports); the arrears clearance dialogue with the creditors (the AfDB's facilitation; 2022–) |
| Police and security | The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP; about 50,000 officers by the counts, both stated) and the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO; the 'Department of State Security' — its 2017 split from the army's camp by the reports); the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (2019; replacing POSA), the arrests of the protesters and the journalists (the March 2025 Geza protest's 95 arrests; Blessing Mhlanga's detention of February 2025 — the 'law enforcement' and the 'repression' lines both stated, LAW 2); the illegal gold miners' 'mashurugwi' machete gangs; the road accidents' toll |
| Elections | The harmonized elections of 2013 (Mugabe 61%), 2018 (30 July; Mnangagwa 50.8% against Nelson Chamisa's 44.3% — the 1 August 2018 shootings in Harare, six dead) and 2023 (23–24 August; Mnangagwa 52.6% — 2,350,711 votes — against Chamisa's 44.0%; the SADC observers' finding that the vote fell short of the region's standards and the government's 'free and fair' line both stated, LAW 2); the 2008 vote (Morgan Tsvangirai first in the first round, the violent runoff of 27 June 2008 after his withdrawal — and the 2009–13 unity government); the next general vote moved from 2028 to 2030 by the 2026 amendment, with the President chosen by Parliament (LAW 2) |
| The politics of 2024–26 in dates | 25 January 2024 — Chamisa quits the CCC; 4 March 2024 — the U.S. ends its sanctions program; 5 April 2024 — the ZiG launched; 17 August 2024 — Mnangagwa the SADC chair; 27 September 2024 — the ZiG devalued; October 2024 — ZANU-PF's conference backs the '2030' resolution; 31 March 2025 — the Geza protest day and the arrests; 21 November 2025 — General Matatu the defense forces' commander (by the reports); 16 February 2026 — the No. 3 amendment bill gazetted; May 2026 — Gwaunza the Chief Justice; 18–30 June 2026 — the amendment through Parliament; 7 July 2026 — signed; 11 August 2026 — the Kariba ferry capsizing; September 2026 — Munhumutapa Day declared; 22 September 2026 — the court hearing, the judgment reserved (by the reports) |
| Current issues | The term extension to 2030 and its court challenges (LAW 2); the succession rivalry inside ZANU-PF (Vice President Chiwenga's referendum call of July 2026 — by the reports; LAW 2); the opposition's regrouping (Chamisa's return); the ZiG's stability and the de-dollarization roadmap to 2030; the debt arrears and the IMF's staff-monitored program (the second review's staff-level agreement of 17 September 2026 — by the reports); the white farmers' compensation (US$3.5 billion by the 2020 deed; about US$508 million paid by October 2026 — by the reports); the power cuts; the emigration; the press and the civic freedoms (LAW 2) |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$44–53.5 billion in 2025 by the IMF's and the rebased national counts (both stated; the GDP's rebasing of 2025 lifted the size by about 40% by the reports) — the GDP a head about US$2,100–3,300 (both bases stated); the region's fourth or fifth economy by the counts (both stated) |
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| GDP (PPP) | About US$90–110 billion by the PPP estimates of 2025 (both stated); about US$5,500–6,500 a head (both stated); the informal economy's size about 60–80% of the activity by the counts (both stated) — among the world's largest shares |
| Growth and inflation | The growth about 2% in 2024 (the drought) and about 6–8.3% in 2025 by the government's and the reports' counts (both stated); the IMF's 5% for 2026 and 3.5% for 2027 (by the reports); the ZWG inflation of 3.2% in July 2026 (ZimStat) and about 3.7% in September 2026 (by the reports) — below 10% from February 2026 for the first time since 1997 by the reports; the U.S. dollar inflation about 3–4% |
| Monetary policy and the ZiG | The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (1956 as the Bank of Rhodesia and Nyasaland; Governor John Mushayavanhu from April 2024) — the policy rate 35% to June 2026, 30% from June, 27.5% from 29 September 2026; the ZiG (5 April 2024; ZiG 13.56 at the launch, devalued to about 24.4 on 27 September 2024, about 26–27 in 2026 — 26.63 on 25 September by the reports); the gold and the reserves above US$2 billion in September 2026 (by the Reserve Bank's statement; about US$1.7 billion mid-year by the reports — both points stated); the de-dollarization roadmap to 2030 (the ZiG the sole currency by then by the plan) |
