2. The red stripes represent thebloodshed for independence from Britain in 1965. The yellow stripes represent the country’s mineral wealth in gold, platinum, nickel, coal, tin, copper and lithium. The green stripes represent the Zimbabwe’s agriculture and land. The black stripe represents the African people. The white area stands for peace. The Great Zimbabwe bird is a national symbol and the red star represents socialism.
3. The flag was adopted April 18, 1980. Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain and became Southern Rhodesia in 1965. Fifteen years later, Zimbabwe gained independence from Rhodesia on April 17, 1980.
4. The capital of Zimbabwe is Harare. The absolute location of Zimbabwe is 20° S and 30° E. total area: 390,580 sq km and land area: 386,670 sq km. Zimbabwe is slightly larger than Montana. Zimbabwe is bordered by Mozambique on the east, South Africa on the south, Botswana on the west, and Zambia in the northwest. Zimbabwe is a landlocked state.
5. Some 90 percent of animals have been lost since 2000. About 60 percent of the country’s total wildlife has been killed off to help ease massive economic woes.
6. The life expectancy for the total population is about 45.77 years. By 2003, the average income per person was less than 400 US dollars. Robert Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe for nearly three decades and has led it to a fallen state in poverty. The population of Zimbabwe is 11,392,629. The median age is 17.6 years old.
7. WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME TO CUT CORE MAIZE RATION FROM 10KG TO 5KG A MONTH – OR JUST 600 CALORIES A DAY – FOR 70% OF THE POPULATION “The United Nations is to halve the food ration to millions of Zimbabweans, bringing it below what will keep an adult alive, as the numbers of people dependent on aid rises sharply and donations from foreign governments fall well short of demand.” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/29/zimbabwe-starving-food-aid-cut)
8. There aren’t any migrants coming into Zimbabwe because of the poor economy and the evil dictator Robert Mugabe. However, there are many refugees leaving Zimbabwe. There is an increasing flow of migrants to South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities and freedom from the harsh rule of Mugabe.
9. Africans make up 98% of the population and are related to the two Bantu-speaking groups, the Shona (82%) and Ndebele (14%). Mixed and Asian ethnicities account for about 1% and whites less than 1%.
10. The Shona believe that ancestral spirits communicate with them through their dreams and they revere the dream state as the most powerful connection to the spiritual world. Each message or image that comes from a dream is a valuable direction from the protective spirits. $985 In Shonasociety, family bonding is the foundation of the entire culture. All laws of the Shona society serve to protect these bonds. In the sculpture to the right, the arms and bodies are carved with a continuous flow of rhythm to signify the bonds of their souls. $225
11. Begun during the eleventh century A.D., the Bantu-speaking Shona ancestors constructed Great Zimbabwe. For more than 300 years, Great Zimbabwe was established and expanded with terrific structure. It has walls as high 36 feet extending 820 feet. Great Zimbabwe is the largest ancient structure south of the Sahara Desert. In the 1800s, European travelers and English colonizers were amazed by Great Zimbabwe’s structure. There were as many as 1500 European settlers in this area by 1892. On September 12, 1923, Rhodesia became a self-governing crown colony.
27. President Robert Mugabe Vice President J.T. Mujuru On the Zimbabwe Government website, they call him “His Excellence” Vice President J. Msika
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30. In the judicial branch, there is a Supreme Court and a High Court.
31. There are many political parties, including: African National Party or ANP Movement for Democratic Change or MDC Peace Action is Freedom for All or PAFA United People’s Party or UPP Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or ZAPU Zimbabwe Youth in Alliance or ZIYA
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34. In 1998-2002, its involvement with the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy.
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36. Agriculture corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs Industry mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel; wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages Services Zimbabwe has a growing tourism industry, with a number of world-class hotels, including the Victoria Falls Hotel.
37. Zimbabwe exports platinum, cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, and textiles/clothing. They import machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, and fuels.
38. “The spread of HIV/AIDS will not be stopped unless the human rights of women and girls are at the centre of the response.” – UNICEF “Growing evidence shows that getting and keeping young people in school, particularly girls, dramatically lowers their vulnerability to HIV... Evidence from Zimbabwe shows that among 15-18 year old girls, those who are enrolled in school are more than five times less likely to have HIV than those who have dropped out.” – Global Coalition on Women and AIDS “Girls and young women are highly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, and a lack of education makes them more so. Girls are at greater risk than boys because of gender inequalities in status, power, and access to resources.” – World Bank
