• Languages. ...
• Independence. ...
• Victoria Falls, the world's largest waterfall. ...
• We have the world's biggest man-made lake. ...
• King Solomon's gold mines. ...
• Zimbabwe is a top producer of Tabaco. ...
• We love the Flame Lilly. ...
• Large Elephant population.

What are some fun facts about Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe is a young nation, as half the population is below 21 years of age. Zimbabwe is one of the smartest countries in Africa. About 90% of the population is educated. Customary marriages are potentially polygamous and are legal for black Zimbabweans only, and can only be dissolved by death and not divorce.

What is so special about Zimbabwe?

1. The first people of the country were the Bantu-speaking Iron Age farmers that settled in the region around AD 300. 2. 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.

What is Zimbabwe best known for?

It is a country of superlatives, thanks to Victoria Falls (the largest waterfall in the world) and Lake Kariba (the largest man-made lake in terms of volume). National parks such as Hwange and Mana Pools teem with wildlife, making Zimbabwe one of the continent's best places to go on safari.

What is Zimbabwe's old name?

In 1895 the BSAC adopted the name "Rhodesia" for the territory, in honour of Rhodes. In 1898 "Southern Rhodesia" became the official name for the region south of the Zambezi, which later adopted the name "Zimbabwe".

20 Fun Facts about Zimbabwe, well most of them!

34 related questions found

Who founded Zimbabwe?

In the 1880s, British diamond magnate Cecil Rhodes' British South Africa Company (BSAC) started to make inroads into the region. In 1898, the name Southern Rhodesia was adopted. In 1888, Rhodes obtained a concession for mining rights from King Lobengula of the Ndebele peoples.

Why was Zimbabwe called the Great Zimbabwe?

Great Zimbabwe is the name for the stone remains of a medieval city in southeastern Africa. ... The city was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, which was a Shona (Bantu) trading empire. Zimbabwe means “stone houses” in Shona. Great Zimbabwe was part of a large and wealthy global trading network.

What is Zimbabwe known for producing?

Zimbabwe supplies a variety of products to SADC, chief among them tobacco, cotton, oil cake and soya beans, maize, live bovine animals, coniferous wood, cotton seeds, light manufactures and imports in exchange fuels, vehicles, explosives, chemicals machinery, plastics, paper and steel.

What food is Zimbabwe known for?

Traditional and Popular Zimbabwean Foods To Try

• 1 – Maizemeal – Sadza/Itshwala. ...
• 2 – Porridge – Bota/Iyambazi. ...
• 3 – Yellow Watermelon with Sun-Dried Maize – Umxhanxa. ...
• 4 – Peanuts, Maize and Beans Dish – Mutakura/Mangai. ...
• 5 – Yams – Madhumbe/Magogoya.

What are 3 facts about Zimbabwe?

• Languages. ...
• Independence. ...
• Victoria Falls, the world's largest waterfall. ...
• We have the world's biggest man-made lake. ...
• King Solomon's gold mines. ...
• Zimbabwe is a top producer of Tabaco. ...
• We love the Flame Lilly. ...
• Large Elephant population.

What are some Zimbabwe traditions?

Mbira

• Zimbabwe Tradition uses the mbira to govern the weather in times such as droughts and floods. It also chases away harmful spirits and cures sickness. ...
• Mbira (mbira.org)
• Modern day Ndebele village homestead.
• Ndebele beads.
• Neck beads.

How many languages are spoken in Zimbabwe?

Many languages are spoken, or historically have been spoken, in Zimbabwe. 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.

Why is Zimbabwe important?

With an economy based on cattle husbandry, crop cultivation, and the trade of gold on the coast of the Indian Ocean, Great Zimbabwe was the heart of a thriving trading empire from the 11th to the 15th centuries. The word zimbabwe, the country's namesake, is a Shona (Bantu) word meaning “stone houses.”

How many elephants are in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe authorities estimate their elephant population stands above 100,000, out of the 415,000 elephants that remain in Africa today. Zimbabwe's elephant population has grown—up from 84,000—nearly 20 percent since 2014.

Is Zimbabwe poor?

8 Facts About Poverty in Zimbabwe

Roughly 74% of the population lives on less than $5.50 a day and the average wage per month is $253. Half of Zimbabwe's 13.5 million people live below the food poverty line and about 3.5 million children are chronically hungry.

Why is agriculture important in Zimbabwe?

Agricultural activities provide employment and income for 60-70 percent of the population, supplies 60 percent of the raw materials required by the industrial sector and contributes 40 percent of total export earnings. Agriculture contributes approximately 17 percent to Zimbabwe's GDP.

What is Zimbabwe's climate?

Zimbabwe enjoys a lovely, temperate climate. The central highveld plateau has temperatures up to 28°C/82°F. Lower-lying parks such as Hwange and Zambezi NP are warmer year-round. Mana Pools, Matusadona and Gonarezhou are even lower and get hot, with temperatures soaring to 35°C/95°.

Is Zimbabwe rich or poor?

In a report this month, the World Bank predicts Zimbabwe's economy will grow 3.9% this year even as the country sees an alarming rise in poverty levels, especially in urban areas. The report says a record 7.9 million Zimbabweans are “extremely” poor, earning less than 30 U.S. dollars a month.

How did the Shona gain power in Great Zimbabwe?

By 1200 C.E., the city had grown strong, and was well known as an important religious and trading center. Some believe that religion triggered the city's rise to power, and that the tall tower was used for worship. The people of Great Zimbabwe most likely worshipped Mwari, the supreme god in the Shona religion.

How did Great Zimbabwe fall?

Causes suggested for the decline and ultimate abandonment of the city of Great Zimbabwe have included a decline in trade compared to sites further north, the exhaustion of the gold mines, political instability, and famine and water shortages induced by climatic change.

When did Zimbabwe change its name?

The name Zimbabwe was officially adopted concurrently with Britain's grant of independence in April 1980. Prior to that point, the country had been called Southern Rhodesia from 1898 to 1964 (or 1980, according to British law), Rhodesia from 1964 to 1979, and Zimbabwe Rhodesia between June and December 1979.

What religion is Zimbabwe?

Most Zimbabweans are Christians. Statistics estimate that 74.8% identify as Protestant (including Apostolic – 37.5%, Pentecostal – 21.8% or other Protestant denominations – 15.5%), 7.3% identify as Roman Catholic and 5.3% identify with another denomination of Christianity.