Zimbabwe - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Zimbabwe. Landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water; Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi). Mother's mean age at first birth is 20.3 years (2015 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 357 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Zimbabwe
Location Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
Geographic coordinates 20 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east
Natural Resources coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals
Natural Hazards recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare
Irrigated Land 1,740 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)

Zambezi (shared with Zambia [s]), Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km; Limpopo (shared with South Africa [s], Botswana, and Mozambique [m]) - 1,800 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major aquifers Upper Kalahari-Cuvelai-Upper Zambezi Basin
Land Boundaries 3,229 km
Border Countries Botswana 834 km; Mozambique 1,402 km; South Africa 230 km; Zambia 763 km
Coastline 0 km (landlocked)
Climate tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 386,847 sq km
Water Area 3,910 sq km
comparative Area about four times the size of Indiana; slightly larger than Montana
Maritime Claims
Elevations
Highest point Inyangani 2,592 m
Lowest point junction of the Runde and Save Rivers 162 m
Mean elevation 961 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 42.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 10.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 31.3% (2018 est.)
Forest 39.5% (2018 est.)
Other 18% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Aside from major urban agglomerations in Harare and Bulawayo, population distribution is fairly even, with slightly greater overall numbers in the eastern half as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Zimbabwe, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: African 99.6% (predominantly Shona; Ndebele is the second largest ethnic group), other (includes Caucasian, Asiatic, mixed race) 0.4% (2022 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 1.91% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 28.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 3.4% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 1.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)
Total fertility rate 3.47 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.71 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 66.8% (2015)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 61.6% (2023 est.)
Literacy any person age 15 and above who completed at least grade 3 of primary education
Education expenditures 3.9% of GDP (2018 est.)
Net Migration rate -3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Zimbabwean | Zimbabwean(s)
Languages Shona (official, most widely spoken) 80.9%, Ndebele (official, second most widely spoken) 11.5%, English (official, traditionally used for official business) 0.3%, 13 minority languages (official; includes Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Shangani, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa) 7%, other 0.3% (2022 est.)
Religions Apostolic Sect 40.3%, Pentecostal 17%, Protestant 13.8%, other Christian 7.8%, Roman Catholic 6.4%, African traditionalist 5%, other 1.5% (includes Muslim, Jewish, Hindu), none 8.3% (2022 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 38.3% (male 3,315,075/female 3,254,643)
15-64 years 57.8% (male 4,758,120/female 5,152,773)
65 years and over 3.9% (2024 est.) (male 270,595/female 399,146)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 79.4
Youth dependency ratio 73.4
Elderly dependency ratio 6
Potential support ratio 16.6 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 21.2 years (2024 est.)
Male 20.3 years
Female 22 years
Urbanization
Urban population 32.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 2.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.578 million HARARE (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.68 male(s)/female
Total population 0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 33.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 37 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 29.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 67.2 years (2024 est.)
Male 65.6 years
Female 68.8 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 97.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 66.9% of population
Improved: total total: 76.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 2.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 33.1% of population
Unimproved: total total: 23.1% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 96.1% of population
Improved: rural rural: 49% of population
Improved: total total: 64.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 3.9% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 51% of population
Unimproved: total total: 35.8% of population (2017 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 3.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 1.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 1.47 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 11.7% (2020 est.)
Male 21.8% (2020 est.)
Female 1.5% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 5.4%
Women married by age 18 33.7%
Men married by age 18 1.9% (2019 est.)
Demographic profile

Zimbabwe’s progress in reproductive, maternal, and child health has stagnated in recent years. According to a 2010 Demographic and Health Survey, contraceptive use, the number of births attended by skilled practitioners, and child mortality have either stalled or somewhat deteriorated since the mid-2000s. Zimbabwe’s total fertility rate has remained fairly stable at about 4 children per woman for the last two decades, although an uptick in the urban birth rate in recent years has caused a slight rise in the country’s overall fertility rate. Zimbabwe’s HIV prevalence rate dropped from approximately 29% to 15% since 1997 but remains among the world’s highest and continues to suppress the country’s life expectancy rate. The proliferation of HIV/AIDS information and prevention programs and personal experience with those suffering or dying from the disease have helped to change sexual behavior and reduce the epidemic.

Historically, the vast majority of Zimbabwe’s migration has been internal – a rural-urban flow. In terms of international migration, over the last 40 years Zimbabwe has gradually shifted from being a destination country to one of emigration and, to a lesser degree, one of transit (for East African illegal migrants traveling to South Africa). As a British colony, Zimbabwe attracted significant numbers of permanent immigrants from the UK and other European countries, as well as temporary economic migrants from Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia. Although Zimbabweans have migrated to South Africa since the beginning of the 20th century to work as miners, the first major exodus from the country occurred in the years before and after independence in 1980. The outward migration was politically and racially influenced; a large share of the white population of European origin chose to leave rather than live under a new black-majority government.

In the 1990s and 2000s, economic mismanagement and hyperinflation sparked a second, more diverse wave of emigration. This massive outmigration – primarily to other southern African countries, the UK, and the US – has created a variety of challenges, including brain drain, illegal migration, and human smuggling and trafficking. Several factors have pushed highly skilled workers to go abroad, including unemployment, lower wages, a lack of resources, and few opportunities for career growth.

All Important Facts about Zimbabwe

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Zimbabwe is found in Southern Africa