What to Know Before Visiting Zimbabwe?

Country Facts:
 The first people of the country were the Bantu-speaking Iron Age farmers that
settled in the region around AD 300.
 Zimbabwe’s former president – Robert Gabriel Mugabe – is one of the oldest and
also the longest-serving leaders of a non-royal country in the world.
 Zimbabwe abandoned its currency and is currently using others.
 It is illegal in Zimbabwe for the police to impound the vehicle on the road.
 Zimbabwe has won a total of eight medals at the Olympic Games in two sports –
hockey (1) and swimming (7).
 Zimbabwe was once a very rich country.
 The country has one of the world’s highest inflation and unemployment rates.
 Mwari is the name of the deity of the Shona tribes people in Zimbabwe. They
have been believing in this deity for centuries.
 One of the largest waterfalls in the world, Victoria Falls, is located on the
Zambezi River.
 The noise of Victoria Falls can be heard from a distance of 40 kilometers.
 The waterfall was named after Queen Victoria by well-known explorer of Africa
David Livingstone (1813-1873).
 During floods, the water flow capacity can reach approximately half a million
liters per minute.
Source:
1.
2. https://thefactfile.org/zimbabwe-facts/

Country Flag:
Capital: Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe.

Government: The politics of Zimbabwe takes place in a framework of a full presidential

republic, whereby the President is the head of state and government as organized by
the 2013 Constitution. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative
power is vested in both the government and parliament.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Zimbabwe
President: Emmerson Mnangagwa is President of Zimbabwe Date not mentioned.
Economy: Zimbabwe's economy depends heavily on its mining and agriculture sectors.
Following a contraction from 1998 to 2008, the economy recorded real growth of more
than 10% per year in the period 2010-13, before falling below 3% in the period 2014-17,
due to poor harvests, low diamond revenues, and decreased investment. For the 2019
estimate, GDP per capita in Zimbabwe will be $2702 in PPP per capita and $860 in
nominal per capita.
Population: The population of Zimbabwe was estimated to be 14.44 million in 2018.

Religion by Percentage: Christianity is the dominant religion in Zimbabwe. According

to the 2017 Inter Censal Demography Survey by the Zimbabwe National Statistics
Agency 69.2 %of Zimbabweans belong to Protestant Christianity, 8.0 %are Roman
Catholic, in total 84.1 %follow one of the denominations of Christianity.
Source: https://www.indexmundi.com/Zimbabwe/religions.html
Top Zimbabwe Foods: The main staple of Zimbabwean cuisine is maize/ corn and is
used in a variety of dishes. Food in Zimbabwe has remained traditionally African for the
most part, however British colonization certainly left its mark. Common British spices,
breads, sugar and tea have become part of the daily life in Zimbabwe. Despite its
traditional roots, eating out in Zimbabwe is popular and local and international cuisines
are available. Some foods of Zimbabwe are given below:

 Sadza: This is the most common dish found in Zimbabwe and is stiff maize meal
that is like a thickened porridge. It can be rolled into a ball and dipped into meat,
sauce, gravy, sour milk, or stewed vegetables.
 Bota: This is porridge that is flavoured with peanut butter, milk, butter or jam and
is traditionally eaten for breakfast.
 Dovi: Portuguese traders brought peanut crops into Zimbabwe during the 16th
century, as a result, it has become an important ingredient in many dishes. Dovi
is a traditional peanut butter stew with meat or vegetables.
 Nhedzi: This is a soup made with wild mushrooms.
 Manhuchu- Samp: Samp is cooked differentely in many countries but  samp
with peanut butter is the best with tea.
 Maheu: Most people drink it as energy drink and it comes from maize. It is a
traditional drink.
 Boerewors: Though boerewors is usually associated with South Africa, it’s also
quite popular in Zimbabwe as well. It’s usually made of a mixture of beef, lamb or
pork and flavored with a ton of spices. It’s the perfect food to grill up and share
with a bunch of people when the weather is good.
 Mapopo candy: Papaya is one of the main crops in Zimbabwe and so the locals
make it into candy. Papaya is cooked in and dusted with sugar to make a sweet
treat.
Language: Since the adoption of its 2013 Constitution, Zimbabwe has 16 official
languages, namely Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau,
Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa.
The country's main languages are Shona, spoken by roughly 70% of the population,
and Ndebele, spoken by roughly 20%. English is the country's lingua franca, used in
government and business and as the main medium of instruction in schools. English is
the first language of most white Zimbabweans, and is the second language of a majority
of black Zimbabweans.

