Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe (/zɪmˈbɑːbweɪ, -wi/), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozambique to the east. The capital and largest city is Harare. The second largest city is Bulawayo. A country of roughly 15 million people,[15] Zimbabwe has 16 official languages,[4] with English, Shona, and Ndebele the most common. Beginning in the 9th century, during its late Iron Age, the Bantu people (who would become the ethnic Shona) built the city-state of Great Zimbabwe; the city-state became one of the major African trade centres by the 11th century, controlling the gold, ivory and copper trades with the Swahili coast, which were connected to Arab and Indian states. By the mid 15th century, the city-state had been abandoned.[16] From there, the Kingdom of Zimbabwe was established, followed by the Rozvi and Mutapa empires.

Quick facts: Republic of Zimbabwe 15 other official names[... ▼

Republic of Zimbabwe 15 other official names[1] Shona: Nyika yeZimbabwe Ndebele: Ilizwe leZimbabwe Chewa: Dziko la Zimbabwe Chibarwe: Nyika ye Zimbabwe Kalanga: Hango yeZimbabwe Khoisan: Zimbabwe Nù Nambya: Inyika yeZimbabwe Ndau: Nyika yeZimbabwe Shangani: Tiko ra Zimbabwe Sesotho: Naha ya Zimbabwe Tonga: Cisi ca Zimbabwe Venda: Shango ḽa Zimbabwe Xhosa: Ilizwe lase-Zimbabwe
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Unity, Freedom, Work"[2]
Anthem: "Blessed be the land of Zimbabwe"[3]
Location of Zimbabwe (dark green)
Capital and largest city	Harare 17°49′45″S 31°03′08″E
Official languages	16 languages:[4] Chewa Chibarwe English Kalanga "Koisan" (presumably Tsoa) Nambya Ndau Ndebele Shangani Shona "sign language" Sotho Tonga Tswana Venda Xhosa
Ethnic groups (2012 Census[5])	99.38% Black African (mainly Shona and Ndebele) 0.22% White African 0.18% Coloured 0.08% Asian 0.02% Other 0.01% Not stated
Religion (2017)[6]	84.1% Christianity —69.2% Protestantism —14.9% Other Christian 10.2% No religion 4.5% Traditional faiths 1.2% Others
Demonym(s)	Zimbabwean Zimbo[7] (colloquial)
Government	Unitary dominant-party presidential republic
• President	Emmerson Mnangagwa
• Vice-President	Constantino Chiwenga
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	National Assembly
Independence from the United Kingdom
• Declared	11 November 1965
• Republic	2 March 1970
• Zimbabwe Rhodesia	1 June 1979
• Independence recognised	18 April 1980
• Current constitution	15 May 2013
Area
• Total	390,757 km2 (150,872 sq mi) (60th)
• Water (%)	1
Population
• 2022 estimate	15,121,004[8] (73rd)
• 2022 census	15,178,979[9]
• Density	39/km2 (101.0/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$40.04 billion[10] (129th)
• Per capita	$2,555[10] (175th)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$38.2 [10]billion (104th)
• Per capita	$2,402[10] (140th)
Gini (2019)	50.3[11] high
HDI (2021)	0.593[12] medium · 146th
Currency	Zimbabwean dollar U.S. dollar ($) (USD)[13] South African rand[13]
Time zone	UTC+2 (CAT[14])
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+263
ISO 3166 code	ZW
Internet TLD	.zw

The British South Africa Company of Cecil Rhodes demarcated the Rhodesia region in 1890 when they conquered Mashonaland and later in 1893 Matabeleland after a fierce resistance by Matabele people known as the First Matabele War. Company rule ended in 1923 with the establishment of Southern Rhodesia as a self-governing British colony. In 1965, the white minority government unilaterally declared independence as Rhodesia. The state endured international isolation and a 15-year guerrilla war with black nationalist forces; this culminated in a peace agreement that established universal enfranchisement and de jure sovereignty as Zimbabwe in April 1980. Zimbabwe then joined the Commonwealth of Nations, from which it was suspended in 2002 for breaches of international law by its government under Robert Mugabe and from which it withdrew in December 2003.

Mugabe became Prime Minister of Zimbabwe in 1980, when his ZANU–PF party won the general election following the end of white minority rule; he was the President of Zimbabwe from 1987 until his resignation in 2017. Under Mugabe's authoritarian regime, the state security apparatus dominated the country and was responsible for widespread human rights violations.[17] From 2000 to 2009 the economy experienced decline and hyperinflation before rebounding after the use of currencies other than the Zimbabwean dollar was permitted, although growth has since faltered. On 15 November 2017, in the wake of over a year of protests against his government as well as Zimbabwe's rapidly declining economy, Mugabe was placed under house arrest by the country's national army in a coup d'état, and Mugabe resigned six days later. Emmerson Mnangagwa has since served as Zimbabwe's president.

Zimbabwe is a member of the United Nations, the Southern African Development Community, the African Union, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.