Zimbabwe

In brief

Zimbabwe is a country in East Africa. Its capital is Harare. With 17 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 73rd in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 390,757 km². Landlocked, it shares land borders with Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia.

GDP per capita stands at $3,021 (2025), 143rd in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 63.1 years (2024). 40% of the population lives in cities.

History of Zimbabwe

Between the 11th and 15th centuries, Great Zimbabwe, a city of stone built without mortar, was the capital of a powerful Shona kingdom; the country owes it its name, “houses of stone”. Colonised by Cecil Rhodes’s company from 1890, it became Southern Rhodesia. In 1965 the white minority unilaterally declared independence, and a liberation war followed. Zimbabwe was born on 18 April 1980, led by Robert Mugabe until his fall in 2017. The country suffered record hyperinflation in 2008.

Geography of Zimbabwe

A landlocked high plateau between the Zambezi in the north and the Limpopo in the south, Zimbabwe shares Victoria Falls and Lake Kariba with Zambia. The Eastern Highlands peak at Mount Nyangani (2,592 m).

Map of Zimbabwe

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Flag of Zimbabwe

The flag of Zimbabwe is red, white, green, yellow and black. Its official proportions are 1:2 (height to width).

• Green27%
• Yellow26%
• Red23%
• White14%
• Black12%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Seven green, yellow, red and black stripes, and a white triangle bearing the Zimbabwe Bird, a soapstone carving found at Great Zimbabwe, on a red star. Green evokes farming, yellow mineral wealth, red the blood shed, black the people, white peace.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Zimbabwe” and “Flag of Zimbabwe”.

See also: flags with a star.

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Fact file

Economy and society