ZIMBABWE
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, formerly known as Rhodesia is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique. The capital and largest city of the country is Harare. The country has been going trough economical trouble since 1990 due to multiple economical crashes and inflations.
MAIN CITIES
Harare
Bulawayo
Chitungwiza
RELIGIONS
Christianity 84.1%
Islam 0.7%
Other 15.2%
POPULATION
14,869,018
LANGUAGES
English (official)
Chewa
Chibarwe
Kalanga
Other
ETHNIC GROUPS
Shona 70%
Ndebele 20%
Other 10%
CURRENCY
Zimbabwean dollar
TOP 10 ATTRACTIONS IN ZIMBABWE
VICTORIA FALLS
Victoria Falls is e one of the world’s largest waterfalls with a width of 1,708 m (5,604 ft), located on the Zambezi River in southern Africa between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls has more local visitors than international tourists because it is accessible by bus and train, making it inexpensive to reach. The falls can be seen either from Zambia or Zimbabwe and tourists are allowed to travel across the border to experience both viewpoints as long as they pay the visa fee at the border post.
NYANGA NATIONAL PARK
Nyanga National Park is a national park located in the north of Zimbabwe‘s Eastern Highlands. It contains the highest land in Zimbabwe, lying at altitudes between 1,800–2,593 m (6,560–7,544 ft). The highest peak and also the highest waterfall of Zimbabwe are both located in the area. Wildlife includes buffalos, lions kudus, reedbucs, klipspringers, antelopes, leopards, hyaena, blue duiker, Samango monkeys and more.
KARIBA LAKE REGION
Lake Kariba is the world’s largest artificial lake by volume in the world. It lies along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Lake Kariba has a length of around 223 km (139 mi) with a width of 40 km (25 mi) and covers an area of 5,580 sq km (3,467 sq mi). Its deepest point has a depth of 97 m (318 ft). The lake encompasses many islands and the region is home to animals such as water birds, elephants, Lions, Cheetahs, Leopards, Buffalos and more.
CHINHOYI CAVES
The Chinhoyi Caves are a set of water caves located in Makonde District, Mashonaland West Province, north central Zimbabwe. It was established as a National Park in 1955, and is managed by the Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority. Diving is possible in the caves anytime and the site is visited by diving expedition teams of technical divers that perform ultra deep diving reaching sometime a depth of 100 m (330 ft). There are accommodations on the site for visitors.
THE NATIONAL ART GALLERY
The National Gallery of Zimbabwe is a gallery in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was founded in order to feature and preserve Zimbabwe‘s contemporary art. The Gallery was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother on 16 July 1957 and was ruled at that time by Franck McEwen from 1957 until his resignation in 1973.
MATOBO NATIONAL PARK
The Matobo National Park lies at 35 km (22 mi) south of Bulawayo, southern Zimbabwe. It is the heart of the Matapos Hills which were formed over 2 billion years ago. The park covers an area of 424 km² (263 sq mi) with a vegetation consisting of 200 species of trees. The fauna consists of 175 bird species, 88 mammal species, 39 species of snake and 16 fish species.
HWANGE NATIONAL PARK
Hwange National Park is the largest natural reserve in Zimbabwe in the west, between Bulawayo and the Victoria Falls. It was established in 1928. The park is close to the edge of the Kalahari desert, a region with little water and a very scattered vegetation. The Park is home to around 100 mammals and 400 bird species including all Zimbabwe’s protected animals.
GREAT ZIMBABWE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Great Zimbabwe is an ancient city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country’s Iron Age. It was founded in the 11th century and thrived until it was abandoned in the 15th century. The ancient town had an area of 7.22 sq km (4.48 sq mi) with a capacity of 18,000 people. The ruins of great Zimbabwe National Monument was added in the UNESCO list of World heritage site.
BALANCING ROCKS
The Balancing Rocks are geomorphological formation of igneous rocks found in many parts of Zimbabwe. The formations are naturally and perfectly superimposed and balanced without any other support. They are seen in the form of huge angular blocks of granite piled on top of each other. Two major formations are located at Matapos and Epworth.
WHITE WATER RAFTING ZAMBEZI
The Zambezi River is known as one of the top ten paddling rivers in the world. Zambezi white water rafting is very dificult with violent rapids and has been classified by the British Canoe Union as Grade 5. You can practice water rafting on either sides of the Zambezi River, in Zimbabwe and Zambia under the Victoria Falls.