Bermuda (2004) | Zimbabwe (2005) | |
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Administrative divisions | 9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick | 8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status; Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 19.1% (male 6,192; female 6,186)
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 22,268; female 22,703) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 3,295; female 4,291) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 39.2% (male 2,522,609/female 2,474,131)
15-64 years: 57.1% (male 3,686,354/female 3,592,662) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 235,478/female 235,756) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products | corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs |
Airports | 1 (2003 est.) | 404 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 8 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 387
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 186 under 914 m: 196 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 53.3 sq km
land: 53.3 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 390,580 sq km
land: 386,670 sq km water: 3,910 sq km |
Area - comparative | about one-third the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than Montana |
Background | Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to the island's economy, although international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. A referendum on independence was soundly defeated in 1995. | The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land redistribution campaign begun in 2000 caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection. Opposition and labor groups launched general strikes in 2003 to pressure MUGABE to retire early; security forces continued their brutal repression of regime opponents. |
Birth rate | 11.83 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 29.74 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $671.1 million
expenditures: $594.6 million, including capital expenditures of $55 million (FY03/04) |
revenues: $1.325 billion
expenditures: $1.593 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
Capital | Hamilton | Harare |
Climate | subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter | tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March) |
Coastline | 103 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 8 June 1968, amended 1989 and 2003 | 21 December 1979 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bermuda former: Somers Islands |
conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe
conventional short form: Zimbabwe former: Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia |
Currency | Bermudian dollar (BMD) | - |
Death rate | 7.55 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 24.66 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $160 million (FY99/00) | $4.086 billion (2004 est.) |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Deputy Chief of Mission Antoinette BOECKER
consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3 mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300 telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342 FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592, [1] (441) 296-9233 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph G. SULLIVAN
embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare mailing address: P. O. Box 3340, Harare telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 and 250-594 FAX: [263] (4) 796488 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador Simbi Veke MUBAKO
chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100 FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326 |
Disputes - international | none | Botswana has built electric fences and South Africa has placed military along the border to stem the flow of thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution; Namibia has supported and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | $178 million; note - the EU and the US provide food aid on humanitarian grounds (2000 est.) |
Economy - overview | Bermuda enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, equal to that of the US. Its economy is primarily based on providing financial services for international business and luxury facilities for tourists. The effects of 11 September 2001 have had both positive and negative ramifications for Bermuda. On the positive side, a number of new reinsurance companies have located on the island, contributing to the expansion of an already robust international business sector. On the negative side, Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - was severely hit as American tourists chose not to travel. Tourism rebounded somewhat in 2002-03. Most capital equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is small, although construction continues to be important; the average cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is limited, only 6% of the land being arable. | The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit, an overvalued exchange rate, soaring inflation, and bare shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the country's failure to meet budgetary goals. Inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to 133% at the end of 2004, while the exchange rate fell from 24 Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar to 6,200 in the same time period. The government's land reform program, characterized by chaos and violence, has badly damaged the commercial farming sector, the traditional source of exports and foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs. |
Electricity - consumption | 598.6 million kWh (2001) | 11.22 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 3 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 643.7 million kWh (2001) | 8.839 billion kWh (2002) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Town Hill 76 m |
lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m
highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m |
Environment - current issues | asbestos disposal; water pollution; preservation of open space; sustainable development | 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; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | black 58%, white 36%, other 6% | African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1% |
Exchange rates | Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) | Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar - 4,303.28 (2004), 697.424 (2003), 55.036 (2002), 55.052 (2001), 44.418 (2000)
note: these are official exchange rates, non-official rates vary significantly |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Sir John VEREKER (since NA April 2002)
head of government: Premier Alex SCOTT (since 24 July 2003); Deputy Premier Ewart BROWN cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor |
chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the House of Assembly elections: presidential candidates nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least one from each province) and elected by popular vote for a 6-year term; election last held 9-11 March 2002 (next to be held March 2008); co-vice presidents appointed by the president election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 56.2%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 41.9% |
Exports | NA (2001) | NA |
Exports - commodities | reexports of pharmaceuticals | cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing |
Exports - partners | France 62%, Norway 13.8%, UK 7.5% (2003) | South Africa 31.5%, Switzerland 7.4%, UK 7.3%, China 6.1%, Germany 4.3% (2004) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag | seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in black with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing the long history of the country is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which symbolizes peace; green symbolizes agriculture, yellow - mineral wealth, red - blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native people |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $2.33 billion (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 10% services: 89% (2002 est.) |