| Public finances | The public debt about US$21–23.4 billion (both stated; the external arrears and the penalties about US$7.7 billion by the reports) — in default on most of the external debt since the early 2000s; the arrears clearance dialogue (from 2022; the AfDB's and the former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano's facilitation); the 2020 Global Compensation Deed with the former white farmers (US$3.5 billion; the bonds and the cash; about US$508 million paid by October 2026 — by the reports); the IMF's staff-monitored program (2025–26; the second review's staff-level agreement of 17 September 2026 by the reports) |
| Structure and labor | Services about 50–60%, industry and mining about 25–30%, agriculture about 10–12% of the GDP (both bases stated); the informal sector about 75–80% of the jobs by the ZimStat's labor surveys (both stated); the formal unemployment's debate (about 20% by the strict count and 'over 80%' by the critics' line — both stated, LAW 2); the vendors of the cities' streets |
| Trade | Exports about US$7.5–8.5 billion (2025; both stated) — gold (the largest; US$3.82 billion in the first half of 2026 by the reports), the platinum-group metals (US$1.46 billion in the first half of 2026 by the reports), tobacco (US$967.6 million in the same half by the reports), lithium, diamonds, nickel, chrome, sugar; the partners — South Africa, the UAE, China, Mozambique, Zambia; imports of the fuel, the machinery, the food and the vehicles (South Africa about 40%) |
| Agriculture | Tobacco the leading crop (the flue-cured Virginia — about 350 million kg in 2025, a record by the reports; the contract farming), maize (the drought's 2024 collapse and the 2025 recovery), cotton, sugar cane (the Triangle and the Hippo Valley estates of the lowveld), tea and coffee (the Eastern Highlands), wheat (the self-sufficiency claims of 2022–25 — both stated, LAW 2), the citrus, the horticulture and the roses; the 'Pfumvudza' conservation farming (2020); the land reform of 2000 (about 4,000 white farmers' land taken; the 'restoration' and the 'collapse' lines both stated, LAW 2) |
| Industry | Mining the lead sector (the gold, the platinum of the Great Dyke — Zimplats, Unki, Mimosa — the lithium's Chinese plants of 2022–24, the Marange diamonds, the ferrochrome, the Dinson iron and steel plant at Manhize — by the reports), the food and the beverages (Delta, the Coca-Cola bottlers), the tobacco processing, the fertilizers, the cement; the lithium concentrate's export ban from January 2027 by the plan (the beneficiation drive) |
| Tourism | Victoria Falls (the KAZA UniVisa with Zambia — US$50), Hwange, Mana Pools, Great Zimbabwe, the Matobo, the Eastern Highlands, Lake Kariba's houseboats; about 1.2–1.5 million arrivals a year (2024–25; both stated); the 'Zimbabwe a world of wonders' brand |
| Energy | Hydro and coal — the Kariba South station (1,050 MW; the lake's low water of 2022–25 and the cuts) and the Hwange coal station (the units 7 and 8 of 2023 — about 600 MW more by China's loan); the load shedding of up to 18–19 hours a day in 2024 (by the reports) and the national grid collapse of 6 July 2026 (about four hours, by the reports); the solar's growth (the net metering, the rooftops); the fuel imports through the Feruka pipeline; the planned Batoka Gorge hydro (2,400 MW with Zambia) |
| Banks and markets | The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (1896 in Bulawayo; the ZiG-traded board) and the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (2020; U.S. dollar-traded); the banks — CBZ, Stanbic, FBC, Steward, First Capital, ZB, Nedbank, CABS, NMB; the EcoCash mobile money (Econet's; about 9–10 million users by the counts, both stated) and the Mukuru remittances; the gold coins (Mosi-oa-Tunya, 2022) and the digital gold tokens (2023) |
| Infrastructure projects | The Beitbridge–Harare–Chirundu highway's rebuilding (2020–24), the Beitbridge border's modernization (2022), the Mbudzi interchange in Harare (2024), the Robert Gabriel Mugabe airport's terminal (2023), the New Parliament building (2022–23), the Hwange 7 and 8 units (2023), the Tugwi-Mukosi (2017) and the Lake Gwayi-Shangani dams (the Bulawayo's water pipeline — by the plan), the Cyber City of Mount Hampden (the 'new capital' plan — by the reports) |
