Facts about Zimbabwe; people

1. Zimbabwe is a multi-racial and multi ethnic country. The largest ethnic group is Shona followed by Ndebele. They make up about 70% and 20% of the total population respectively.
2. Zimbabwe has Africa’s highest literacy rate. Over 91% of the population can read and write.
3. English, Ndebele and Shona are the official languages of Zimbabwe. Parliamentary and cabinet sessions are done in English.

Zimbabwe Facts; weather and climate

1. Zimbabwe has a moderate tropical climate getting rains between October and March
2. Zimbabwe last experienced snow in August 1935 at Nyangani mountain, Eastern Highlands.
3. Zimbabwe is among few Africans with a winter season between May and July. The coldest regions are the Eastern Highlands and the central Zimbabwe plateau where morning and night temperatures can fall below 10.
4. The hottest areas of Zimbabwe are the low veld region around Chiredzi and the Zambezi region covering Mana Pools, Lake Kariba all the way to Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park.

Zimbabwe Facts; natural resources

1. Zimbabwe is rich in natural resources, the country has gold, coal, platinum, nickel and many other minerals.
2. Zimbabwe is also known for its wide varieties of African wild animals including the big 5, rare and endangered African animals. There is also a wide range of other species like African antelope.
3. Hwange National Park is the largest game reserve in Zimbabwe. It is located near Hwange Colliery Mine, closer to Victoria Falls.

Zimbabwe Facts; famous landmarks

1. Zimbabwe’s famous landmarks are the Eastern Highlands, Victoria Falls, Birchenough Bridge, Zambezi River, Kariba Dam, Great Zimbabwe and Balancing Rocks.
2. Zimbabwe shares Victoria Falls, Lake Kariba and some sections of Zambezi river with Zambia. These resorts are on the borders of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
3. Balancing rocks are a common feature of Zimbabwe landmarks. The most well known are Chiremba in Epworth, Domboshawa and Matobo Hills. The later is the burial site for Cecil John Rhodes.

Zimbabwe Facts; height above sea level

1. Mount Nyangani, the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe is the country’s highest point. It is about 2 600 m high.
2. Runde and Save (Sabi) rivers intersection mark the country’s lowest elevation point at about 160 m.

Zimbabwe Facts; transportation

1. Zimbabwe has three international airports, they are Harare International Airport, Joshua Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo and Victoria Falls International Airport. There are other smaller domestic airports in places like Gweru, Hwange, Mutare, Masvingo, Lake Kariba and Chiredzi.
2. Road is the most common form of transport in Zimbabwe. There are also train services linking places like Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls.
3. Air transport is used to connect between major cities mainly Harare Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. Small charter planes and unscheduled flights are available to many places including remote safari areas and game reserves. Charles Prince airport in Harare specialises in non scheduled and private flights.
4. Water based transport is rarely used in Zimbabwe. Ferries and speed boats are used in Lake Kariba and Zambezi. This is mainly for tourism and recreational purposes.

Zimbabwe Facts; other things

1. Zimbabwe got its independence in 1980 from Britain. 18 April is a public holiday in Zimbabwe to commemorate Zimbabwe’s independence.
2. The name Zimbabwe is derived from the ancient stone city of Great Zimbabwe. The 12th century metropolis is refered to as “Dzimbabwe or Dzimba Dzamabwe” meaning houses of stone
3. Harare is the Capital city of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo is the second largest city after Harare.
4. Zimbabwe’s international phone dialing code is +263. The internet TLD is .co.zw