REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE Official name: Republic of Zimbabwe Location: Southern Africa International organisations: The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, The African Union, The Commonwealth of Nations, The Non-Aligned Movement, The United Nations, The World Trade Organisation (Zimbabwe's membership of the Commonwealth of Nations is currently suspended) Borders: Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia Coastline: None Land area: 390,580 Km2 Population: 11,300,000 Ethnicity: The dominant ethnic group are the Shona (82% of the population). The other major group is the Ndebele (14%). There are small minorities of Europeans and Indians.

Languages: English is the official language and is the language of government and business. The most important African languages are Shona and Sindebele.
Religion: The majority of the population follow a mixture of Christian and indigenous religions. About 25% are Christians.
Form of government: In form, a presidential democratic republic. In practice, very close to be being a dictatorship. Zimbabwe is divided into eight provinces and two cities.
Capital: Harare
Constitution: The Constitution of the Republic of Zimbabwe came into effect on 21 December 1979. It has been substantially amended since.
Head of state: The President, elected by direct universal suffrage for a four-year term.
Head of government: The President, who appoints all ministers.
Legislature: Zimbabwe has a unicameral legislature. The Parliament has 150 members, of whom 120 are elected for five-year terms from single-member constituencies. An additional 30 members are appointed by the government.
Electoral authority: The Electoral Supervisory Commission administers national elections.
Freedom House rating: Political Rights 6, Civil Liberties 6

Political history

The territory which is now Zimbabwe was acquired by the British South Africa Company in 1895 following the defeat of the Matabele kingdom's army by the company's forces, and was named Rhodesia after the company's founder, Cecil Rhodes. In Southern Rhodesia a white settler class acquired most of the land, and in 1923 the settlers were given self-government with an elected legislature. An African nationalist movement developed after the Second World War. To counter this, the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was formed in 1953, under white leadership. African resistance led to the breakup of the Federation in 1963, with Zambia (Northern Rhodesia) and Malawi (Nyasaland) becoming independent. The white minority in Southern Rhodesia, led by Ian Smith, resisted majority rule, and in 1965 they illegally declared Rhodesia an independent republic under white minority rule. African nationalist organisations waged a sporadic guerilla war against the government until 1979, when the Commonwealth brokered a settlement. Elections were held in 1980 and Robert Mugabe became Prime Minister of independent Zimbabwe.

Mugabe's regime has become increasingly authoritarian and intolerant of opposition, particularly since Mugabe altered the constitution and made himself President with wide powers in 1987. Until recently his ZANU-PF (Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front) party has ruled almost without opposition, and Mugabe was re-elected unopposed in 1996. But the regime's disastrous socialist economic policies, particularly its confiscation of white-owned farms, have destroyed the economy and produced widespread opposition.

A new opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, polled strongly in the 2000 legislative elections and would probably have won them if free campaigning in rural areas had been possible. Mugabe's re-election as President in 2002 was blatantly rigged. His regime has become increasingly repressive as its support has fallen, and the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is now being tried on trumped-up treason charges.

Amnesty International's 2002 Report on Zimbabwe noted:

"The human rights situation steadily deteriorated in 2001 as violence escalated in the run-up to the 2002 presidential elections. There were numerous and consistent reports of forced evictions, arbitrary arrests, beatings, torture and political killings, amounting to a pattern of deliberate, state-sponsored repression of opposition to the government or its policies. Abuses were reported to be widespread throughout the country, but intensified in the run-up to by-elections and during farm occupations. Most were carried out by the so-called ''war veterans'' - groups armed and supported by the police and army - and other supporters of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), who were able to act with impunity. There were growing reports that the police not only stood by and failed to intervene in assaults by ''war veterans'', but also actively took part in a number of attacks alongside ZANU-PF supporters. Freedom of expression came under increasing restrictions during the year. Journalists and lawyers were arbitrarily detained, beaten, tortured and threatened for reporting on political or human rights issues or representing the victims of human rights violations."