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Zimbabwe

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Pronunciation: [zim´bäbwe]

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Formerly Rhodesia, named after British industrialist and explorer Cecil John Rhodes. Officially called Republic of Zimbabwe. The estimated population in 1992 was 11 million.

Size:
150,803 square miles (390,580 square km).
Situated in south, central Africa. It is bordered on the north by Zambia, on the northeast and east by Mozambique, on the south by South Africa, and on the southwest and west by Botswana.
Harare (formerly Salisbury) is the capital and largest city.

Location: Southern Africa, northeast of Botswana

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 30 00 E

Area:

Total: 390,580 sq km
Land: 386,670 sq km
Water: 3,910 sq km

Land boundaries:

Total: 3,066 km
Border countries: Botswana 813km, Mozambique 1,231km, South Africa 225km, Zambia 797km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

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

Terrain: Mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (the Watershed); mountains in east. The terrain is mainly a plateau of four regions. The highveld, above 4,000 ft (1,219 m), crosses the country from southwest to northeast. On each side of it lies the middle veld, 3,000 to 4,000 ft (914-1,219 m) high, and beyond it the lowveld, at elevations below 3,000 ft (914 m). The fourth region, the Eastern Highlands, is a narrow, mountainous belt along the Mozambique border, where the highest point in Zimbabwe, Inyangani (8,503 ft/2,592 m), stands. Rainfall varies from about 70 in. (178 cm) in the Highlands to less than 25 in. (64 cm) in the south. Administratively, the country is divided into eight provinces. In addition to Harare, other cities include Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Gweru, and Mutare.

Elevation extremes: Lowest point: junction of the Lundi and Savi rivers 162m
Highest point: Inyangani 2,592m

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

Land use:
Arable land: 7%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 13%
Forests and woodland: 23%
Other: 57% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,930 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: Recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Environment-current issues: Deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching.

Environment-international agreements: Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection- Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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