According to countryaah, the Republic of Zimbabwe is located in the southeastern part of Africa. The first inhabitants of this part of Africa settled here during the Iron Age about 5,000 years ago. These were hunters of the Khoisan people who inhabited large parts of Africa. The reason we know today that the Khoisan lived here can be found in the Matobo Hills where these hunters made several hundred rock paintings. These drawings are known as the “Bushman paintings”. In the third century AD it was the Bantu peoples who settled in this region, later it was the Shona. These people built the city known today as Great Zimbabwe. This people would hold power over Zimbabwe until the fifteenth century. The following centuries were very restless in which the land changed hands several times. For example, in the nineteenth century Zimbabwe became part of the Zulu Kingdom and came under the leadership of Shaka Zulu. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was the British under the leadership of Cecil Rhodes who built several mines in the country. This Cecil then named the country Rhodesia and Zimbabwe became a British colony together with Zambia. Zimbabwe was also known as Southern Rhodesia at the time. This colonial rule came to an end after years of protest and many attempts at independence in 1965 when the government of Southern Rhodesia declared itself independent. This in turn led to an economic boycott of the country. First by Great Britain and later by a large part of the UN. However, thanks to support from Portugal and South Africa, the country was able to survive. After much political resistance and considerable unrest in the country, independence was finally declared on 18 April 1980 and British administration was dissolved. The name Zimbabwe was adopted as early as 1979. However, independence has not done the country much good. There were considerable political unrest, especially in the early years. At the beginning of this millennium, the country reform was proclaimed. In short, this meant that the many white farmers were expropriated and had to give their farms to the black population. This caused most whites and their servants to leave the country and lost much of the knowledge that caused the agricultural sector to collapse. This snowball effect continued in the rest of the country, as a result of which the country had to deal with extreme inflation, among other things.
As a tourist you will hardly notice all these political worries, especially if you only visit the main sights of the country. However, if you stay in the country longer, you will be able to get something out of it. The question is how Zimbabwe will develop in the coming years and whether all sanctions imposed will eventually be abandoned.
Sights
The most famous and most visited attraction in Zimbabwe are the Victoria Falls. These waterfalls can be found in the border area with Zambia. These waterfalls are the largest and widest in Africa. The falls were discovered by the explorer David Livingstone in 1855. He named the falls after the then Queen of United Kingdom, Queen Victoria. The capital Harare is the commercial and industrial center of the country, but it is still a nice city to visit. Harare is by African standards a neat and organized city with lots of greenery and some beautiful museums. Highlights in the city include the Museum of Modern Art, the Lion and Cheetah Park and the Lavron Bird Gardens. The other major city of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo is also worth a visit. Here you will find the National Museum and the Khami ruins. Another must-see is Great Zimbabwe, the remains of the ancient capital. The Matobo Hills with its many rock paintings are also worth a visit.
Many of the tourists who come to Zimbabwe are here for a safari. The nicest and most visited parks in Zimbabwe are Gonarezhou National Park, Matobo National Park and Hwange National Park.
UNESCO
Zimbabwe has five inscriptions on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It must share one of these with neighboring Zambia. In 1984 the first registration on the World Heritage List was made. These included the Mana Pools National Park and the Sapi and Chewora safari areas. This special nature reserve can be found in the central northern part of Zimbabwe. During the rainy season, large lakes form in the nature reserve, which in turn attracts many wild animals in search of water. During the drier months, the Lakes will gradually disappear. The second entry is Great Zimbabwe. This is the remnant of an ancient Zimbabwean city that used to be the country’s capital. In the same year, the ruins of the historical city of Khami were also added. Zimbabwe’s most famous landmark the Victoria Falls were added to the list in 1989. Zimbabwe must share this registration with neighboring Zambia. The last entry in Zimbabwe is the Matobo Hills. These special granite mounds originated two billion years ago and were used as shelters for various African tribes around the beginning of our era. Hundreds of rock paintings can be found in the Matobo Hills.
Climate
Most of Zimbabwe has a tropical climate. There are several types of tropical climates in the country. The southwestern part and lower part in southeastern Zimbabwe has a warm steppe climate. In these parts of the country there is much less rainfall than in the other parts of Zimbabwe. Due to the severe drought that occurs in these parts of the country, no trees and other large plants grow in this part of the country. The average annual temperature in this part of the country is above twenty degrees Celsius. The Central Highlands of Zimbabwe has a temperate China climate. This type of climate occurs in only a few places in the world. In all cases these are higher areas. One of the characteristics of the China climate is that during the rainy season there is at least ten times as much precipitation as in the driest month of the year. The other lower parts of the country have a warm China climate. This climate is also known as the temperate savanna climate. The only difference between the warm and temperate China climate is the average annual temperature. In the warm China climate dir is just above 22 degrees Celsius and in the warm and above.
