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Geography of Zimbabwe

Location:Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
Geographic coordinates:20 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 390,580 sq km
land: 386,670 sq km
water: 3,910 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly larger than Montana
Land boundaries:total: 3,066 km
border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km
Coastline:0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:none (landlocked)
Climate:tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain:mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east
Elevation extremes:lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m
highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m
Natural resources:coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals
Land use:arable land: 8.24%
permanent crops: 0.33%
other: 91.43% (2005)
Irrigated land:1,740 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare
Environment - current issues:deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: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

Zimbabwe Quickstats

  • Population: 12,311,143
  • Area: 390,580 sq km
  • Density: 33 /km² (170th)
  • GDP (total): $30.581 billion (94th)
  • GDP (per capita): $2,607 (129th)
  • Literacy: 90.7%

Languages of Zimbabwe

Useful to know

  • Currency: Dollar (ZWD)
  • Dial code: +263

International Trade

External sites

More Resources

Zimbabwe Internet

  • Usage: 820,000
  • Penetration: 6.8 %
  • Top Domain: .zi

WT eBusiness info:

  • Success Ranking: 100
  • Market testing: Untested
  • Overall risk: High
  • Overall reward: Low

e-maturity:

  • Tourism: 10%
  • eCommerce: 10%
  • Gaming: 10%
  • eLearning: 10%

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