Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/265.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 9.2 KB | 350 lines

@node Geography (Zimbabwe)
@section Geography (Zimbabwe)

@display

Location:
  Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  390,580 km2
 land area:
  386,670 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly larger than Montana
Land boundaries:
  total 3,066 km, Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km,
  Zambia 797 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia is in disagreement
Climate:
  tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain:
  mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in
  east
Natural resources:
  coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium,
  lithium, tin, platinum group metals
Land use:
 arable land:
  7%
 permanent crops:   0%
 meadows and pastures:
  12%
 forest and woodland:
  62%
 other:
  19%
Irrigated land:
  2,200 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
  recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare; deforestation; soil
  erosion; air and water pollution
Note:
  landlocked



@end display

@node People (Zimbabwe)
@section People (Zimbabwe)

@display

Population:
  10,837,772 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.32% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  38.16 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  17.68 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -7.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  75.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  42.82 years
 male:
  41.2 years
 female:
  44.49 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  5.26 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Zimbabwean(s)
 adjective:
  Zimbabwean
Ethnic divisions:
  African 98% (Shona 71%, Ndebele 16%, other 11%), white 1%, mixed and Asian
  1%
Religions:
  syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%,
  indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%
Languages:
  English (official), Shona, Sindebele
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
 total population:   67%
 male:
  74%
 female:
  60%
Labor force:
  3.1 million
 by occupation:
  agriculture 74%, transport and services 16%, mining, manufacturing,
  construction 10% (1987)



@end display

@node Government (Zimbabwe)
@section Government (Zimbabwe)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  Republic of Zimbabwe
 conventional short form:
  Zimbabwe
 former:
  Southern Rhodesia
Digraph:
  ZI
Type:
  parliamentary democracy
Capital:
  Harare
Administrative divisions:
  8 provinces; Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland
  West, Masvingo (Victoria), Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands
Independence:
  18 April 1980 (from UK)
Constitution:
  21 December 1979
Legal system:
  mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 18 April (1980)
Political parties and leaders:
  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; Democratic Party (DP), Emmanuel
  MAGOCHE; Forum Party, Enock DUMBUTSHENA
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Elections:
 Executive President:
  last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1996); results - Robert
  MUGABE 78.3%, Edgar TEKERE 21.7%
 Parliament:
  last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1995); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (150 total, 120 elected) ZANU-PF 117,
  ZUM 2, ZANU-S 1
Executive branch:
  executive president, 2 vice presidents, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  unicameral Parliament
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Leaders:
 Chief of State and Head of Government:
  Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Co-Vice
  President Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987); Co-Vice President
  Joshua M. NKOMO (since 6 August 1990)
Member of:
  ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-15, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
  IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS,
  NAM, OAU, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UPU, WCL,
  WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Counselor (Political Affairs), Head of Chancery, Ambassador-designate Amos
  Bernard Muvengwa MIDZI



@end display

@node Government (Zimbabwe 2. usage)
@section Government (Zimbabwe 2. usage)

@display

 chancery:
  1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
 telephone:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Edward Gibson LANPHER
 embassy:
  172 Herbert Chitapo Avenue, Harare
 mailing address:
  P. O. Box 3340, Harare
 telephone:
  [263] (4) 794-521
 FAX:
  [263] (4) 796-488
Flag:
  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



@end display

@node Economy (Zimbabwe)
@section Economy (Zimbabwe)

@display

Overview:
  Agriculture employs three-fourths of the labor force and supplies almost 40%
  of exports. The manufacturing sector, based on agriculture and mining,
  produces a variety of goods and contributes 35% 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 fluctuations in agricultural
  production over the past six years have resulted in an uneven growth rate,
  one that on average has matched the 3% annual increase in population. Helped
  by an IMF/World Bank structural adjustment program, output rose 3.5% in
  1991. A severe drought in 1991/92 caused the economy to contract by about
  10% in 1992.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $6.2 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  -10% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $545 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  45% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  at least 35% (1993 est.)
Budget:
  revenues $2.7 billion; expenditures $3.3 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $330 million (FY91)
Exports:
  $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
 commodities:
  agricultural 35% (tobacco 20%, other 15%), manufactures 20%, gold 10%,
  ferrochrome 10%, cotton 5%
 partners:
  UK 14%, Germany 11%, South Africa 10%, Japan 7%, US 5% (1991)
Imports:
  $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
 commodities:
  machinery and transportation equipment 37%, other manufactures 22%,
  chemicals 16%, fuels 15%
 partners:
  UK 15%, Germany 9%, South Africa 5%, Botswana 5%, US 5%, Japan 5% (1991)
External debt:
  $3.9 billion (March 1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 5% (1991 est.); accounts for 38% of GDP
Electricity:
  3,650,000 kW capacity; 8,920 million kWh produced, 830 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
  mining, steel, clothing and footwear, chemicals, foodstuffs, fertilizer,
  beverage, transportation equipment, wood products
Agriculture:
  accounts for 13% of GDP and employs 74% of population; 40% of land area
  divided into 4,500 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
Economic aid:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY80-89), $389 million; Western (non-US)
  countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.6 billion; OPEC
  bilateral aid (1979-89), $36 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $134
  million
Currency:
  1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents



@end display

@node Economy (Zimbabwe 2. usage)
@section Economy (Zimbabwe 2. usage)

@display

Exchange rates:
  Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1 - 6.3532 (February 1993), 5.1046 (1992),
  3.4282 (1991), 2.4480 (1990), 2.1133 (1989), 1.8018 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June



@end display

@node Communications (Zimbabwe)
@section Communications (Zimbabwe)

@display

Railroads:
  2,745 km 1.067-meter gauge (including 42 km double track, 355 km
  electrified)
Highways:
  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
Inland waterways:
  Lake Kariba is a potential line of communication
Pipelines:
  petroleum products 212 km
Airports:
 total:
  485
 usable:
  403
 with permanent-surface runways:
  22
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  2
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  3
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  29
Telecommunications:
  system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor
  maintenance; consists of microwave links, open-wire lines, and radio
  communications stations; 247,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 8 AM, 18
  FM, 8 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Zimbabwe)
@section Defense Forces (Zimbabwe)

@display

Branches:
  Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police
  (including Police Support Unit, Paramilitary Police), People's Militia
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 2,315,461; fit for military service 1,436,671 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $412.4 million, about 6% of GDP (FY91 est.)



@end display