| Poverty and inequality | The extreme poverty about 38–40% by the World Bank's counts (both stated); the food insecurity of about 7.6 million in the 2024 drought (by the WFP's appeal; both stated with the government's count); the Gini about 0.50; the elite's wealth (the 'zvigananda' — the tycoons of the state's contracts; LAW 2) and the rural poverty of the dry south |
| Economic history in brief | The settler economy of the mines and the farms (1890–1965); the UDI's sanctions and the import substitution (1965–79); the independence growth and the ESAP structural adjustment (1991); the land reform (2000) and the collapse (GDP down by about half in 2000–08); the hyperinflation (about 79.6 billion percent a month in November 2008 by Hanke's estimate; the Z$100 trillion note of January 2009); the multicurrency system and the recovery (2009–13); the bond notes (2016), the RTGS dollar (2019), the ZiG (2024); the gold and the lithium booms of the 2020s |
Transport
| Roads | About 88,000 km by the counts (about a fifth paved — both stated) — the regional corridors: the Beitbridge–Harare–Chirundu (the North-South Corridor's spine; rebuilt 2020–24), the Harare–Mutare–Beira (the Forbes/Machipanda border), the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls, the Harare–Nyamapanda (to Malawi via Tete); the toll gates (ZINARA); the left-hand traffic; the road deaths of about 1,800–2,000 a year by the counts (both stated) |
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| Rail | The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ; Bulawayo headquarters; the Rhodesia Railways of 1897–1980) — about 3,100–4,200 km of the Cape gauge by the counts (both stated); the lines to Beira (1899), to Bulawayo from Mafeking (1897), to Victoria Falls (1904) and the Zambia line over the falls' bridge (1905), the Limpopo line to Maputo (1955), the Beitbridge–Bulawayo line (1999; the BOT concession); the passenger services' decline and the 2023–25 revival plans (by the reports) |
| City transit | The kombis (the minibus taxis) and the mushikashika (the unlicensed cars) of Harare and Bulawayo, the state's ZUPCO buses (the 2019–20 monopoly bid — both lines stated, LAW 2); the Harare commuter rail's small runs; no metro or light rail |
| Air | Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (Harare; renamed in November 2017; the new Chinese-built terminal of 2023 — about 6 million passengers a year of capacity), Victoria Falls International Airport (the 2016 terminal), Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International (Bulawayo), Buffalo Range, Kariba, Hwange; the state's Air Zimbabwe (1967 as Air Rhodesia; the debt and the fleet's troubles), the private carriers' links to Johannesburg, Nairobi, Addis Ababa and Dubai |
| Ports and waterways | No seaport — the trade through Beira (the nearest; about 290 km from Mutare), Durban, Maputo and Walvis Bay (Zimbabwe's dry port there); Lake Kariba's ferries and the boats (the Kariba–Mlibizi ferry; the Mbuya Nehanda ferry of the state's Rural Infrastructure Development Agency capsized on 11 August 2026 between Kariba and Chalala in the storm's waves — 97 dead by the two counts, the overloading by the reports); the Zambezi's tourist launches above the falls |
| Energy and utilities | ZESA Holdings (the power — the ZETDC distribution, the ZPC generation) and the Zimbabwe Power Company's Kariba and Hwange; the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA); Harare's water crisis (the Chivero's pollution; the cholera links); the Beira–Feruka fuel pipeline (1965; the Mutare depot) and its Harare extension (2007); the solar's spread in the cities' homes |
| Border crossings and bridges | Beitbridge (the Limpopo's bridge to South Africa — among the busiest crossings in southern Africa; about 10,000–15,000 people a day by the counts, both stated), Chirundu (the one-stop border post with Zambia; 2009), the Victoria Falls Bridge (1905; 198 m long and 128 m above the river), Kazungula (Botswana), Plumtree (Botswana), Forbes/Machipanda (Mozambique), Nyamapanda (Mozambique), the Kariba Dam's wall (the Zambia crossing) |
History in dates
| c. 100,000 BCE – 300 CE | The Stone Age hunter-gatherers and the San — the rock art of the Matobo Hills and the Mashonaland (tens of thousands of paintings; the oldest of the San's by the dating, both readings of the age stated); the early iron-working Bantu-speaking farmers' arrival (from about the 2nd–4th centuries — the Gokomere and the Ziwa cultures) |
