Republic of Zimbabwe

Wealth and National Well-Being

Country Comparisons:
2010: see chart (bottom)

World Factbook: "Zimbabwe's economy is growing at a brisk pace despite continuing political uncertainty. Following a decade of contraction, Zimbabwe's economy recorded real growth of 5.9% in 2010."

Import/Export ratio
2010: 62.08% unfavorable balance

Exports cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles and clothing.

People

Living in an urban area
2010: 38%

Literacy, Age 15 and Older
2003: males 94.2%, females 87.2%

Religion
Christian and part indigenous, 50%. Christian, 25%. Indigenous beliefs, 24%. Other, 1percent.

Geography

Between Zambia and South Africa north and south, Botswana and Mozambique east and west. Landlocked. Slightly larger than Montana. Tropical.

Government

Presidents elected by popular vote to six-years terms. Unicameral legislature: 150 seats. Members elected by popular vote to five-year terms. Capital: Harare, before 1982 called Salisbury.

Recent History

Independence in 1980. The only ruler since: the leader of the independence movement, Robert Mugabe, first as Prime Minister then in 1987 as President.

According to the World Factbook, Mugabe rigged the elections for the year 2002. The Commonwealth responded by suspending Zimbabwe, and later Mugabe removed Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth.

Mugabe has announced that he will step down when his "revolution" is complete. He claims this to mean the redistribution of white-owned lands and choosing his successor.

March 2009: The terrible inflation has ended, but people still have a hard time buying food and there is starvation. President Mugabee, a Marxist leader of Zimbabwe's independence movement three decades ago, and his cronies, have given their country disastrous leadership. Mugabee leads as one of the world's foremost clowns.