Republic of

Unity, Freedom, Work Location Facts about the country

• Size: 390 580 sq km • Population: around 12 million • Languages: English (official), Shona, Sindebele, numerous but minor tribal dialects • Currency: • Religion: Christian 75%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1% • Ethnic groups: African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1% • Capital: Pre-colonial History

• 5000 years ago: Stone age hunters, later displaced by Bantu people • 2000 years ago: Iron age Bantu speaking people begun migrating, ancesters of the Shona • By the Middle Ages, there was a Bantu civilization in The national monument the region, as evidenced by ruins at Great Zimbabwe Pre-colonial History

• Ca 1250-1629 : ruled under the Mutapa Empire • The state traded gold, ivory, and copper for cloth and glass with the Arabs • Portuguese settlers destroyed the trade and the empire nearly collapsed. • 1834: Matabele(Ndebele) people arrived making the area their new empire, Colonial History

• 1880s: The British entered Matabeleland under the leadership of Cecil Rhodes • Extracted mining rights from King Lobengula of the Ndebele • The British government granted a royal charter to his British South Africa Company (BSAC) over Matabeleland • 1895: the BSAC adopted the name for Zambesia • 1898: was officially adopted for the part south of the Zambezi, which later became Zimbabwe • Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing British colony in 1922 • November 11, 1965: independence from Britain: Republic of Rhodesia in 1970 Civil War

• Guerrilla fighting against Smith's government • opened negotiations with the leaders of the Patriotic Fronts — Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU). ZANU was led by and ZAPU was led by • March 1978: Smith signed an accord: as a result of the , elections were held in April 1979. • June 1, 1979 : leader of United African National Council, became the country's Prime Minister and the country's name was changed to Zimbabwe Rhodesia • December 1, 1979 : signing of the Lancaster House Agreement, ending the civil war Independence

• first elections March 27-29, 1980: Robert Mugabe's ZANU party won • April 18, 1980: Zimbabwe Rhodesia regained its independence as Zimbabwe • Constitution provided for a non-executive President as Head of State with a Prime Minister as Head of Government. Reverand served as the first President • Amendement of the Constitution in 1987: Executive President and abolished the office of Prime Minister. • 1 January 1988: Robert Mugabe as President Situation since the Independence • Law and Order Maintenance Act • 1983 to 1984 the government declared a curfew: widespread violence and disregard for human rights by the security forces • political tension rose in the country • The pacification campaign,resulted in at least 20,000 civilian deaths • The situation evolved into a low level civil war. • 1985 elections: majority gave Mugabe the opportunity to start making changes to the constitution, including those with regard to land restoration • redistribute land to blacks in 2000 • legality and constitutionality of the process has regularly been challenged in the Zimbabwean High and Supreme Courts • sharp decline in agricultural exports: severe hard currency shortage, which has led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods. • 2002: Zimbabwe was suspended from the on charges of human rights, abuses during the land redistribution and of election tampering. • Following elections in 2005, the government initiated "Operation Murambatsvina," against illegal markets and homes, it has left a substantial section of urban poor homeless • A political crisis began in Zimbabwe on 11 March 2007 when opposition leader was beaten and tortured after being arrested, prompting widespread domestic and international criticism • next Presidential elections are due to be held in 2008, although Mugabe is currently trying to amend the constitution in an attempt to stay in power until 2010 Politics

• Parlamentary democracy • President is chief of state and head of government, elected for a 6-year term • Parliament consists of the House of Assembly and the Senate (reinstated 2005) • Main political parties: Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF); Movement for Democratic Change (MDC); United People‘s Party (UPP) • President is Robert Gabriel Mugabe since 1987,(Prime Minister in 1980, revised the constitution in 1987 to make himself President) • vice presidents: Joseph Msik (1999–present) and Joyce Mujuru(2004–present) • President Mugabe's affiliated party has won every election since independence April 18 1980 Constitution

• Dezember 21, 1979 (initially from the Lancaster House Agreement, chaired by Lord Carrington) • it institutionalizes majority rule and protection of minority rights • Since independence, the Constitution has been amended by the government, to provide for: 1. The abolition of seats reserved for whites in the country's Parliament in 1987; 2. The abolition of the office of Prime Minister in 1987, and the creation of an executive presidency; and 3. The abolition of the Senate in 1990, and the creation of appointed seats in the House of Assembly. A Senate was reintroduced in 2005 Ecomomy

• collapsing under the weight of economic mismanagement, resulting in 85% unemployment and the highest rate of inflation in the world • Mineral exports, agriculture, and tourism • GDP:USD $25.690 billion (2005) • GDP growth: -5.7% (2007) Problems

• Zimbabwe at the present time is in a terrible state. • The economy has shrunk by 50% from 2000 to 2007. • There are frequent power and water outages.Harare's drinking water became unreliable in 2006 and as a consequence dysentery and cholera swept the city in December 2006 and January 2007 • Unemployment in formal jobs 80%. • Famine • The country used to be one of Africa's richest and is now one of its poorest • HIV/AIDS pandemic (affects 25% of population): government lacks resources or machinery Culture

• Sport: Football • Traditional arts : pottery, basketry, textiles, jewelry, and carving. • carved figures made with sedimentary rocks such as soapstone, as well as harder igneous rocks such as serpentine and the rare stone verdite. Tourism

• Since 2000 tourism has steadily declined • several tourist attractions: Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River • 8 main National Parks in Zimbabwe, largest of which is Hwange National Park Victoria Falls Hwange National Park