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| 900 – 1220 | The Mapungubwe state on the Limpopo's south bank (about 1075–1220; the gold rhino) and the Leopard's Kopje culture of the southwest; the cattle, the gold and the ivory trade with the Swahili coast (Sofala); the rise of the Shona-speaking states of the plateau |
| 1220 – 1450 | The Kingdom of Zimbabwe — Great Zimbabwe near Masvingo (about 1220–1450; the Great Enclosure's dry-stone walls about 11 m high, the Hill Complex, the soapstone Zimbabwe Birds; about 10,000–18,000 people at the peak by the estimates, both stated) — the gold trade through Sofala and Kilwa (the Chinese ceramics and the Persian glass found there); the city's decline (the trade's shift north and the land's exhaustion by the readings, both stated) |
| 1450 – 1700 | The Mutapa state (Munhumutapa) of the northern plateau (from about 1430–50; Nyatsimba Mutota's founding) — the Portuguese traders' arrival on the Zambezi (Sena and Tete, 1530s), the Jesuit Gonçalo da Silveira's killing (1561), the Portuguese wars and the vassalage treaty (1629); the Torwa state of Khami (about 1450–1683) in the southwest |
| 1684 – 1830s | The Rozvi Empire of the Changamire dynasty (from about 1684; the Portuguese driven from the plateau's fairs by 1693–95) — the Danangombe (Dhlo-Dhlo) and the Naletale stone walls; the Mutapa's decline into the Zambezi valley; the Mfecane's raiders' arrival (the Nguni of Zwangendaba and Nyamazana, the 1830s) and the Rozvi's fall |
| 1837 – 1888 | Mzilikazi's Ndebele (Matabele) settlement of the southwest (from about 1838–40; the capital at Inyati), his death (1868) and Lobengula's succession (1870; the capital at Bulawayo); the hunters, the traders and the missionaries (the London Missionary Society at Inyati, 1859); the Moffat Treaty (1888) and the Rudd Concession (30 October 1888 — the mineral rights; the 'fraud' and the 'consent' readings both stated, LAW 2) |
| 1889 – 1896 | Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company (the royal charter of 29 October 1889); the Pioneer Column's march and Fort Salisbury (12 September 1890); the Matabele War (1893) and Lobengula's flight and death (1894); the name Rhodesia (1895); the First Chimurenga — the Ndebele and the Shona risings of 1896–97 (the spirit mediums Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi hanged in 1898) |
| 1897 – 1922 | The company's rule — the railway from the south (Bulawayo 1897, the Beira line 1899, Victoria Falls 1904), the hut tax, the native reserves; the settler legislature (1899); the gold and the farms; the First World War's service; the 1922 referendum's choice against joining South Africa (about 59% for the self-government) |
| 1923 – 1952 | The self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia (1 October 1923) — the Land Apportionment Act (1930; about half of the land for the settlers), the Prime Ministers Charles Coghlan and Godfrey Huggins (1933–53), the tobacco and the chrome booms; the Second World War's air training; the post-war white immigration; the 1948 general strike |
| 1953 – 1963 | The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953–63; Salisbury the capital; the Kariba Dam of 1955–59); the African nationalism — the City Youth League (1955), the Southern Rhodesia ANC (1957; Joshua Nkomo), the NDP (1960), ZAPU (1961) and the ZANU split (8 August 1963; Ndabaningi Sithole, Robert Mugabe); the Federation's end (31 December 1963) and Zambia's and Malawi's independence |
| 1964 – 1965 | Ian Smith the prime minister (April 1964; the Rhodesian Front of 1962); the nationalist leaders' detention (Nkomo and Mugabe — about a decade); the 'Crocodile Gang' (1964); the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (11 November 1965) — the UK's 'illegal regime' line and the UN's sanctions (the first mandatory sanctions of 1966–68) |
| 1966 – 1974 | The Second Chimurenga's start — the battle of Chinhoyi (28 April 1966; the war's first shots by ZANU's dating); the HMS Tiger (1966) and the Fearless (1968) talks' failure; the republic (2 March 1970); the Pearce Commission's 'no' (1972); the war's spread from the Altena farm attack (21 December 1972) in the northeast — ZANLA (ZANU's, with Mozambique's FRELIMO) and ZIPRA (ZAPU's, from Zambia) |
