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Zimbabwe

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Overview

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Zimbabwe
Anthem Simudzai Mureza wedu WeZimbabwe (Shona) (Blessed be the land of Zimbabwe)
Watch on youtube (with lyrics in video description)
Capital Harare
Largest city Harare
Official language(s) English
Demonym(a name for a resident of a locality, often the same as the name of the people's native language) Zimbabwean
Government Semi presidential, parliamentary, consociationalist republic
Area 390,757 km2, 150,871 sq mi
Population ~ 13 million
Currency US dollar (USD)
Internet TLD .zw
 

Geography

Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked(a term used to refer to a region, especially a country, that does not border the sea) country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east.
 
Zimbabwe
The capital of Zimbabwe is Harare. It has an estimated population of 1.6 Million. It is also the largest city of the country. Other large cities are Bulawayo, Chitungwiza and Mutare.
 
 

Society and culture

Population

Zimbabwe's total population is 12 million. Black ethnic groups make up 98% of the population. The majority people, the Shona, comprise 80 to 84%. The Ndebele are the second most populous with 10 to 15% of the population. Other Bantu ethnic groups make up 2 to 5%. These are Venda, Tonga, Shangaan, Kalanga, Sotho, Ndau and Nambya.

Languages

Zimbabwe has three official languages: English, Shona and Ndebele. Only less than 2.5%, mainly the white and coloured (mixed race) minorities, consider English their native language. The rest of the population speak Bantu languages such as Shona (76%), Ndebele (18%) and the other minority languages of Venda, Tonga, Shangaan, Kalanga, Sotho, Ndau and Nambya. English is spoken primarily in the cities, but less so in rural areas. Radio and television news is now broadcast in Shona, Ndebele and English.

Religion

Some 85% of Zimbabweans are Christian. 62% of the population attends religious services regularly. The largest Christian churches are Anglican, Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist and Methodist. As in other African countries, Christianity may be mixed with traditional beliefs. Besides Christianity, ancestral(pertaining to people from whom a person is descended) worship is the most practised non-Christian religion.
 

Government and politics

Zimbabwe is a republic with a semi-presidential system. It has a parliamentary government. The upper chamber of Parliament is the Senate, while the lower chamber is the House of Assembly. The current president is Robert Mugabe. His party, the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (commonly abbreviated ZANU-PF), has been the dominant political party in Zimbabwe since independence.
 

Economy

Mineral exports, agriculture, and tourism are the main foreign currency earners of Zimbabwe. The mining sector remains very lucrative(bringing financial profit). The Marange diamond fields, found in 2006, are considered the biggest diamond find in over a century. Zimbabwe is the biggest trading partner of South Africa on the continent. Zimbabwe maintained positive economic growth throughout the 1980s and 1990s. However, the economy declined(to fall; to reduce) from 2000.
 
 
Source: http://www.learning-english-online.net/cultural-studies/english-speaking-countries/zimbabwe/

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