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Compare Western Sahara (2008) - Zimbabwe (2008)

Compare Western Sahara (2008) z Zimbabwe (2008)

 Western Sahara (2008)Zimbabwe (2008)
 Western SaharaZimbabwe
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 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: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)


15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 37.2% (male 2,308,731/female 2,266,027)


15-64 years: 59.3% (male 3,663,108/female 3,641,519)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 198,867/female 232,891) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs
Airports 9 (2007) 341 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
total: 19


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 10 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
total: 322


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 152


under 914 m: 166 (2007)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 390,580 sq km


land: 386,670 sq km


water: 3,910 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly larger than Montana
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008. The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] 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, which began 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. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election, allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005, Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition, according to UN estimates. President Mugabe in June 2007 instituted price controls on all basic commodities causing panic buying and leaving store shelves empty for months. In October 2007, Constitutional Amendment 18 came into effect allowing for harmonized presidential and parliamentary elections, shortening the length of the presidential term to five years, and moving up the date for parliamentary elections. General elections are expected in March 2008.
Birth rate NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 27.72 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
revenues: $1.105 billion


expenditures: $1.366 billion (2007 est.)
Capital none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Harare


geographic coordinates: 17 50 S, 31 03 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)
Coastline 1,110 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution - 21 December 1979
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe


conventional short form: Zimbabwe


former: Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia
Death rate NA 21.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $NA $4.876 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none chief of mission: Ambassador James D. MCGEE


embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare


mailing address: P. O. Box 3340, Harare


telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 and 250-594


FAX: [263] (4) 796-488
Diplomatic representation in the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Machivenyika T. MAPURANGA


chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100


FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria Botswana 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 $367.7 million; note - the EU and the US provide food aid on humanitarian grounds (2005 est.)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit, an overvalued official exchange rate, hyperinflation, and bare store shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. 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, turning Zimbabwe into a net importer of food products. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the government's arrears on past loans and the government's unwillingness to enact reforms that would stabilize the economy. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe routinely prints money to fund the budget deficit, causing the official annual inflation rate to rise from 32% in 1998, to 133% in 2004, 585% in 2005, passed 1000% in 2006, and 26000% in November 2007. Private sector estimates of inflation in 2007 are well above 100,000%. Meanwhile, the official exchange rate fell from approximately 1 (revalued) Zimbabwean dollar per US dollar in 2003 to 30,000 per US dollar in 2007.
Electricity - consumption 79.05 million kWh (2005) 12.27 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 3.013 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 85 million kWh (2005) 9.95 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m


highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land 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: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 Arab, Berber African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1%
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003) Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar - 30,000 (2007), 162.07 (2006), 77.965 (2005), 5.729 (2004), 0.824 (2003)


note: these are official exchange rates; non-official rates vary significantly
Executive branch none chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and 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 Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004)


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 five-year term (no term limits); election last held 9-11 March 2002 (next to be held 28 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 0 bbl/day (2004) 0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% platinum, cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) South Africa 24.8%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 17.6%, Botswana 15.7%, US 10.4% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description - 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 - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
agriculture: 16.7%


industry: 21.6%


services: 61.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% -6% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 20 00 S, 30 00 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas 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
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 40.4% (1995)
Illicit drugs - transit point for cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines en route to South Africa
Imports 1,698 bbl/day (2004) 13,370 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) South Africa 40.8%, Zambia 29.6%, US 4.9% (2006)
Independence - 18 April 1980 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 0.5% (2007 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts 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: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 51.12 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 53.87 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 48.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% 26,470% official data; private sector estimates are much higher (2007)
International organization participation none ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land NA 1,740 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court; High Court
Labor force 12,000 3.998 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
agriculture: 66%


industry: 10%


services: 24% (1996)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 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: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
arable land: 8.24%


permanent crops: 0.33%


other: 91.43% (2005)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects
Legal system - mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law
Legislative branch - bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate (93 seats - 60 elected by popular vote for a five-year term, 10 provincial governors nominated by the president, 16 provincial chiefs appointed by the president and deputy president from all provinces except Harare and Bulawayo, and 7 appointed by the president) and a House of Assembly (210 seats - all elected by popular vote for five-year terms)


elections: Senate last held 26 November 2005 (next to be held 28 March 2008; House of Assembly last held 31 March 2005 (next to be held 28 March 2008)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 73.7%, MDC 20.3%, other 4.4%, independents 1.6%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 43, MDC 7; House of Assembly - 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: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total population: 39.5 years


male: 40.62 years


female: 38.35 years (2007 est.)
Literacy NA definition: age 15 and over can read and write English


total population: 90.7%


male: 94.2%


female: 87.2% (2003 est.)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue none (landlocked)
Military branches - Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (2005)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 3.8% (2006)
National holiday - Independence Day, 18 April (1980)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Zimbabwean(s)


adjective: Zimbabwean
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals
Net migration rate - 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2007 est.)
Pipelines - refined products 270 km (2007)
Political parties and leaders - African National Party or ANP [Egypt DZINEMUNHENZVA]; Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI, anti-Senate faction; Arthur MUTAMBARA, pro-Senate faction]; Peace Action is Freedom for All or PAFA; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; United People's Party or UPP [Daniel SHUMBA]; 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]; Zimbabwe Youth in Alliance or ZIYA
Political pressure groups and leaders none Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Xolani ZITHA]; National Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Women of Zimbabwe Arise or WOZA [Jenny WILLIAMS]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU [Wellington CHIBEBE]
Population 382,617


note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
12,311,143


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 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 68% (2004)
Population growth rate NA 0.595% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, 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) (2006)
Religions Muslim syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.019 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.006 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.854 male(s)/female


total population: 1.005 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
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; 2 international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 331,700 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 832,500 (2006)
Television broadcast stations NA 16 (1997)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east
Total fertility rate NA 3.08 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 80% (2005 est.)
Waterways - on Lake Kariba (2005)
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