| 1975 – 1979 | The détente and the Victoria Falls bridge talks (1975); Mozambique's independence (1975) and the war's widening; the Geneva conference (1976); the Patriotic Front (ZANU and ZAPU, 1976); the internal settlement (3 March 1978) and Zimbabwe Rhodesia (1 June 1979; Bishop Abel Muzorewa); the Air Rhodesia Viscounts shot down (1978–79); the war's toll of about 20,000–30,000 dead by the counts (both stated); the Lancaster House conference (10 September – 21 December 1979) |
| 1980 | The British governor Lord Soames (December 1979 – April 1980) and the ceasefire; the election of 27–29 February 1980 — ZANU-PF 57 of the 80 common-roll seats, Mugabe the prime minister; independence on 18 April 1980 (Bob Marley's concert at the Rufaro Stadium; Canaan Banana the ceremonial president); the reconciliation speech; the UN's member (25 August 1980) |
| 1981 – 1987 | The Fifth Brigade (North Korea-trained) and the Gukurahundi in Matabeleland and the Midlands (1983–87; about 20,000 civilians killed by the CCJP and the estimates — both the critics' and the government's lines stated, LAW 2); the Entumbane clashes (1980–81); Salisbury renamed Harare (18 April 1982); the white roll seats' end (1987); the Unity Accord of ZANU and ZAPU (22 December 1987) and Mugabe the executive president (31 December 1987) |
| 1988 – 1999 | The Willowgate scandal (1988–89); the one-party state's rejection (1990); the ESAP (1991–95) and the 1992 drought; the 'Black Friday' of 14 November 1997 (the dollar's crash after the war veterans' payouts); the DR Congo war's intervention (1998–2002); the food riots (1998); the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC; September 1999; Morgan Tsvangirai) |
| 2000 – 2002 | The constitutional referendum's defeat (12–13 February 2000; about 55% no); the fast-track land reform and the farm invasions (from February 2000; about 4,000 white farmers' land taken by the end — the 'land restitution' and the 'chaotic seizure' lines both stated, LAW 2); the elections of 2000 and 2002 (Mugabe 56% — both the result and its fairness disputed, LAW 2); the EU's and the U.S.'s sanctions (2002–03); the Commonwealth's suspension (2002) and the exit (2003) |
| 2003 – 2008 | The Operation Murambatsvina (2005; about 700,000 affected by the UN's count, LAW 2); the MDC's split (2005); the Senate's return (2005); the hyperinflation (about 231 million percent a year by July 2008 by the official count; about 79.6 billion percent a month in November 2008 by Hanke's estimate); the election of 29 March 2008 (Tsvangirai first with 47.9%), the violent runoff of 27 June 2008 (Mugabe alone after the withdrawal); the cholera (2008–09; about 4,200–4,300 dead, both counts stated) |
| 2008 – 2013 | The Global Political Agreement (15 September 2008) and the Government of National Unity (February 2009 – July 2013; Tsvangirai the prime minister); the Zimbabwe dollar's abandonment for the U.S. dollar and the rand (2009); the Marange diamond fields' army seizure (2008) and the Kimberley Process's dispute (LAW 2); the 2013 constitution (16 March referendum); the election of 31 July 2013 (Mugabe 61% — LAW 2) |
| 2014 – 2016 | Vice President Joice Mujuru's firing (December 2014) and Grace Mugabe's rise (the 'G40' faction against the 'Lacoste' faction of Mnangagwa); the 2016 protests — #ThisFlag (Pastor Evan Mawarire) and #Tajamuka; the cash shortages and the bond notes (November 2016); Mugabe the African Union's chair (2015) |
| 2017 | Vice President Mnangagwa's firing (6 November 2017) and his flight; the military's takeover (14–15 November 2017 — 'Operation Restore Legacy'; the 'coup' and the 'correction' readings both stated, LAW 2); the march of 18 November; ZANU-PF's recall of Mugabe; Mugabe's resignation (21 November 2017) during the impeachment session; Mnangagwa sworn in (24 November 2017) |
| 2018 – 2019 | The election of 30 July 2018 (Mnangagwa 50.8% against Chamisa's 44.3%; the Constitutional Court's dismissal of the challenge — LAW 2); the 1 August 2018 shootings (six dead; the Motlanthe Commission); Tsvangirai's death (14 February 2018); the fuel protests of January 2019 (the internet shutdown; about 17 dead by the rights groups' counts, LAW 2); Cyclone Idai (March 2019); the RTGS dollar (2019); Mugabe's death in Singapore (6 September 2019) |
