Zimbabwe
Updated: Sep 9, 2022
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Country Name
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia.
Location
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. Zimbabwe is bordered by Zambia to the north, Botswana to the west, South Africa to the south, and Mozambique to the east.
Capital
Harare.
Reason for Naming the country
There are two different theories that address the origin of the word.
Many sources believe that "Zimbabwe" derives from dzimba-dza-mabwe, translated from the Karanga dialect of Shona) a Bantu language as "houses of stones"
Archaeologist Peter Garlake claims that "Zimbabwe" represents a contracted form of dzimba-hwe, which means "venerated houses" in the Zezuru dialect of Shona and usually references chiefs' houses or graves.
Flag
The flag of Zimbabwe was adopted on 18 April 1980.
The flag consists of seven horizontal stripes of green, gold, red and black with a white triangle containing a red 5-pointed star with a Zimbabwe Bird.
Officially, the colors of the flag of Zimbabwe carry political, regional, and cultural meanings.
The Green color represents the agriculture and rural areas of Zimbabwe,
the Yellow stands for the wealth of minerals in the country, predominantly gold. The red color represents the bloodshed struggle for independence.
The black color represents the heritage, race, and ethnicity of the black
majority. The white triangle is a symbol of peace.
The golden bird, known as the "Great Zimbabwe Bird"(Hungwe) is the national symbol of Zimbabwe and is most likely a representation of the African fish eagle.
The red star represents the nation's aspirations, taken to be socialism as promoted by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF).
Language
English is the main language used in the education and law systems.
Zimbabwe has 16 official languages and under the constitution, an Act of Parliament may prescribe other languages as officially recognized languages.
The Bantu languages Shona and Ndebele are the principal indigenous languages of Zimbabwe. Shona is spoken by most of the population, Ndebele by 20%.
Other minority Bantu languages include Venda, Tsonga, Shangaan, Kalanga, Sotho, Ndau, and Nambya.
Less than 2.5%, mainly the white and "colored" (mixed race) minorities, consider English their native language.
Religion
The majority of the population in Zimbabwe belongs to Protestants, and a minority belongs to Roman Catholics.
There is also a small group of the population that does not belong to any religion and a small group that belongs to Islam.
Currency
Zimbabwean dollar.
Time Zone
+02:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary dominant-party presidential constitutional republic.
Climate
The climate in Zimbabwe is divided into three main seasons:
From mid-November to mid-March is a rainy season, followed by a rare rainy season from mid-March to mid-May, but the temperatures are still high. From mid-May to mid-August it is a cool, dry, and sunny season, and between mid-August and mid-November is a period of extreme heat at the end of the dry season, before the rains that come during the month of November, and are able to lower a bit the temperature while increasing relative humidity.
Usually, by mid-August, the temperature begins to rise again, and cold nights become less.
In September and October, the heat can be intense during the day, although nights remain cool at high altitudes. December to February is the rainiest and muggiest period, and therefore the least advisable time to travel to Zimbabwe.
The best time to visit Zimbabwe is from mid-May to August, because it is the coolest and sunniest, and with almost no rain, even though it can get cold at night.