Chief of State and Head of Government--Executive President Robert
Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987);
Co-Vice President Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987);
Co-Vice President Joshua M. NKOMO (since 6 August 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Robert MUGABE;
Zimbabwe African National Union-Sithole (ZANU-S), Ndabaningi SITHOLE;
Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM), Edgar TEKERE
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
Executive President--last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held
NA March 1995);
results--Robert MUGABE 78.3%; Edgar TEKERE 21.7%;
Parliament--last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held
NA March 1995);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(150 total, 120 elected) ZANU 117, ZUM 2, ZANU-S 1
Communists: no Communist party
Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM
(observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Counselor (Political Affairs), Head of
Chancery, Ambassador Stanislaus Garikai CHIGWEDERE; Chancery at
2852 McGill Terrace NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-7100;
US--Ambassador (vacant); Embassy at 172 Herbert Chitapo
Avenue, Harare (mailing address is P. O. Box 3340, Harare);
telephone 263 (4) 794-521
Flag: seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black,
red, yellow, and green with a white equilateral triangle edged in black
based on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird is superimposed on a red
five-pointed star in the center of the triangle
ECONOMY
Overview: Agriculture employs three-fourths of the labor force and
supplies almost 40% of exports. The manufacturing sector, based on
agriculture and mining, produces a variety of goods and contributes 35%
to GDP. Mining accounts for only 5% of both GDP and employment, but
supplies of minerals and metals account for about 40% of exports. Wide
year-to-year fluctuations in agricultural production over the past six
years have resulted in an uneven growth rate, one that on average matched
the 3% annual increase in population.
GDP: $5.6 billion, per capita $540; real growth rate 4.2% (1990
est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13% (1989)
Unemployment rate: at least 20% (1990 est.)
Budget: revenues $2.7 billion; expenditures $3.3 billion, including
capital expenditures of $330 million (FY91)
Agriculture: accounts for about 15% of GDP and employs 74% of
population; 40% of land area divided into 4,500 large commercial farms
and 42% in communal lands; crops--corn (food staple), cotton, tobacco,
wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; livestock--cattle, sheep, goats, pigs;
self-sufficient in food
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY80-89), $389
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $2.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $36 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $134 million
Currency: Zimbabwean dollar (plural--dollars);
1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 2,745 km 1.067-meter gauge; 42 km double track; 355 km
electrified
Highways: 85,237 km total; 15,800 km paved, 39,090 km crushed
stone, gravel, stabilized soil: 23,097 km improved earth; 7,250 km
unimproved earth
Inland waterways: Lake Kariba is a potential line of communication
Pipelines: 8 km, refined products
Civil air: 12 major transport aircraft
Airports: 499 total, 415 usable; 23 with permanent-surface runways;
2 with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 35 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: system was once one of the best in Africa, but
now suffers from poor maintenance; consists of radio relay links,
open-wire lines, and radio communications stations; 247,000 telephones;
stations--8 AM, 18 FM, 8 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Police
Support Unit, Paramilitary Police, People's Militia
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,263,724; 1,399,354 fit for
military service
Defense expenditures: $412.4 million, NA% of GDP (FY91 est.)
