Zimbabwe - Basic Facts
By By Sharon DeeZimbabwe is situated in Southern Africa, Zimbabwe is bordered to the South by South Africa, Mozambique to the East, Zambia to the North and Botswana to the West.
Zimbabwe is a Shona word derived from dzimba dzamabwe meaning "stone buildings" and refers to the many ruined stone walls which mark the existence centuries ago of Shona towns in which the houses and cattle kraals were separated and surrounded by stone walls. The best known of these, the largest, near present day, after which the modern state Zimbabwe is named, is usually referred to as "Great Zimbabwe" Zimbabwe is home to the Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world, the stone enclosures of Great Zimbabwe - remnants of a past empire - and to herds of elephant and other game roaming vast stretches of wilderness
Zimbabwe is a land of diversity and contrasts and unrivalled natural beauty even though it is landlocked It is a land where one can experience nature first-hand. It is also a land with a fascinating history that provides depth and meaning. Past and present are so inextricably part of everyday life that it is impossible to separate the two.
Zimbabwe is twice the size of the United Kingdom (290 559sq km) with a population of 12.9million and Harare being the capital city. Zimbabwe boast of a literacy rate of 90.2% in 2000, the highest in Africa
Economy: Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems Current problems include a shortage of foreign exchange, fuel, soaring inflation, and supply shortages. According to official figures, inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to a high of 1193.5% in May 2006, a state of hyperinflation. (It fell to 993.6 in July 2006). This has led to a high incidences of opportunistic theft, especially of handbags etc, and muggings are increasingly popular.
Climate - Temperature vary between 12 degrees Celsius in winter to 38 degrees Celsius in summer
Capital City -Harare
Other towns: Bulawayo, Masvingo, Mutare ,Gweru , Kadoma , Chinhoyi
Languages -English -Official
Major vernacular languages- Shona and Sindebele widely spoken.
Other languages -Tonga, Venda, Hwesa, Sotho, Nambya, Doma & Shangani
Religion - Christianity, Muslim, Hindu and African tradition/culture
Currency - 1ZW$ = 100 cents
Business Hours - Mon Tue Thur Fri 0800hrs - 1630hrs
Saturday 0800hrs - 1300hrs
For more information visit Zimbabwe website for more on Zimbabwe
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