Much of Zimbabwe has a rainy season. This period lasts from October to March. During these months you have a chance of prolonged precipitation and sometimes extreme precipitation that can cause flooding and other suffering.
Geography
Zimbabwe is located in the central eastern part of Africa and has no coastal area. Zimbabwe does have land borders with Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia. A large part of these borders are formed by rivers and lakes. For example, the border with South Africa is formed by the Limpopo River and the Zambezi and Lake Kariba form the natural border with Zambia. Another important river in Zimbabwe is the Sabi. This river can be found in the southeastern part of the country.
Geographically, Zimbabwe can be divided into four parts. The first is the Hoogveld where, among other things, the capital Harare can be found. This part of the country is located at an average altitude of 1,200 to 1,500 meters above sea level. Next to this high field is the midfield which lies at an altitude between 900 and 1,200 meters. Below again the lowveld where the basins of the various rivers such as the Zambezi, the Limpopo and the Sabi can be found. The fourth part consists of the mountainous area that forms the border with Mozambique. Zimbabwe’s highest point, Mount Nyangani, is found in this mountainous area. The largest lake in Zimbabwe is Lake Kariba. This is a reservoir that was created in 1955 after the construction of the Karibadam. In addition to the capital Harare, there is one other really big city in the country, which is Bulawayo.
Travel advice
The travel advice for Zimbabwe has been on the status of “be vigilant” for some years now. This is mainly due to the political unrest in the country. This political unrest is leading to demonstrations in many places. As a tourist it is best to avoid large crowds and the places where the demonstrations normally take place. In addition, you should take into account that the highways are not of the quality that we are used to, but that it can be just as busy or busier as in the Netherlands. Traveling by public transport is not recommended as a tourist as your safety is not guaranteed. Traveling in the evening and at night is also not recommended. Homosexuality is banned in Zimbabwe. This also applies to tourists, keep this in mind when you visit the country.
In Zimbabwe komen met regelmaat politiecontroles voor zorg er altijd voor dat je de benodigde bij de hand hebt en je de instructies van de agenten opvolgt. Wil je het land als journalist bezoeken dan dien je hiervoor eerst een aanvraag te doen bij het ministerie van Media in Zimbabwe. Als toerist zijnde is het verstandig om de arme dichtbevolkte wijken van de grotere steden te mijden. Deze wijken staan bekend als erg crimineel. De vraag is niet of je beroofd wordt maar wanneer en hoe vaak.
Van november tot en met maart kunnen langdurige regenbuien voor de nodige overlast zorgen. Rivieren kunnen buiten hun oevers treden en op verschillende plaatsen in het land zullen er overstromingen voorkomen. Reis je in deze periode door het land hou dan de nieuwsberichten nauwlettend in de gaten en mijd de zwaarst getroffen gebieden.
Travel documents
To be able to visit Zimbabwe, you must be in possession of a passport that is valid for at least six months on the date of departure from Zimbabwe. The passport must still have at least two blank pages adjacent to each other. In addition, you must apply for a visa at the Zimbabwean embassy in Belgium. In order to be able to apply for this visa, you must be in possession of two color passport photos, an application form that has been signed and proof of residence in addition to a passport. In addition, you must be in possession of a return or onward ticket and you must be able to prove at customs that you have sufficient liquid assets.
A yellow fever vaccination is mandatory if you travel to Zimbabwe if you have previously been to a yellow fever area and you must also be in possession of a cholera stamp. This only if you enter Zimbabwe by land. In addition, it is wise to take vaccinations against hepatitis B, rabies, typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Malaria occurs in Zimbabwe, so take malaria pills with you, sleep under a mosquito net and make sure you have enough DEET. If you use medicines, it is wise to take more than enough of these with you, as there are virtually no medicines available in Zimbabwe.
Info table
| Capital city | Harare |
| Phone (country code) | 263 |
| Internetdomein | .zw |
| Language(s) (official) | Shona, Northern Ndebele, English and 13 other languages |
| Language(s) (colloquial) | Shona, Northern Ndebele, English and 13 other languages and dialects |
| Religion(s) | Syncretic and Christian |
| Time zone(s) | UTC+2 |
| Time difference summer | in Zimbabwe time runs parallel with the Netherlands |
| Time difference winter | in Zimbabwe it is 1 hour later than in the Netherlands |
| Daylight Saving Time Control | nee |
| Currency | US Dollar, South African Rand and the Euro |
