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Zimbabwe Facts & Worksheets

Zimbabwe, with its official name Republic of Zimbabwe, previously Rhodesia, is a landlocked country situated in Southern Africa, within the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique.

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Zimbabwe, with its official name Republic of Zimbabwe, previously Rhodesia, is a landlocked country situated in Southern Africa, within the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique. Zimbabwe is home to around 14 million people and the largest and capital city is Harare. The people use 16 official languages with English, Shona, and Ndebele being the most commonly used.

See the fact file below for more information on the Zimbabwe or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Zimbabwe worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY

  • The name of Zimbabwe originates from a Shona term for Great Zimbabwe, an ancient city in the country’s south-east whose remains are currently a preserved site.
  • One theory holds that the name came from dzimba-dza-mabwe, from Shona language for “houses of stones”.
  • The country was previously known as Southern Rhodesia, the Republic of Rhodesia, and Zimbabwe Rhodesia. Rhodesia was acquired from Cecil John Rhodes, whose company administered the area during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

HISTORY

  • The San people are believed to be the earliest people to inhabit the country, from around 200 BC. The first Bantu-speaking farmers arrived during the Bantu domination around 2000 years ago. Then the Shona people came, followed by the Nguni and Zulu tribes. During the mid-19th century, the descendants of the Nguni and Zulu tribes called the Ndebele built their kingdom in the country.
  • In 1850, the British arrived and invaded the country, making it their colony. They called the country Rhodesia after Cecil Rhodes of the British South Africa Company. Soon, it became Southern Rhodesia. In 1923, the European immigrants of the country decided to become a self-governing colony of the British. After World War II in 1963, Northern Rhodesia (which is now the Zambia) and Nyasaland (now Malawi) voted for independence, whilst Southern Rhodesia chose to remain as a colony.
  • 2 years later, the white minority of Rhodesia proclaimed the country’s independence from Britain and in 1970, Rhodesia formally became a republic. But the white minority of Rhodesia, led by Ian Smith, resisted dominating the government from the Black Africans, which
    led to chaos and war.
  • In 1978, the white minority accepted to assign power to the black majority, though Smith continued to serve as the country’s Prime Minister.
  • Later, in 1980, the white minority determined to operate a multiracial election to resolve national issues. As presumed, the black majority won, namely through Robert Mugabe, who eventually won a landslide victory. On April 17, 1980, the country commemorated its independence and changed its name to Zimbabwe.

GEOGRAPHY

  • Zimbabwe has a total land area of 390,580 square kilometers, which is slightly larger than Montana.
  • Zimbabwe is a landlocked country bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the west and southwest, Zambia to the northwest, and Mozambique to the east and northeast.
  • The highest point is in the Eastern Highlands, Mount Inyangani, at 2,592 meters, while the lowest point is at the meeting of the Runde and Save Rivers, at 162 meters.
  • Zimbabwe has a tropical climate and is moderated by altitude; the rainy season lasts from November to March.
  • The country is mostly high plateau with a higher central plateau (high veld); there are mountains in the east and almost 20% of the land is low-lying (the low veld), under 900 meters.

ECONOMY

  • Gold, ferroalloys, cotton, tobacco, and textiles/clothing are the main foreign exports of Zimbabwe. Some chemicals, fuels, machinery, and transport equipment are the major imports.
  • The mining sector remains very lucrative, with some of the world’s largest platinum reserves being mined by Anglo American PLC and Impala Platinum, but most of the revenues from the field have gone to army officers and ZANU-PF politicians.
  • In terms of carats produced, the Marange field is to one of the largest diamond manufacturing projects in the world. Zimbabwe is the biggest partner of South Africa with regards to trading on the continent.
  • Zimbabwe adopts the currency of various other countries while the government uses the United States dollar. Currently, the economy of the country is in a bad situation. The exchange rate between the Zimbabwean Dollar has been devalued. Multiple spectators see this as due to Mugabe’s controversial Land Reform program.

CULTURE

  • The Shona are considered as the biggest ethnic group. They are recognized for their unique creations of carvings and sculptures of idols or gods. They also do classical arts, including jewelry, textiles, basketry, and pottery.
  • English is the official language in Zimbabwe yet most people use Bantu languages: 18 percent speak Ndebele and 76 percent speak Shona.

Zimbabwe Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Zimbabwe across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Zimbabwe worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Zimbabwe, with its official name Republic of Zimbabwe, previously Rhodesia, which is a landlocked country situated in Southern Africa, within the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique. Zimbabwe is home to around 14 million people and the largest and capital city is Harare. The people use 16 official languages with English, Shona, and Ndebele being the most commonly used.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Zimbabwe Facts
  • Zimbabwe’s Shona People
  • The Borders
  • All About Zimbabwe
  • Significant Events
  • Miss Zimbabwe
  • Fact or Bluff?
  • Zimbabwe Catalog
  • Good and Bad
  • Postcard from Zimbabwe
  • Promotional Plan

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Link will appear as Zimbabwe Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 2, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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