Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: A World of Wonders
from: africatravelata
Zimbabwe
, officially the
Republic of Zimbabwe
is a landlocked sovereign state located in southern Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers. It borders South Africa to the south, Botswana and Namibia to the west, Zambia to the northwest, and Mozambique to the east and northeast. The capital and largest city is Harare. Zimbabwe has 16 official languages, with English, Shona, and Ndebele the most commonly used.
Since the 11th century, present-day Zimbabwe has been the site of several organised states and kingdoms as well as a major route for migration and trade. The British South Africa Company of Cecil Rhodes first demarcated the present territory during the 1890s; it became the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia in 1923. In 1965, the conservative white minority government unilaterally declared independence as Rhodesia.The state endured international isolation and a 15-year guerrilla war, this culminated in a peace agreement that established universal enfranchisement and de jure sovereignty in April 1980.
The name "Zimbabwe" is based on a Shona term for Great Zimbabwe, an ancient ruined city in the country's south-east whose remains are now a protected site. There are two theories on the origin of the word.
- Many sources hold that the word is derived from dzimba-dza-mabwe, translated from the Karanga dialect of Shona as "large houses of stone" (dzimba = plural of imba, "house"; mabwe = plural of bwe, "stone").
- Archaeologist Peter Garlake claims that "Zimbabwe" is a contracted form of dzimba-hwe which means "venerated houses" in the Zezuru dialect of Shona, and is usually applied to chiefs' houses or graves.
Since the 11th century, present-day Zimbabwe has been the site of several organised states and kingdoms as well as a major route for migration and trade. The British South Africa Company of Cecil Rhodes first demarcated the present territory during the 1890s; it became the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia in 1923. In 1965, the conservative white minority government unilaterally declared independence as Rhodesia.The state endured international isolation and a 15-year guerrilla war, this culminated in a peace agreement that established universal enfranchisement and de jure sovereignty in April 1980.
The name "Zimbabwe" is based on a Shona term for Great Zimbabwe, an ancient ruined city in the country's south-east whose remains are now a protected site. There are two theories on the origin of the word.
- Many sources hold that the word is derived from dzimba-dza-mabwe, translated from the Karanga dialect of Shona as "large houses of stone" (dzimba = plural of imba, "house"; mabwe = plural of bwe, "stone").
- Archaeologist Peter Garlake claims that "Zimbabwe" is a contracted form of dzimba-hwe which means "venerated houses" in the Zezuru dialect of Shona, and is usually applied to chiefs' houses or graves.
( some photos were taken from the net )
Capital
Harare
Official Languages
English / Shona / Sindebele
Currency
United States dollar / South African rand / and many other currencies e.g. Botswana pula
Harare
Official Languages
English / Shona / Sindebele
Currency
United States dollar / South African rand / and many other currencies e.g. Botswana pula
English
Português
English