Zimbabwe Travel Guide

Zimbabwe — Country and Tourist Information

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Country Facts

Location: Southern Africa.
Language: The official language is English, with Shona and Sindebele dialects.
Area: 390,757 sq km (150,872 sq miles).
Time Zone: GMT + 2.
Electricity: 220/230 volts AC, 50Hz.
Population: 12.9 million (UN estimate 2005).
Population Density: 33 per sq km.
Capital City: Harare. Population: 1.5 million (2005).
Government: Republic. Gained independence from the UK in 1980.
Head of Government: Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai since 2008.
Head of State: President Robert Mugabe since 1987.
Religion: Christianity, with traditional beliefs in rural areas, and some Hindu, Muslim and Jewish minorities.

Recent History

A historic power-sharing deal was signed in September 2008 between President Mugabe and the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai. Prime Minister Tsvangirai became head of the council of ministers and the police, while President Mugabe chairs the cabinet and controls the armed forces. Prime Minister Tsvangirai will run the country day to day.

Elections for a new senate in November 2005 were largely boycotted by the opposition. Mugabe's party won 24 of the 31 constituencies where elections were held amid low voter turnout. Most controversial has been Mugabe's urban slum demolition drive. The UN estimates 700,000 people have been left without jobs or homes as a result.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +263.

Mobile Telephone

Coverage is limited to a few urban areas.

Internet

There are Internet cafes in Harare and in Mashonaland.

Media

All broadcasters transmitting from Zimbabwe and the main newspapers are state-controlled and follow the government line. The private press has come under severe pressure. The only privately-owned daily, the Daily News, is subject to a publication ban. The paper and the government had waged war in the courts.

Post

Airmail to Europe takes up to one week.

Press

• The main English-language newspapers are The Chronicle, The Financial Gazette, The Herald, The Sunday Mail and The Sunday News.
• Visitors should note that the carrying of the main independent newspapers (The Financial Gazette, The Independent and The Standard) can provoke a hostile reaction from ZANU (PF) supporters.

Radio

•Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) is state run and has four networks.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
18 Apr Independence Day
22 Apr Good Friday
25 Apr Easter Monday
1 May Workers’ Day
25 May Africa Day
25 May Africa Day
8 Aug Heroes’ Day
12 Aug Defence Forces Day
22 Dec Unity Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
6 Apr Good Friday
9 Apr Easter Monday
18 Apr Independence Day
1 May Workers’ Day
8 Aug Heroes’ Day
12 Aug *Defence Forces Day
22 Dec Unity Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

Contact Information

Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe in the UK

Zimbabwe House, 429 Strand, London WC2R 0JR, UK
Tel: (020) 7836 7755.
Website: www.zimbabweembassy-uk.com
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700; 0900-1230 (visa section).