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Zimbabwe is a country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambesi and Limpopo rivers. With an area of 390,000 square kilometer and a population estimated at 11.3 million, it is surrounded by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the west, Zambia to the north and Mozambique to the east. After 33 years of administration by the British South Africa Company, from 1923 until 1980 it was officially the British colony of Southern Rhodesia, though Ian Smith's white minority government proclaimed independence unilaterally in 1965 as the State (subsequently Republic) of Rhodesia.
Geography of Zimbabwe
Main article: Geography of Zimbabwe
After a brief period as Rhodesia in 1979 under an internal settlement between the regime and part of the African opposition movement, the country was returned to British rule at the end of 1979 pending elections which led to legal independence under majority government on 18 April 1980. Since then, under the dictatorial regime of Robert Mugabe, the country has declined economically.
History of Zimbabwe
Main article: History of Zimbabwe
The gross misuse of land, badly-managed resources and misappropriated donor funding (from organisations like the International Monetary Fund) have led the international community to forecast severe famine in the region by mid-2003. Many observers believe the country is now on the verge of genocide, particularly as the ruling Zanu-PF elite continues with its controversial Land Reform policies, which has caught international attention because white farmers have been targeted. As former Speaker of Parliament, Didymus Mutasa, has put it: "We would be better off with only six million people, with our own people who support the liberation struggle. We don't want all these extra people". By starving people to death you avoid the gory images that came pouring out of Rwanda. By the withholding of grain supplies from AIDS victims you speed up their deaths and can then (if anyone asks awkward questions) hide the murder behind AIDS statistics. All the while, you ingrain in your people that sense of racial and tribal hatred (whether the divisions be black/white or Shona/Ndebele) so that when your own supporters start starving, their desperation can be moulded more easily into hatred against an opposition. The state-monopoly Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has prohibited the importation of food by private citizens.
Economy of Zimbabwe
Main article: Economy of Zimbabwe
However a growing opposition party called the Movement for Democratic change (MDC), led by Morgan Tsvangirai and growing to popular strength has led many people to believe that political change must come, hopefully through democratic process and the restoration of Zimbabwean rule of law. During 2002, the country's much-contested Presidential elections (many Zimbabweans considered Morgan Tsvangirai to be a clear winner) are believed to have been manipulated to deflect the winnings back to the ruling Zanu-PF government.
For the country once considered the bread basket of the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region, the future remains sad and uncertain. The international community believes that political decisions made both overseas and by Zimbabwe's southern-most neighbour South Africa are crucial to the balance of power in this sovereign state. Under the direction of South African President Thabo Mbeki it remains to be seen whether Mbeki's proposed plan for a true African Renaissance will include political freedom and the rule of law within Zimbabwe.
- History of Zimbabwe
- Geography of Zimbabwe
- Demographics of Zimbabwe
- Politics of Zimbabwe
- Economy of Zimbabwe
- Communications in Zimbabwe
- Transportation in Zimbabwe
- Military of Zimbabwe
- Foreign relations of Zimbabwe
External Links
- SADC Database - Database on Food & Agriculture in SADC Countries
- World-wide press freedom index - Rank 122 out of 139 countries (report 2002)
- Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum