Airports [time series]

506 total, 420 usable; 23 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 37 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

12 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

85,237 km total; 15,800 km paved, 39,090 km crushed stone, gravel, stabilized soil: 23,097 km improved earth; 7,250 km unimproved earth

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

Lake Kariba is a potential line of communication

Pipelines [time series]

8 km, refined products

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

2,745 km 1.067-meter gauge; 42 km double track; 355 km electrified

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; consists of radio relay links, open-wire lines, and radio communications stations; 247,000 telephones; stations--8 AM, 18 FM, 8 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Police Support Unit, People's Militia

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$446.7 million (FY89 est.)

Military manpower [time series]

males 15-49, 2,173,448; 1,342,920 fit for military service

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for about 15% of GDP and employs over 70% of population; 40% of land area divided into 6,000 large commercial farms and 42% in communal lands; crops--corn (food staple), cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; livestock--cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; self-sufficient in food

Aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY80-88), $359 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.0 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $36 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $134 million

Budget [time series]

revenues $2.4 billion; expenditures $3.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $290 million (FY90)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Zimbabwean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents

Electricity [time series]

2,036,000 kW capacity; 5,460 million kWh produced, 540 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1--2.2873 (January 1990), 2.1133 (1989), 1.8018 (1988), 1.6611 (1987), 1.6650 (1986), 1.6119 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--agricultural 34% (tobacco 21%, other 13%), manufactures 19%, gold 11%, ferrochrome 11%, cotton 6%; partners--Europe 55% (EC 41%, Netherlands 6%, other 8%), Africa 22% (South Africa 12%, other 10%), US 6%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$2.96 billion (December 1989 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 July-30 June

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$4.6 billion, per capita $470; real growth rate 5.3% (1988 est.)

Imports [time series]

$1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--machinery and transportation equipment 37%, other manufactures 22%, chemicals 16%, fuels 15%; partners--EC 31%, Africa 29% (South Africa 21%, other 8%), US 8%, Japan 4%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 4.7% (1988 est.)

Industries [time series]

mining, steel, clothing and footwear, chemicals, foodstuffs, fertilizer, beverage, transportation equipment, wood products

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

7.4% (1988)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Agriculture employs a majority of the labor force and supplies almost 40% of exports. The agro-based manufacturing sector produces a variety of goods and contributes about 25% to GDP. Mining accounts for only 5% of both GDP and employment, but supplies of minerals and metals account for about 40% of exports. Wide year-to-year fluctuations in agricultural production over the past six years resulted in not only an uneven growth rate, but one that did not equal the 3% annual increase in population.

Unemployment rate [time series]

at least 20% (1988 est.)

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

none--landlocked

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than Montana

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia is in disagreement

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare; deforestation; soil erosion; air and water pollution; desertification

Land boundaries [time series]

3,066 km total; Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km

Land use [time series]

7% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 12% meadows and pastures; 62% forest and woodland; 19% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Maritime claims [time series]

none--landlocked

Natural resources [time series]

coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin

Note [time series]

landlocked

Terrain [time series]

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

Area (Total area) [time series]

390,580 km2; land area: 386,670 km2

Administrative divisions [time series]

8 provinces; Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands, Victoria (commonly called Masvingo)

Capital [time series]

Harare

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

no Communist party

Constitution [time series]

21 December 1979

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Counselor (Political Affairs), Head of Chancery, Ambassador Stanislaus Garikai CHIGWEDERE; Chancery at 2852 McGill Terrace NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-7100; US--Ambassador-designate Steven RHODES; Embassy at 172 Rhodes Avenue, Harare (mailing address is P. O. Box 3340, Harare); telephone 263o (14) 794-521

Executive branch [time series]

president, vice president, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

18 April 1980 (from UK; formerly Southern Rhodesia)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court Chief of State and Head of Government--Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987)

Legal system [time series]

mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral Parliament

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Republic of Zimbabwe

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ACP, AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Robert Mugabe; Zimbabwe African National Union-Sithole (ZANU-S), Ndabaningi Sithole; Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM), Edgar Tekere

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 President--last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held March 1995); results--President Robert Mugabe 78.3%; Edgar Tekere 21.7%; Parliament--last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held March 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(150 total, 120 elected) ZANU 116, ZUM 2, ZANU-S 1, to be determined 1

Government type (Type) [time series]

parliamentary democracy

Birth rate [time series]

42 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate [time series]

9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

65 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force [time series]

3,100,000; 74% agriculture, 16% transport and services, 10% mining, manufacturing, construction (1987)

Languages (Language) [time series]

English (official); Shona and Ndebele

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

59 years male, 63 years female (1990)

Literacy [time series]

74%

Nationality [time series]

noun--Zimbabwean(s); adjective--Zimbabwean

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor [time series]

17% of wage and salary earners have union membership

Population [time series]

10,392,161 (July 1990), growth rate 3.3% (1990)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

50% syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs), 25% Christian, 24% indigenous beliefs, a few Muslim

Total fertility rate [time series]

5.8 children born/woman (1990)