| 2020 – 2022 | The COVID-19 lockdowns; the Global Compensation Deed with the former white farmers (29 July 2020; US$3.5 billion); journalist Hopewell Chin'ono's arrests (2020–22; LAW 2); the 2021 Amendment No. 2 and Chief Justice Malaba's extension; the CCC's founding (24 January 2022); the census (April 2022); the raw lithium's export ban (December 2022) |
| 2023 | The Patriotic Act (July 2023); the election of 23–24 August 2023 — Mnangagwa 52.6% against Chamisa's 44.0% (the SADC observers' finding against the regional standards and the government's rejection both stated, LAW 2); the CCC's recalls by Sengezo Tshabangu (from October 2023) and the by-elections; the Hwange 7 and 8 units; the new airport terminal; Heath Streak's death (3 September 2023) |
| 2024 | Chamisa's exit from the CCC (25 January 2024); the U.S. sanctions program's end and the Global Magnitsky designations (4 March 2024); the drought's state of disaster (3 April 2024); the ZiG (5 April 2024); the Harare SADC summit and Mnangagwa's chair (17 August 2024); the activists' arrests before the summit (LAW 2); the ZiG's devaluation (27 September 2024); ZANU-PF's 'ED 2030' resolution at its October conference |
| 2025 | The war veteran Blessed Geza's calls for Mnangagwa's exit and the protest day of 31 March 2025 (95 arrested); Kirsty Coventry elected the IOC's president (20 March 2025); the PVO Amendment Act (April 2025 — by the reports); the Sables' Rugby World Cup qualification (19 July 2025); the U.S. visa suspension (8 August 2025); General Matatu the defense forces' commander (21 November 2025 — by the reports); the U.S. travel restrictions (16 December 2025); the GDP's rebasing and the 2025 growth |
| January – June 2026 | Chamisa's return to the active politics (January 2026); the Constitution Amendment (No. 3) bill approved by the cabinet (10 February) and gazetted (16 February 2026); the public hearings (30 March – 2 April; the Bulawayo and the Harare incidents — the assault on lawyer Douglas Coltart by the reports, LAW 2); Elizabeth Gwaunza the first woman Chief Justice (May 2026); the policy rate's first cut to 30% (June 2026); the National Assembly's vote of 216–42 (18 June) and the Senate's of 75–4 (24 June); the Constitutional Court's striking off of the first challenges (17 June 2026); the Senate amendments adopted 226–41 (30 June 2026) |
| July – October 2026 | The national grid's collapse (6 July 2026, by the reports); the amendment signed (7 July 2026; the term to 2030, LAW 2); Vice President Chiwenga's referendum video (early July — by the reports, LAW 2); the fresh court challenges (July 2026); the Mbuya Nehanda ferry's capsizing on Lake Kariba (11 August 2026; 97 dead); Munhumutapa Day declared (September 2026); the IMF staff-level agreement (17 September 2026 — by the reports); the court hearing of 22 September with the judgment reserved (by the reports); the policy rate cut to 27.5% (29 September 2026); the farmers' compensation payments of about US$508 million (by October 2026 — by the reports) |
| The rulers in brief | Prime ministers of Southern Rhodesia and Rhodesia: Charles Coghlan (1923–27) to Ian Smith (1964–79); Bishop Abel Muzorewa (Zimbabwe Rhodesia, 1979); the governor Lord Soames (1979–80); Robert Mugabe (prime minister 1980–87, executive president 1987–2017); Canaan Banana (president 1980–87); Emmerson Mnangagwa (president from 24 November 2017; the term to 2030 by the 2026 amendment, LAW 2); Morgan Tsvangirai (prime minister of the unity government, 2009–13) |
Records
| The stone cities' records | Great Zimbabwe — the largest ancient stone structure south of the Sahara by the usual line (the Great Enclosure's outer wall about 250 m long and up to 11 m high, built without mortar); the Khami ruins; the about 200–300 'zimbabwes' (the stone enclosures) of the plateau by the counts (both stated); the soapstone Zimbabwe Birds, most of them taken in the 1890s and returned in the 1980s and 2000s by the museums |
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| The falls' records | Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya), shared with Zambia — about 1,708 m wide and 108 m high by the usual figures, the world's largest sheet of falling water by the combined width and height; the Victoria Falls rainforest on the Zimbabwe side; UNESCO's listing (1989); the bungee and the gorge swing from the 1905 bridge |
| The hyperinflation's records | The second-highest monthly inflation on record (about 79.6 billion percent in November 2008 by Hanke's estimate; Hungary's of 1946 the highest); the Z$100 trillion note (January 2009) — the largest denomination ever printed in the numerals; the currency's three redenominations (2006, 2008, 2009) and the abandonment (2009) |
| The mining's records | Among the world's largest platinum-group reserves (the Great Dyke — about 550 km long); Africa's largest lithium producer (the Bikita mine — among the world's largest pegmatite deposits); the Marange diamond fields (among the world's largest alluvial finds of the 2000s); the gold's 2026 export boom (US$3.82 billion in the first half by the reports) |
| The water's records | Lake Kariba — among the world's largest artificial lakes by the volume (about 180–185 cubic km; both stated) and the Kariba Dam (128 m high; 1959); the Tugwi-Mukosi, the largest inland reservoir (2017); Operation Noah's rescue (1958–64; about 6,000 animals); the Mutarazi Falls (about 762 m), Zimbabwe's highest |
| The sport's records | Kirsty Coventry — Africa's most decorated Olympian (seven medals; two golds in the 200 m backstroke, 2004 and 2008) and the first woman and the first African to lead the IOC (2025); the Golden Girls' hockey gold (1980); the cricket's Test status (1992), the Flower brothers and Heath Streak; the Sables' return to the Rugby World Cup (qualified 2025 for 2027, the first since 1991) |
| The wildlife's records | Hwange's elephants — about 45,000 by the counts (among Africa's largest herds; the country's about 100,000, both stated) and the 2024 culling plan of 200 by the reports; Cecil the lion (killed 2015 — the global outcry); the Mana Pools' painted dogs; the Gonarezhou's 'place of elephants'; the rhino custodianship (the Lowveld's conservancies) |
| The independence's records | Bob Marley's concert at the Rufaro Stadium on the independence night (18 April 1980) — his song 'Zimbabwe' (1979) the occasion's anthem by the usual line; the UDI's 14 years (1965–79) unrecognized by any state; the Lancaster House's 'willing buyer, willing seller' land clause (10 years) and its end (LAW 2) |
| The leaders' records | Robert Mugabe in power for 37 years (1980–2017) — among Africa's longest; the world's oldest head of state at his fall (93); Mnangagwa's 2026 term extension and the move from the direct presidential vote to Parliament's choice (LAW 2); Elizabeth Gwaunza the first woman Chief Justice (2026) |
| The language records | Sixteen official languages — among the world's most for a single state by the constitution (2013); the sign language official; the Koisan's official status for the small San communities of the west |
| The education records | Among Africa's highest literacy rates (about 89–94%, both stated); the University of Zimbabwe (1952) the oldest; the teachers and the nurses of the region's schools and hospitals (the diaspora's skills) |
| The faith's records | The vaPostori's open-air gatherings (the Johane Marange Apostolic Church's Passover, the Pentecost — about hundreds of thousands by the counts, both stated); the Mwari shrines of the Matobo (Njelele); the Mbuya Nehanda statue (2021; Harare) |
| The disasters' marks | The cholera of 2008–09 (about 98,500 cases — Africa's worst in 15 years by the WHO's line); Cyclone Idai (2019); the Kariba ferry disaster (11 August 2026; 97 dead); the 2024 drought; the Beitbridge bus crash (13 February 2025; 24 dead); the Air Rhodesia shootdowns (1978–79) |
| The small and the strange | The balancing rocks of Epworth and the Matobo (on the old Z$ notes); the President's birthday a public holiday (Munhumutapa Day, 15 September — from 2026); the ZiG, the newest of the post-2008 currencies; the 'Zimbabwe Bird' on the flag, the arms and the coins; the mbira's 'water' tuning; the Kariba's 'Nyaminyami' river god of the Tonga |
| The census and the counts | The censuses of 1982, 1992, 2002, 2012 and 2022 (15,178,979; the first digital count); the 2032 census by the plan; the diaspora's estimates (3–5 million, both stated); the voter roll of about 6.6 million (2023) |
| The last and the next | The Constitutional Court's judgment on the 2026 amendment (reserved on 22 September 2026 — by the reports; LAW 2); the succession contest of ZANU-PF; the IMF program's next review; the ZiG's path to the sole currency by 2030; the lithium concentrate's export ban from 2027; the Batoka Gorge hydro; the 2027 Cricket World Cup at home; the 2030 elections by Parliament (LAW 2) |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Zimbabwe?