Dress for Men and Women: Headdresses are worn by both men and women. The
national dress of the country is a wraparound cloth, head wrap, and earrings and
necklaces. The traditional Zimbabwe Clothing is worn on some special occasions like
the Independence Day or Hero's Day.

Holidays: There are several national holidays in Zimbabwe such as:

 New Year's Day
 Robert Gabriel Mugabe National Youth Day
 Good Friday
 Holy Saturday
 Easter Sunday
 Easter Monday
 Independence Day of Zimbabwe
 International Workers' Day
 Africa Day
 Heroes' Day (in Zimbabwe)
 Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day
 National Unity Day of Zimbabwe
 Christmas Day
 Boxing Day
Travel Tips:

 The concept of public transport is a bit thin in Zimbabwe. There are some taxis
around, but the roads are fairly good so it might be a good idea to hire a car.
 There are a number of flights each day internally so that’s a good option to cover
any great distance.
 Cash is currently difficult to get in Zimbabwe. The official currency is USD, but
there are also Bond notes in circulation.
 The value of these notes fluctuate on a daily basis and currently can be as much
as 10 to 1 dollar. These are not able to be used outside the country so don’t get
caught with any.
 There is a wide range of accommodation options to choose from. Anything from
budget to a luxury stay is available.
 Zimbabwe uses 220V with UK style 3 pin plugs. US visitors using electrical
appliances from home will need to bring a transformer as well as a plug adaptor.
  Mobile coverage is good throughout Zimbabwe. A number of mobile phone
companies provide coverage.
 August – November is peak season for adrenaline junkies who what to come and
experience some of the best whitewater rafting in the world.
 June – Mid October is the dry winter period. This is just before the rains arrive
and water is scarce for the game.
 There is a high risk of malaria in Zimbabwe depending on which part of the
country are planning to visit.
 It is advisable to drink bottled water at all times which is readily available.
 Duty-free regulations depend on the country of entry. Visitors to Zimbabwe are
permitted to carry 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 25 cigars, or 250g of tobacco;
one bottle of spirits and one bottle of wine; and 250ml of perfume into the country
duty-free, as well as other goods not amount to more than US$400 in value.
 Many have turned to a life of crime to survive, and tourists can be targets of this
crime.

Top 10 Attractions and places to visit:

1. Victoria Falls
2. Harare
3. Bulawayo
4. Matobo National Park
5. Nyanga National Park
6. Hwange National Park
7. Mutare
8. Masvingo
9. Chinhoyi
10. Lake Mutirikwi National Park
Zimbabwe Boys Name:
 Garai
 Masimba
 Gwinyai
 Tongai
 Romy
 Tinashe
Top 10 Universities in Zimbabwe:
1. University of Zimbabwe
2. Africa University
3. National University of Science and Technology
4. Chinhoyi University of Technology
5. Bindura University of Science Education
 6. Midlands State University
7. Great Zimbabwe University
8. Lupane State University
9. Women's University in Africa
10. Solusi University
Top 10 Websites:
1. Google.com
2. Youtube.com
3. Zimeye.net
4. Bongacams.com
5. Nehandaradio.com
6. Yahoo.com
7. Google.co.zw
8. Wikipedia.org
9. Herald.co.zw
10. Office.com
Top 3 Search engines used:
1. Google
2. Bing
3. Yahoo
Top exports:
 Raw tobacco
 Ferroalloys
 Diamonds
 Chromium ore
 Raw sugar
Top 5 Cars:
Top cars in Zimbabwe includes:
1. Rolls Royce
2. Hummer Limo
3. Bentley Mulsanne
4. Mercedes Brabus
Natural Disasters:
Many types of natural disasters occur in Zimbabwe such as:
 Drought
 Cyclones
 Heavy rains
  Floods
Home Designs / Architecture:
In modern times, the walls of houses are usually built of coursed, sun-dried bricks, with
rectangular doorways and brush roofs. As a result of European influence, there are now
rectangular buildings with concrete walls and corrugated iron roofs.
Deaths and Mortality:
Zimbabwe death rate was at level of 7.8 per 1,000 people in 2019, down from 7.9 per
1,000 people previous year, this is a change of 1.40%.
Source: https://knoema.com/atlas/Zimbabwe/Death-rate