Country Flag of Zimbabwe Map of Zimbabwe, Courtesy of WorldAtlas.com

Local time in Harare:


Facts and Figures

arrow Official Name Republic of Zimbabwe.

arrow Capital City Harare.

arrow Languages English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects.

arrow Official Currency Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD).

arrow Ethnic Groups African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1%.

arrow Religions Syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%.

arrow Population 11,376,676. Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.).

arrow Land Area 1,127,000 sq km (439,530 sq mi).

History

The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence.

UNAIDS Epidemiological
Fact Sheets

[English] [French]

Global Surveillance of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is a joint effort of WHO and UNAIDS. The UNAIDS/WHO Working Group on Global HIV/AIDS and STI Surveillance, initiated in November 1996, guides respective activities. The primary objective of the working group is to strengthen national, regional and global structures and networks for improved monitoring and surveillance of HIV/AIDS and STIs. For this purpose, the working group collaborates closely with national AIDS programmes and a number of national and international experts and institutions. The goal of this collaboration is to compile the best information available and to improve the quality of data needed for informed decision-making and planning at national, regional and global levels. The Epidemiological Fact Sheets are one of the products of this close and fruitful collaboration across the globe.

Zimbabwe Contacts

Country Name Title Office Telephone Fax
Zimbabwe Mike St. Louis, MD Director, Zimbabwe-CDC AIDS Proj 263 4 796 040/ 796 048 263 4 796 032
 
 Robert Mayes Scientific Info. Specialist 263 4 796 040/ 796 048
 263 4 796 032
 
 Mark Fussell Public Health Advisor 263 4 796 040/ 796 048
 263 4 796 032

Websites

U.S. Government Agencies

CDC Zimbabwe Fact Sheet
Zimbabwe, one of Africa's most beautiful countries and home to the gorgeous Victoria Falls, sets on a high plateau between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers, with a range of mountains and highlands along the eastern border. English is the official language, but most people speak Shona or Sindebele as a first language.

US Department of State - Travel Advisory
Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Countries where avoidance of travel is recommended will have Travel Warnings as well as Consular Information Sheets.

HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe
With an adult HIV prevalence of 34 percent at the end of 2001, up from an estimated 25 percent two years earlier, Zimbabwe is among the countries hardest hit by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. At the end of 2001, 2 million adults were living with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe, with women comprising 60 percent of cases.

World Fact Book Zimbabwe Fact Sheet
The Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the encyclopedic NIS studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO).

Zimbabwe:

Futures Group: Health and Development Solutions
The Futures Group is committed to making a positive difference in the world's response to public health and social issues. We have shaped our company with an eye toward promoting thoughtful, strategic, and relevant policy and program options to address these concerns. Our Mission is to help our clients develop comprehensive, creative, and contextually-appropriate solutions today for the public health and social issues facing the world tomorrow. In support of this mission, we strive to encourage and support an environment in which skilled, innovative, and dedicated researchers and practitioners can work to help improve the human condition throughout the world.

SHAPE Hope Network: Zimbabwe
SHAPE Zimbabwe is a Non-Governmental Organisation which is working to promote AIDS awareness among young people in Zimbabwe. We hope through our work and through this website to contribute substantially to the global effort to fight, control, and one day, eradicate, HIV/AIDS.

Southern Africa HIV/AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS)
The South African HIV/AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS) is a regional HIV/AIDS resource (RHR) established in 1994 and based in Zimbabwe. The organisation's goal is to disseminate HIV/AIDS information in order to promote, inform and support appropriate responses to the epidemic in the fields of HIV prevention, care, long-term planning and coping with the impact.

Tsungirirai
Tsungirirai is a grassroots non-profit agency located outside of the capital city of Harare in Zimbabwe. We provide support and care for AIDS orphans living in the high density suburbs of Harare. We offer meals, school funds, psychosocial support, basic medication and skills training to 105 orphans from the surrounding community. We also have a home based care team, sponsor a support group for people with AIDS, provide HIV education and training to the community and offer HIV counseling and testing.

Zimbabwe Embassy
Tourism is Zimbabwe’s fastest-growing industry. The country offers a large variety of scenery, one of the African continent’s finest and largest concentrations of wildlife, a perfect climate (an average of 7 hours of sunshine daily throughout the year).




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Zimbabwe

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