Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a land of exceptional natural beauty. It is a land of many adventures where one can experience nature first-hand, whether fighting through rapids on the mighty Zambezi River, bungi-jumping off the bridge at the Victoria Falls or watching a pride of lions at sunset in one of the many wildlife sanctuaries. Zimbabwe has kept up with the demands of the modern-day tourist and boasts a well-developed infrastructure, including modern telecommunications, roads, banking services, transportation, and upper-market accommodation and shopping facilities. Perhaps this popular tourist destination's greatest asset is its friendly people, always ready to welcome visitors to their country with a smile and good service

Harare
Harare is the best starting point for visiting the country's many tourist attractions and is a prime example of a modern African city. The city is a mosaic of high-rise office blocks and well-preserved historic buildings, all situated on the central plateau of the country. Tree-filled parks and other open spaces give this city its vibrant, friendly character. After dark, the city is alive with the sounds of trumpets, guitars, and drums. Bars, hotels, and nightclubs are sources of every conceivable musical offering. The talent and enthusiasm of the performers cannot fail to impress the visitor, especially those who are enjoying their first taste of African music.

Going shopping?
Harare has its own unique collection of shops catering to every budget. Westgate is a two-story shopping center and, apart from a number of shops stocking South African goods, this is the place to go for movies, fast-food, and a wide selection of clothing and accessories. Next to the well-known Meikles hotel you will also find a shopping center renowned for its computer outlets and fine shoe stores; it also houses the Zimbabwe Tourism Association. If you want to experience shopping the way it is traditionally done in many African countries, you need to stroll around at the open flea market at Mbare. Here tourists can feast their eyes on a colorful array of baskets, food, clothing and other items on sale from the locals.

Climate
In Zimbabwe, summer is at its hottest through December while winter lasts from May to August. It is considerably warmer in low-lying areas such as Kariba, Victoria Falls, Hwange, and the Zambezi Valley. Winter days are generally dry and sunny with temperatures averaging 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit. In summer, temperatures range from 75-85 degrees during the day. The hottest month is October when temperatures often exceed 90 degrees, while the rainy season runs from November to March. Zimbabwe has a tropical climate but because of its elevation and inland position its climate is drier and cooler than generally experienced in the tropics.

Victoria Falls
Five separate falls make up this wondrous spectacle that plunges more than 100m into a sheer-sided chasm separating Zimbabwe from Zambia. The Falls originate from the mighty Zambezi River that meanders through more than 2700 km of African countryside. There is plenty more fun to be had at Victoria Falls however; upstream, the Zambezi plays host to the famous 'sundowner' cruises, excursions onto the river to watch the local wildlife while gently sipping a glass of champagne and partaking of a light snack. Once the river has taken its plunge, there is quite a different experience to be had. For those with the courage, the rapids immediately downstream offer some of the most terrifying whitewater rafting anywhere in the world. Several companies now offer one and two-day trips on this stretch of the river, while the more adventurous can take a weeklong journey all the way to the mouth of Lake Kariba.

Hwange National Park
Hwange National Park is Zimbabwe's oldest, largest and best-known game reserve. It is regarded as one of the finest conservation areas in Africa. Only a quarter of the area is accessible to visitors in the more diverse and interesting northern part of the park. Covering just over 14,600 square kilometers and bordered by Botswana in the west and the railway line to Bulawayo in the east, this huge park has a relatively low rainfall of between 570 and 650 mm per year. Covered centuries ago by wind-blown Kalahari sands, most of the area consists of scattered woodland scrub and grassland.

During the dry winter months, the game relies on man-made water holes and dams where vast herds of elephants and buffaloes come to drink. Both black and white rhinos have been reintroduced to the area, and large herds of sable and eland can be seen along with the rare roan antelope. Lion and spotted hyena are found throughout the park, and although leopards are common, they are rarely seen. The park is also large enough to attract African wild dogs, one of the continent's most endangered predators. Hwange is home to more than 100 varieties of animals; it includes possibly the largest concentration of elephant on the African continent.

Lake Kariba
Hippos, elephant, buffalo and antelope from Matusadona National Park come to feed on this lake’s southern shore. The enormous lake is filled with bream and tigerfish, which is great for sport anglers and makes delectable dinners for tourists in safari lodges and hotels around the marinas. Ghostly trees, formed when forests drowned during the lake’s creation, are now picturesque perches for birds, sticking up through the shallow water. Lake Kariba is nearly three hundred kilometers long and currently the third largest man-made reservoir in the world. Kariba is also one of the world's best sailing venues, offering a challenge to the racing sailor and safety to the cruising family.

Great Zimbabwe
Just 30 kilometers from the town of Masvingo are some of the most extraordinary relics of man-made structures in Africa. Formed of regular, rectangular granite stones packed into impeccable dry-stone walling, the ruins of Great Zimbabwe are awe-inspiring. Many visitors talk of experiencing a strange atmosphere, and say that within the ruins there is an almost tangible "presence". It is hard for any visitor not to be impressed by the scale and grandeur of the site, where the first soapstone carvings of the now ubiquitous Zimbabwe Bird were found. Among Africa's most complex and well-preserved archeological sites, the ruins are thought to be the remains of a royal stronghold built by the Karanga, ancestors of the Shona, between the eleventh and the thirteenth century. Set in a rugged strewn valley, this national monument is surrounded by a well-tended indigenous garden with a museum and walking trails.

Location: Southern Africa, northeast of Botswana

Area-comparative: slightly larger than Montana

Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)

Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east

Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

Geography—note: landlocked

Population: 11,163,160 (July 1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Zimbabwean(s)
adjective: Zimbabwean

Ethnic groups: African 98% (Shona 71%, Ndebele 16%, other 11%), white 1%, mixed and Asian 1%

Religions: syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%

Languages: English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe
conventional short form: Zimbabwe
former: Southern Rhodesia

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Harare

Constitution: 21 December 1979

Legal system: mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law

Flag description: seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white equilateral triangle edged in black based on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle

Economy—overview: Given the current circumstances the government of Zimbabwe is trying to consolidate earlier progress made in developing a market-oriented economy. Inflation rose from an annual rate of 25% in January 1998 to 47% in December and with the impact of AIDS, there are challenges ahead. The prognosis for the near terms is that, with per capita GDP, which is twice the average of the poorer sub-Saharan nations, will increase little, without significant investment in the abundant agricultural and mineral resources.

Industries: mining (coal, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), copper, steel, nickel, tin, wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages

Currency: 1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents

Telephone system: system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, and radiotelephone communication stations
international: satellite earth station? Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Railways:
total: 2,759 km (1995)
narrow gauge: 2,759 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified; 42 km double track) (1995 est.)

Highways:
total: 18,338 km
paved: 8,692 km
unpaved: 9,646 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: the Mazoe and Zambezi rivers are used for transporting chrome ore from Harare to Mozambique

Ports and harbors: Binga, Kariba

Military branches: Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police (includes Police Support Unit, Paramilitary Police)

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