Zimbabwe (zim'bäbwā) , formerly Rhodesia, officially Republic of Zimbabwe, republic (2005 est. pop. 12,747,000), 150,803 sq mi (390,580 sq km), S 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.

Land and People

The terrain is mainly a plateau of four regions. The high veld, 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 low veld, 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, Mt. Inyangani (8,503 ft/2,592 m), stands. Zimbabwe has an extensive national park system, including Hwange and Victoria Falls, both in the west. Rainfall varies from about 70 in. (178 cm) in the Highlands to less than 25 in. (64 cm) in the south. In addition to Harare, other cities include Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Gweru, and Mutare.
Zimbabwe's official language is English, with Shona and Ndebele being the prominent African languages. Some 98% of the population is African, with the Shona group predominant. Since independence in 1980, the European population of Zimbabwe has fallen to under 100,000. About half the population practices a blend of Christian and indigenous religions; the balance of the people are split nearly evenly between the two. The Univ. of Zimbabwe is in Harare.

Economy

Zimbabwe's economy is basically agricultural. The formerly strong commercial farming sector was thrown into disarray with the expropriation of white-owned farms that began in 2000, and the replacement of large efficient farms with smaller ones worked by inexperienced farmers. Formerly an exporter of foodstuffs, Zimbabwe now must import grains. Corn is the chief food source, and cotton and tobacco the principal cash crops. Other products include sorghum, peanuts, wheat, sugarcane, soybeans, and coffee. There are also numerous tea plantations in the country; dairying is important in the high veld.
Forests in SE Zimbabwe yield valuable hardwoods, including teak and mahogany. The country is endowed with a wide variety of mineral resources, including gold, platinum, diamonds, nickel, asbestos, tin, iron, chromite, copper, and coal. Among Zimbabwe's industrial products are iron and steel, cement, foodstuffs, machinery, textiles, and consumer goods. Most of Zimbabwe's power is generated by a hydroelectric station at Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River.
The country has good road and rail networks and domestic and international air service. South Africa and the United Kingdom are the largest trading partners. Zimbabwe is a member of the Southern African Development Community.

Government

Zimbabwe is a parliamentary democracy, governed according to the 1979 constitution as amended. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Assembly and the Senate, both of whose members serve five-year terms. The 150-seat assembly includes 120 members who are elected, 12 members appointed by the president, 8 provincial governors (who are also appointed by the president), and 10 members elected by local chiefs. The 66-seat senate, which was reestablished in 2005, has 50 elected members, 6 members appointed by the president, and 10 members elected by tribal chiefs. Executive power is exercised by the president, who is popularly elected to a six-year term and serves as both chief of state and head of government. Administratively, Zimbabwe is divided into eight provinces and two cities with the status of provinces.

History

Early History to British Control
There are a number of Iron Age sites in Zimbabwe, with artifacts dating from c.A.D. 180. These early cultures were supplanted by Bantu-speaking peoples, who migrated into the area after the 5th cent. The ruins at Zimbabwe date from the 12th to the 15th cent. In the early 16th cent., the Portuguese made contact with Shona-dominated states and developed a trade in gold and other items. During the 1830s, the Shona-speaking people were subjected to Ndebele invaders, who forced them to pay tribute. British and Boer traders and hunters moved into the area, and the London Missionary Society established a mission to the Ndebele in 1861.
In 1889 the British South Africa Company, organized by Cecil Rhodes, obtained a charter to promote commerce and colonization in the region. Leander Starr Jameson, an associate of Rhodes, led a column of South African and British pioneers deep into the interior, where they founded (1890) Fort Salisbury. Fighting in 1893 resulted in the defeat of the Ndebele and the takeover of their territory by Rhodes's company. Both the Ndebele and the Shona staged unsuccessful revolts against the British in 1896–97. The settlers pressed the company for political rights, and in 1914 the British government renewed the company's charter on the condition that self-government be granted to the settlers by 1924.
Rhodesia, Independence, and White Supremacy
In late 1922, settlers voted in a referendum to reject proposals for incorporation into the Union of South Africa, electing instead to make Rhodesia a self-governing colony under the British Crown—a status that became effective on Sept. 12, 1923. In 1953, Southern Rhodesia became a member of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (see Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Federation of), despite African objections to a European-dominated federal structure.
In the early 1960s, a new constitution was adopted that provided for limited African political participation; however, the Africans remained unappeased. In 1963 the federation broke up as African majority governments assumed control in Northern Rhodesia and in Nyasaland (renamed Zambia and Malawi respectively). After the federation's demise, conservative trends hardened in Southern Rhodesia (which now became known simply as Rhodesia).
The government of staunch conservative Ian Smith, who had become Rhodesian prime minister in 1964, proclaimed a unilateral declaration of independence on Nov. 11, 1965. Britain called the proclamation an act of rebellion but refused to reestablish control by force. When negotiations in 1966 failed to produce an agreement, Britain requested UN economic sanctions against Rhodesia. In 1969, Rhodesia voted to become a republic as of Mar. 2, 1970. In 1971, Britain and Rhodesia reached an accord that provided for gradually increased African political participation, but without any guarantee of eventual black majority rule. However, after a British commission's hearings revealed widespread African opposition to the terms, Britain refused to recognize Rhodesian independence on the basis of the accord.