ntral plateau (high veld);
mountains in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of the Lundi and Savi rivers 162 m
highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m

Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper,
iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

Land use:
arable land : 7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 13%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 57% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,930 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; land
degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once
the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been
significantly reduced by poaching

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the
Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Desertification

Geography - note: landlocked

@Zimbabwe:People

Population: 11,423,175 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 2,507,219; female 2,471,357)
15-64 years: 54% (male 3,020,632; female 3,106,729)
65 years and over : 3% (male 154,231; female 163,007) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.26% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 31.65 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 19.02 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: there is a small but steady flow of Zimbabweans into South
Africa in search of better paid employment

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 72.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 40.84 years
male: 40.85 years
female : 40.83 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.94 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun : Zimbabwean(s)
adjective: Zimbabwean

Ethnic groups: African 98% (Shona 71%, Ndebele 16%, other 11%), white
1%, mixed and Asian 1%

Religions: syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%,
Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%

Languages: English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the
Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and o