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Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a unique and beautiful country to
visit, boasting the majestic Victoria Falls, magnificent wildlife
preserves among the most and abundant on the continent, the
medieval ruins of Great Zimbabwe. Bordered by Botswana on
the west, Zambia on the north, Mozambique on the east, and
South Africa on the south, it lies on a high plateau, with
the north eastern border marked by the Zambezi River, along
which the Victoria Falls and the magnificent Lake Kariba.
This popular tourist destination's greatest asset is its friendly
people, always ready to welcome visitors to their country
with a smile. Zimbabwe is also a mecca for the outdoor-lover
and adventure traveler, offering outstanding scenery, excellent
wildlife viewing and a wide variety of water-based adventures
on the Zambezi River and Kariba Dam.
Climate
Nature has given Zimbabwe one of the finest climates in the
world, which is warm without being oppressive and with a daily
average sunshine ranging from four to ten hours all year round.
Generally, the days are bright and sunny, the nights clear
and cool. November to April are the summer months (rain season)
while winter is from May to July, with a generally dry weather.
The period August to October is very hot and dry. Both temperature
and rainfall are directly influenced by altitude.
Some History
There is evidence of settlements in Zimbabwe dating from as
long ago as the second century AD, but these early inhabitants
were succeeded around the 5th century by Bantu-speaking peoples.
In 1870, European explorers came upon an impressive ruined
city in southeastern Zimbabwe, believed to be the biblical
city of Ophir-the site of King Solomon's mines. The immediate
result was a frantic, and utterly unsuccessful, search for
gold deposits in the surrounding region. Known as Great Zimbabwe,
it was during its heyday the capital of a Shona trading empire
that collapsed for reasons that remain unknown. By the middle
of the19th century, with European influence still slight,
the region's Shona states had been defeated by an invading
Ndebele army from the south. Ndebele power didn't last long,
however. In 1890, the fortune-hunting Cecil Rhodes arrived
at the head of a private army of settlers and commenced to
conquer what he thought might be a rich gold-producing region.
In 1923 Rhodesia became a self-governing British colony, completely
controlled by the white settlers. For much of the last half-century
Zimbabwe's history has been that of the long struggle to end
white rule. Finally, in 1979, a new constitution that provided
for democratic majority rule was established and it was then
officially named Zimbabwe.
Some facts
The name Zimbabwe was derived from the stone structures of
Great Zimbabwe or Dzimbahwe which means "houses of stone".
This landlocked country is bordered by South Africa to the
south, Botswana to the west, Zambia to the north-west, and
Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe also shares a narrow border
with Namibia to the west via a narrow corridor of land. Zimbabwe
covers about 590 580 sq km land and has a population of over
11 million people. The biggest cities are Harare and Bulawayo.
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