ZIMBABWE

n.

officially Republic of Zimbabwe formerly Rhodesia

Landlocked country, south-central Africa.

Area: 150,873 sq mi (390,759 sq km). Population (2002 est.): 11,377,000. Capital: Harare . The Shona make up about 70% of the population, the Ndebele about 16%, and whites about 2%. Languages: English (official); Bantu languages of the Shona and Ndebele are much more widely spoken. Religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs, Islam. Currency: Zimbabwe dollar. A vast plateau sloping southwest-northeast, the central part of which lies at an elevation of 4,000–5,000 ft (1,200–1,500 m), dominates Zimbabwe's landscape. The Zambezi River forms the country's northwestern boundary and contains Victoria Falls , as well as the major dam (completed 1959) that created Lake Kariba; the lake, measuring more than 2,000 sq mi (5,200 sq km), is one of the world's largest man-made lakes. The Limpopo and Save river basins are in the southeast. Agricultural products, livestock, and mineral reserves, including gold, are all economically important. Zimbabwe is a republic with one legislative house; its head of state and government is the president. Remains of Stone Age cultures dating back 500,000 years have been found in the area. The first Bantu-speaking peoples reached it during the 5th–10th centuries AD, driving the Bushmen inhabitants into the desert. A second migration of Bantu speakers began 0441; 1830. During this period the British and Afrikaners moved up from the south, and the area came under the administration of the British South Africa Company (1889–1923). Called Southern Rhodesia (1911–64), it became a self-governing British colony in 1923. The colony united in 1953 with Nyasaland (Malawi) and Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) to form the Central African Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The federation dissolved in 1963, and Southern Rhodesia reverted to its former colonial status. In 1965 it issued a unilateral declaration of independence considered illegal by the British government, which led to economic sanctions against it. The country, which proclaimed itself a republic in 1970, called itself Rhodesia from 1964 to 1979. In 1979 it instituted limited majority rule and changed its name to Zimbabwe Rhodesia. It was granted independence by Britain in 1980 and became Zimbabwe. A multiparty system was established in 1990. During recent years there has been increased tension between white farmers and black government leaders as the government has tried to introduce policies offering blacks redress for discrimination suffered during colonial days.