Zimbabwe
Republic of Zimbabwe
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Unity, Freedom, Work"
Anthem: Simudzai Mureza wedu WeZimbabwe  (Shona)
Kalibusiswe Ilizwe leZimbabwe  (Sindebele)
"Blessed be the land of Zimbabwe"
 

 
Capital
(and largest city)		 Harare (formerly Salisbury)
17°50′S, 31°3′E
Official languages English
Recognised regional languages Shona, Sindebele
Demonym Zimbabwean
Government Republic
 -  President Robert Mugabe
 -  Vice President Joseph Msika
Joice Mujuru
 -  President of the Senate Edna Madzongwe
 -  Speaker of Parliament John Nkomo
Independence from the United Kingdom 
 -  Rhodesia November 11, 1965 
 -  Zimbabwe April 18, 1980 
Area
 -  Total 390,757 kmē (60th)
150,871 sq mi 
 -  Water (%) 1
Population
 -  January 2008 estimate 13,349,0001 (68th)
 -  Density 33/kmē (170th)
85/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate
 -  Total $2.2 billion (158th)
 -  Per capita $188 (178th)
Gini (2003) 56.8 (high) 
HDI (2007) ▲ 0.513 (medium) (151st)
Currency Dollar ($) (ZWD)
Time zone CAT (UTC+2)
 -  Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+2)
Internet TLD .zw
Calling code +263
1 Estimates explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS.

Zimbabwe (pronounced /zɪmˈbɑːbweɪ/), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, and formerly Southern Rhodesia, the Republic of Rhodesia and Zimbabwe Rhodesia, is a landlocked country in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest, and Mozambique to the east. The official language of Zimbabwe is English. However, the majority of the population speaks Shona, which is the native language of the Shona people, a Bantu Language; the other native language of Zimbabwe being Sindebele, which is spoken by the Matabele people.

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a hard currency shortage, which has led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods. President Mugabe's critics blame his programme of land reform. However, Mugabe claims that massive financial isolation through American, British and EU legislation such as the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA) of 2001 is the actual cause of hyperinflation. Under ZDERA, the United States is prohibited from supporting any efforts by the International Monetary Fund and other financial institutions to extend loans, credit or debt cancellation to the government of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe's current economic and food crisis, described by some observers as the country's worst humanitarian crisis since independence, has been attributed, in varying degrees, to government economic mismanagement, government prohibitions on relief efforts from foreign NGOs (non-governmental organizations), a drought affecting the entire region, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.