World Context: Zimbabwe

Source and mapping status

This page maps the site registry entry “Zimbabwe” to the supplied dataset entity “Zimbabwe.” Mapping status: exact-name. The source is a frozen 2025 snapshot; dates embedded in individual fields remain controlling.

• Source entity count: 1.
• Selected public fields present: 18.
• Independent corroboration in this page: none.

Place and environment

Location: Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia Area: total : 390,757 sq km; land: 386,847 sq km; water: 3,910 sq km Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March) Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east Natural hazards: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare Environmental issues: deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; poaching; toxic waste and heavy metal pollution from mining

Population, settlement, and language context

Population: total: 17,472,752 (2025 est.); male: 8,503,108; female: 8,969,644 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 Urbanization: urban population: 32.5% of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: 2.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) 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.); note: data represent population by mother tongue

Public and legal context

Capital: name: Harare; geographic coordinates: 17 49 S, 31 02 E; time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time); etymology: named after a village of Harare at the site of the present capital; the village name derived from a Shona chieftain, NE-HARAWA, whose name meant "he who does not sleep" Government type: presidential republic Legal system: mixed system of English common law, Roman-Dutch civil law, and customary law

Economy and connectivity context

Economic overview: low income Sub-Saharan economy; political instability and endemic corruption have prevented reforms and stalled debt restructuring; new Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency latest effort to combat ongoing hyperinflation; reliant on natural resource extraction, agriculture and remittances Industries: mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, diamonds, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel, wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages Electricity access: electrification - total population: 50.1% (2022 est.); electrification - urban areas: 89%; electrification - rural areas: 33.7% Internet users: percent of population: 38% (2023 est.) Airports: 144 (2025)

Interpretation and freshness boundary

Use these fields to ask better questions about material conditions, access, distance, public administration, and information availability. Do not use them to infer intelligence capability, government intent, personal loyalty, protected traits, or a permanent national character. Reverify any time-sensitive claim before publication or comparison.