Geography

Physical Geography

Zimbabwe’s total land space is estimated to be 390,757 sq. km. It is a landlocked country wedged between two major rivers: the Limpopo in the south and to the north the Zambezi, which flows into the world renowned Victoria Falls and into the rocky Batoko gorge. The Eastern Highlands, along Zimbabwe`s eastern border with Mozambique, is a region of forests and mountain streams rising to elevations of 2 592 metres (Mt. Inyangani is the country’s highest point) and stretching from Chimanimani in the south to Nyanga in the north. The Eastern Highlands experience a Mediterranean type of climate suitable for tea growing, timber production and fruit production. The central Zimbabwean plateau, situated at an elevation of between 800 and 1500 metres above sea level, is an area of extensive miombo woodlands, open plains and wooded boulder-strewn hills. It is the agricultural heart of Zimbabwe and includes most of the country’s highly productive commercial farms. The Great Dyke, a band of short, narrow ridges and hills spanning 530 km across Zimbabw’s centre from north to south, is extremely rich in platinum, chromium and other ore deposits that support the Zimbabwe economy. The southern and western parts of the country have massive domes of granite and are generally not well suited for agriculture. Western Zimbabwe, encompassing Matabeleland, is situated on the edge of the Kalahari Desert and comprises extensive Kalahari thornveld while the south-eastern lowveld region, bordering South Africa and Mozambique, is located in the hot Limpopo basin which receives minimum rainfall throughout the rainy season.

Human Geography

The capital, Harare, is located in the northern province of Mashonaland, which covers the eastern two-thirds of the country and is the area where most Shona-speaking people live. The second largest city, Bulawayo, is in Matabeleland in the south-west, where most Ndebele-speaking people live.

Zimbabwe has an estimated population of 12 million (based on the UN estimates of year 2005). In terms of the age structure, 39.64 percent are between 0 and 14 years (female, 2,222,277; male, 2,274,128), 56.82 percent are between 15 and 64 years (female, 3,192,888; male, 3,251,860), while 3.54 percent are 65 years or older (female, 197,340; male 204,028).

According to the latest figures from the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), the life expectancy for men in Zimbabwe is now pegged at 37 years and the life expectancy for women at 34 years of age, the lowest recorded in the world in 2006. Like most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Zimbabwe’s population structure has been highly affected by a high HIV infection rate of 33.7 %, particularly in the 15–49 age groups (2008 figures).

Figures from the Human Development Report of 2007/2008, available from http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_ZWE.html