Zimbabwe
By: Ali Abdi
Economy
Zimbabwe's economy is basically agriculture. The formally strong commercial farming sector was thrown into disarray with the expropriation of white-owned farms that begun in 2,000.They are formally an exporter of foodstuff. They now must import grains. Corn is a chief food source and cotton and tobacco are the principle cash crops.
Culture
More than two-thirds of the population speaks Shona as their first language. One in five Zimbabwean's speak northern Ndebele commonly known as isiNdebele. Shona and IsiNdebele are Bantu languages originally from the time when bantu-speaking tribes populated the region over one thousand years ago. Art and music highly regarded.
HISTORY
1200-1600s - Rise and decline of the Monomotapa domain, thought to have been associated with Great Zimbabwe and to have been involved in gold mining and international trade.
1830s - Ndebele people fleeing Zulu violence and Boer migration in present-day South Africa move north and settle in what becomes known as Matabeleland.
1890 - Pioneer column of white settlers arrives from south at site of future capital Harare.
1922 - BSA administration ends, the white minority opts for self-government.
1964 - Ian Smith of the Rhodesian Front (RF) becomes prime minister, tries to persuade Britain to grant independence.
1972 - Guerrilla war against white rule intensifies, with rivals Zanu and Zapu operating out of Zambia and Mozambique.
1978 - Smith yields to pressure for negotiated settlement. Elections for transitional legislature boycotted by Patriotic Front made up of Zanu and Zapu. New government of Zimbabwe Rhodesia, led by Bishop Abel Muzorewa, fails to gain international recognition. Civil war continues.
1980 - Veteran pro-independence leader Robert Mugabe and his Zanu party win British-supervised independence elections. Mugabe is named prime minister and includes Zapu leader Joshua Nkomo in his cabinet. Independence on 18 April is internationally recognized.