agriculture: 18.1%
industry: 24.3% services: 57.7% (2004 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $36,000 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2% (2003 est.) | -8.2% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 32 20 N, 64 45 W | 20 00 S, 30 00 E |
Geography - note | consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US Government from 1941 to 1995 | landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water |
Highways | total: 450 km
paved: 450 km unpaved: 0 km note: public roads - 209 km; private roads - 241 km (2002) |
total: 18,338 km
paved: 8,692 km unpaved: 9,646 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: 1.97%
highest 10%: 40.42% (1995) |
Illicit drugs | - | transit point for African cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines destined for the South African and European markets |
Imports | NA (2001) | NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals | machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels |
Imports - partners | Kazakhstan 46.7%, France 32.5%, US 8.5% (2003) | South Africa 46.9%, Botswana 3.6%, UK 3.4% (2004) |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 18 April 1980 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | -7.8% (2004 est.) |
Industries | tourism, international business, light manufacturing | mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel, wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages |
Infant mortality rate | total: 8.79 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: 67.69 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 70.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 64.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.3% (mid-2003 est.) | 133% (2004 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCO, Egmont Group, Caribbean Financial Action Task Force | ACP, AfDB, AU, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 1,170 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts | Supreme Court; High Court |
Labor force | 37,470 (2000) | 4.23 million (2004 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 22%, professional and technical 17%, administrative and managerial 13%, sales 8%, services 20% (2000 est.) | agriculture 66%, industry 10%, services 24% (1996) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 3,066 km
border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km |
Land use | arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2001) |
arable land: 8.32%
permanent crops: 0.34% other: 91.34% (2001) |
Languages | English (official), Portuguese | English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects |
Legal system | English law | mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an 11-member body appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve up to five-year terms)
elections: last general election held 24 July 2003 (next to be held NA July 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 51.7%, UBP 48%; seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14 |
unicameral House of Assembly (150 seats - 120 elected by popular vote for five-year terms, 12 nominated by the president, 10 occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and 8 occupied by provincial governors appointed by the president)
elections: last held 31 March 2005 (next to be held NA 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 59.6%, MDC 39.5%, other 0.9%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 78, MDC 41, Independents 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 77.6 years
male: 75.54 years female: 79.7 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 39.13 years
male: 40.2 years female: 38.03 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99% (1970 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 90.7% male: 94.2% female: 87.2% (2003 est.) |
Location | North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of South Carolina (US) | Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia |
Map references | North America | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 94 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,845,326 GRT/6,501,782 DWT
by type: bulk 25, cargo 4, container 17, liquefied gas 9, passenger 6, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 10, short-sea/passenger 3 foreign-owned: Croatia 5, Germany 2, Greece 21, Hong Kong 9, Indonesia 1, Sweden 6, Switzerland 1, United Kingdom 33, United States 12 registered in other countries: 2 (2004 est.) |
- |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | Bermuda Regiment | Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (2005) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $4.03 million (2001) | $217 million (2004) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.11% (FY00/01) | 4.3% (2004) |
National holiday | Bermuda Day, 24 May | Independence Day, 18 April (1980) |
Nationality | noun: Bermudian(s)
adjective: Bermudian |
noun: Zimbabwean(s)
adjective: Zimbabwean |
Natural hazards | hurricanes (June to November) | recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare |
Natural resources | limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism | coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals |
Net migration rate | 2.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population negligible migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2005 est.) |
Pipelines | - | refined products 261 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Gombey Liberation Party or GLP [Gavin Sundjata SMITH]; National Liberal Party or NLP [Dessaline WALDRON]; Progressive Labor Party or PLP [William Alexander SCOTT]; United Bermuda Party or UBP [Grant GIBBONS]; | Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI]; National Alliance for Good Governance or NAGG [Shakespeare MAYA]; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga [Wilson KUMBULA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel MUGABE]; Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Agrippa MADLELA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial Union or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Ed BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES] | National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Brian KAGORO]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU [Lovemore MATOMBO] |
Population | 64,935 (July 2004 est.) | 12,746,990
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 19% (2000) | 70% (2002 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.68% (2004 est.) | 0.51% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Hamilton, Saint George's, Dockyard | Binga, Kariba |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998) |
Railways | - | total: 3,077 km
narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2004) |
Religions | non-Anglican Protestant 39%, Anglican 27%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 19% | syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: good
domestic: modern, fully automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-441; 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines
domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internet connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns and for some of the smaller ones international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 56,000 (2002) | 300,900 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 37,873 (2003) | 379,100 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 4 (2003) | 16 (1997) |
Terrain | low hills separated by fertile depressions | mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east |
Total fertility rate | 1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 3.54 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 5% (2002 est.) | 70% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | - | on Lake Kariba, length small (2003) |