The Republic of Zimbabwe — the independent state of 18 April 1980 (the British colony of Southern Rhodesia before it, self-governing from 1923; the Rhodesia of the unilateral declaration of 1965; the Zimbabwe Rhodesia of June–December 1979); named after Great Zimbabwe, the stone city of the 11th–15th centuries; the demonym Zimbabwean; the motto 'Unity, Freedom, Work'; the UN's member (25 August 1980), the African Union's, the SADC's and the COMESA's; the Commonwealth's member of 1980–2003 (the 2018 application to return pending by the reports).
What is the capital of Zimbabwe?
Harare — the capital since independence (named Salisbury from the pioneer column's Fort Salisbury of 1890 until 18 April 1982), the Harare province of 2,427,209 people by the 2022 census (the city about 1.5–1.8 million by the counts, both stated); the State House, the New Parliament building at Mount Hampden (2022–23), the Harare Gardens, the National Gallery, the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. Bulawayo (665,940 by the 2022 census) the second city, then Chitungwiza, Mutare, Epworth and Gweru.
How big is Zimbabwe, and how many people live there?
About 390,757 km² (150,872 sq mi) — about 12% of India's area, about the size of Rajasthan and Haryana together; the landlocked plateau between the Zambezi and the Limpopo; 15,178,979 people by the census of April 2022 (the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency's; the first digital census) and about 16.5–17 million by the 2025–26 estimates (both stated); the 3–5 million Zimbabweans abroad by the estimates (both stated).
What are the highest and lowest points of Zimbabwe?
Mount Nyangani in the Eastern Highlands of Manicaland — about 2,592 m (2,592–2,593 m by the surveys, both stated), in the Nyanga National Park; the Chimanimani and the Vumba ranges near it; the lowest point the confluence of the Runde and the Save rivers in the southeast lowveld (about 162 m); the highveld above 1,200 m crossing the country from the southwest to the northeast.
What currency does Zimbabwe use?
The ZiG (Zimbabwe Gold; ZWG) — launched on 5 April 2024 and backed by the gold and the foreign reserves (replacing the RTGS or Zimbabwe dollar), devalued by about 43% on 27 September 2024; about ZiG 26–27 to the U.S. dollar in September 2026 (26.63 on 25 September by the reports); the U.S. dollar in wide use alongside it (the multicurrency system since 2009; the 'mono-currency' roadmap to 2030); the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (Governor John Mushayavanhu, since April 2024) — the policy rate cut to 27.5% on 29 September 2026 (from 30%; 35% before June 2026), the ZWG inflation of 3.2% in July 2026 by ZimStat's count.
Who governs Zimbabwe?
President Emmerson Mnangagwa — born 15 September 1942; ZANU-PF's leader; in power since 24 November 2017 (after the military's takeover and Robert Mugabe's resignation of 21 November 2017 — the 'correction' and the 'coup' readings both stated, LAW 2); elected in 2018 (50.8%) and 2023 (52.6%; both results disputed by the opposition and the 2023 vote found short of the SADC standards by its observers, LAW 2); his term extended to 2030 by the Constitution Amendment (No. 3) Act signed on 7 July 2026 (the government's 'Vision 2030 continuity' line and the opposition's 'constitutional coup' line both stated, LAW 2); Vice Presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi.
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