ZW is the abbreviation for Zimbabwe, the 60th largest country in the world. Officially Republic of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe is a country located in southern Africa, bordering South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique. Harare is the capital city of Zimbabwe. Major cities include Harare (population: 1,542,802), Bulawayo (population: 699,374), Chitungwiza (population: 340,349), Mutare (population: 184,194), Gweru (population: 146,062), Kwekwe (population: 99,138), Kadoma (population: 79,163), Masvingo (population: 76,279), Chinhoyi (population: 61,728), and Marondera (population: 57,071).
Country Profile
- Capital: Harare
- Language: Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa
- Area: 390,757 km2
- Population: 16,150,362
- Currency: RTGS Dollar
- Time zone: UTC+2
- Calling code: 263
- ISO 2-Letter Abbreviation: ZW
- UN 3-Letter Abbreviation: ZWE
- Internet TLD: .zw
- State Government Website: parlzim.gov.zw
List of Zimbabwe Acronyms
The most commonly used abbreviations about Zimbabwe are ZW which stands for Zimbabwe and RTGS which means RTGS Dollar (Zimbabwe currency). In the following table, you can see all acronyms related to Zimbabwe, including abbreviations for airport, city, school, port, government, and etc.
Geography
Zimbabwe is located on the South African high plateau and has large areas of mountains and mountains, as well as larger forested savannas. In the west there are swamp and wetland areas. In the east, dense jungle grows along the Inyanga mountain range, which forms a natural boundary with neighboring Mozambique. Zimbabwe is completely off the coast.
The climate is subtropical and the temperatures vary with the height above the sea. Zimbabwe has little rainfall. Most of the rainfall comes between November and March, and often varies from year to year. Several areas are too dry to farm.
The country has major environmental challenges, especially in agriculture. The use of toxic pesticides is among the highest in the world. Deforestation and soil erosion threaten to destroy the soil, and in cities the air is heavily polluted by heavy industry and traffic. Several endangered species are at risk of extinction because snipers roam freely in the national parks.
History
Zimbabwe has been inhabited by the Shona and Ndebele people groups for almost 2,000 years. The country was a rich trading center from the 800-1400s. Zimbabwe is named after a medieval city of the same name, where it is estimated that there were as many as 20,000 people living at the time. Throughout the 15th century, the city experienced a decline due to overpopulation and depletion of land and forest.
Over the next centuries, European adventurers, traders and missionaries began to come to the area, and the local kingdoms lost much power and vast lands. The British South Africa Company gained control of Zimbabwe in the late 1800s, until the country became a British colony under the name Southern Rhodesia in 1923.
In 1962, the racist party Rhodesian Front (RF) came to power after a clear electoral victory, and in 1965 the country declared itself independent from the British Commonwealth. The country was named Rhodesia and was ruled by a white minority.
In 1968, the UN passed a resolution banning all members from trading with Rhodesia. A black resistance movement grew and waged guerrilla war against the government throughout the 1970s. In 1980 the country became independent and took the name Zimbabwe. Liberation leader Robert Mugabe ruled the country from 1980 until he was deposed by a bloodless military coup in 2017.
Society and politics
In theory, Zimbabwe is a multi-party parliamentary republic. Since independence in 1980, however, the Constitution has been amended several times to increase the power of then- President Robert Mugabe, and the country has served as a one-party state. Mugabe’s party ZANU-PF controls most parts of society. Emmerson Mnangagwa took over the presidency after the coup against Mugabe, and in 2018, an election was held. The opposition is divided and pursued by the CIO security police.
Reforms to redistribute the land from the white upper class to the black lower class had disastrous consequences for the country. People were displaced from their farms, and large agricultural areas were destroyed because they were not operated properly.
Since 1990, the country has experienced several economic crises that have hit the population hard. Zimbabwe also participated in a war against DR Congo in the 1990s, which helped to destroy the economy. Since 2000, the country has been characterized by political turmoil and an ever-worse life for its citizens. Increasing poverty and unemployment have led to poorer health, hunger and lower average age. Cases of HIV and AIDS have increased, following a decline before the crisis. A great many inhabitants depend on food aid, especially when crops fail.
Human rights are poor, and freedom of speech is restricted by several laws. This has led to demands for registration of journalists and restrictions on what can be published. Corruption is widespread in the country.
Economics and Commerce
Zimbabwe’s economy experienced a downturn in the 1990s, when the country was hit hard by drought. Many highly educated people moved, and the government had to raise large loans to import corn and other foods. The World Bank and the Monetary Fund launched programs to get the economy on the right track, but withdrew when the country stopped paying the repayments on the many loans.
The political situation has led many Western countries to withhold aid and refuse to trade with Zimbabwe. During the 2000s, the situation developed into a deep economic crisis. The industry worked only partially, and there was a shortage of electric power and qualified workers.
Agriculture was almost completely destroyed after the disastrous land reforms of the 1990s and 2000s. As money has lost almost all its value, more and more residents have become dependent on changing goods and services in order to survive. In 2009, however, the economy began to grow, after a transitional government was elected. The country has experienced extreme inflation (hyperinflation) and is still struggling to control this problem.
View this article in other languages:
Deutsch – Français – 繁體中文
