zimbabwe

=Zimbabwe=

__Fast facts:__
Name: Republic of Zimbabwe Population: 12,311,143 Area: 390,757km2 Language: English Capital City: Harare Currency: Zimbabwean Dollar Head of country: Robert Mugabe



__Location__
Zimbabwe is located in the Northern Hemisphere on the southern part of Africa in between Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique. Its coorinates are 20 00 S, 30 00 E

__Geographical Features__
The total area of Zimbabwe is 390,580 sq km and is mainly high plateau. Zimbabwe is a landlocked country as it is fully surrounded by other countries. Zimbabwe's highest peak, Mount Nyangani at 2,592 m, lies within the Nyanga National Park in the east of the country. The lowest point of Zimbabwe is the junction of the Runde and Save Rivers 162 m. Victoria Falls is a popular tourist destination on the Zambezi River.

__Climate__
Zimbabwe has a tropical climate, the altitude and relief greatly affect both temperature and rainfall in Zimbabwe. The higher areas in the east and the highveld receive more rainfall and are cooler than the lower areas. The rainy season occurs between November and March.

__**Economy**__ The GDP is $30.581 billion and the GDP per capita is $2,607. The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Zimbabwe uses $1.649 billion on exports. Zimbabwe exports cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys and textiles/clothing. The export partners are South Africa 31.5%, Zambia 7.8%, China 6.2%, Japan 5.8%, US 4.8%, Netherlands 4.5%, Italy 4.3%. The country imports $2.04 billion. Imports include machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals and fuels. The import partners are South Africa 46.8%, China 6%, Botswana 4.9%. Zimbabwe's currency is the Zimbabwean dollar.

__Government__
The official name for Zimbabwe is the Republic of Zimbabwe. The Parliment type is Parliamentary Democracy. Zimbabwe has 8 provinces and 2 cities. The Inderpendence day is on 18th April. The Legal System is a mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law. The sufferage age in Zimbabwe is 18 years. President Robert Gabriel is the chief of state as well as head of government. The Cabinet is appointed by the President for a six-year term. Elections were last held on 9-11 March 2002 and will next be held in March 2008. The Legislative Branch consists of a Senate which has 66 seats, 50 elected by popular vote for a five year term, 6 nominated by the President, 10 nominated by the Council of Chiefs and a House of Assembly which has 150 seats - 120 elected by popular vote and have a five year term, 12 nominated by the President, 10 by the traditional chiefs chosen by their peers and 8 occupied by provincial governors appointed by the President. The Judicial Branch is the Supreme Court and the High Court.

__History__
Much has happened in Zimbabwe since its origins in the hands of native Africans. There has been much interference by white colonies and today the power is slowly returning to the majority black people. The history of Zimbabwe began with the granting of independence by the British on 18 April 1980. The ZANU party won a majority in the elections in March 1980 with 53 out of 80 seats reserved for black voters. As well as changing the name of the country, the new government changed many place names in 1982, starting with the capital, Salisbury, which was renamed Harare. The new Constitution provided for a President as Head of State with a Prime Minister as Head of Government. This was later abolished in 1987. The Parliament was bicameral, with the House of Assembly and the Senate. Members included tribal chiefs. Under the Constitution, there were two separate voters rolls, one for the black African majority, who had 80% of the seats in Parliament and the other for whites and other ethnic minorities. In 1986 the Constitution was amended to scrap this system and in 1990, the Senate was abolished, and the House of Assembly's membership was increased to include members nominated by the President. Following independence, the rivalry that had been rising between ZAPU and ZANU erupted, with guerrilla activity starting again. Because of the unsettled situation the government kept in force a "state of emergency". Fighting contined and in 1987 the constitution was changed. The separate roll for white voters was abolished as reserved seats for whites. In 1990/1991 it was declared that half of the land belonging to white farmers would be allocated to blacks.