III. Find interesting information about the country
МЕТОДИЧНІ РЕКОМЕНДАЦІЇ ПО ТЕМІ
«ZIMBABWE»
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A GLIMPSE OF THE COUNTRY
Would you like to see Victoria Falls?
What is garden city of Zimbabwe?
Where do aloes grow?
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It has an area of 390, 245 sq. km., three times the size of England. Most of the country is a high plateau of 1500 m high. Zimbabwelies in the tropics but has a pleasant climate because of die high altitude.
Zimbabwe's beautiful scenery includes the famous Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River. The main rivers are the Zambezi, Limpopo and Sabi. Mount Inyangani /2,595 m/ is Zimbabwe's highest point Zimbabwe is a leading mineral producer. Harare is the capital and major city.
Climate. Zimbabwe's summer lasts from October to April and is hoot and wet. The winter from May to September is cool and dry. Temperatures range between +12C and +29C. Rainfall ranges from 38 to 130 cm.
Harare is the capital and financial center of Zimbabwe. Harare is one of the most beautiful and developed cities in Africa. With one of the most temperate climates in the world, Harare is also a garden city with flower-lined streets, trees and gardens.
The city has a sub tropical climate with +21C in winter and +29C in summer. New buildings are changing die skyline of the city. Harare is surrounded by the richest farmland in the country. It has also an industrial area.
Zimbabwe's main international airport is only a 20-minute ride from the city center. There are numerous educational institutions in Harare including the University of Zimbabwe and Harare Polytechnic. Harare is well served by hospitals and clinics. An excellent road system runs from the capital to the resorts of Lake Kariba and Inyange. There are excellent recreational areas.
In addition to the parks and botanical gardens there is the world famous Ewanrigg National Park where a large collection of aloes and cycads can be seen. There are a game park and a lake ideal for yachting, water skiing and speed boat racing. There are 20 golf courses round the city. There are plush five star hotels in Harare. Harare has cinemas, theatres, the national Gallery and the Museum.
Government. An executive president heads Zimbabwe's government, and appoints a Cabinet. Zimbabwe's laws are made by a parliament that consists of 150-member House of Assembly. 120 are elected, 20 are appointed by the president, and 10 are appointed by the traditional chiefs of Zimbabwe.
People. Population of Zimbabwe is about 8 million. 98% of Zimbabwians are black. 1% are whites. Most of the blacks five in rural areas; most of the whites live in cities. The largest black ethnic groups in Zimbabwe are. the Shona and Ndebele. The Shona speak Chishona and the Ndebele speak Sindebele.
Education. Primary school education is free. Prior to independence only 12% of black children who attended primary school proceeded to secondary schools. The country's two main languages Shona and Ndebele have been made compulsory at the Zimbabwe Junior Certificate /ZJC/. Government has built technical colleges in all provinces. Students' enrollment at the University of Zimbabwe has risen from 2,000 in 1979 to 10,000 in 1990. The government constructed the second University in Bulawayo.
Economy. Zimbabwe is a producer of gold, asbestos and nickel. The country has deposits of chromite, copper, tin, andgems. Crops include coffee, corn, cotton, peanuts, sugar, sunflower seeds, tea tobacco, and wheat. Cattleraising on large ranches is also important. The private sector still dominates diemain streamof economic activities. The Kariba Gorge hydroelectric complex on the Zambezi is one of the world's largest. It supplies electricity to most of Zimbabwe. Its dam forms Kariba Lake /5,209 sq. km/.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
What are the "Zimbabwe ruins"?
What was Rhodesia?
When did Britain recognize Zimbabwe?
Shona people began their rule about AD 1000. They built a city called Zimbabwe /House of Stone in Chishona/. The Zimbabwe Ruins are "one of Africa's greatest mysteries ". Zimbabwe was a mini-state based on gold trade with the Arabs. The city ruins lie near Masvingo. They include a tower 9-m high, part of a wall 240-m around and up to 10 m high. The structures were made of huge granite slabs, fitted together without mortar.
Portuguese introduced Christianity in the 1500s. Since the 1800s Zimbabwe /then Rhodesia/ has had a troubled political history. In 1888, the Ndebele granted mineral rights in the area to Cecil Rhodes/1853-1902/, a British financier. By 1893, Rhode's Company occupied most of the region. In 1895, this company named its Territory Rhodesia; The Company crushed black African uprisings in 1896-7. The majority of black Africans was controlled by whites from 1890 to 1979.
In 1897, Britain recognized Southern and Northern Rhodesia as separate territories. In 1922, the white settlers of Southern Rhodesia /now Zimbabwe/ voted for self-government, hi 1964, Northern Rhodesia became an independent nation of Zambia.
On November 11,1965, Prime Minister /1964-5/ Ian Smith /b. 1919/ declared Rhodesia an independent republic. Rhodesia was the first colony to break with Britain without consent since the America colonies did so in 1776.
Britain banned all trade with Rhodesia and the US imposed economic sanctions. The nation's economy was crippled by international trade sanctions. Black nationalists engaged in guerilla warfare against the government. Fighting broke between government troops-and black guerrillas.
White Rhodesians finally agreed to hand over political power to the blacks. The first black majority government was elected in 1979. Abel Muzorewa became the first black Prime Minister. But many blacks rejected the new government as unrepresentative. Fighting went on until September 1979 when Britain arranged a peace settlement.
In elections of 1980 the ZANU-PF party won. Robert Mugabe / b.1924/ became Prime Minister. On April 18, 1980, Britain recognized die country's independence. Rhodesia's name was officially changed to Zimbabwe. Many whites have left. Zimbabwe became the member of the UN. In I981, fighting broke out between the National army and guerilla forces of ZAPU. In 1982, Mugabe dismissed ZAPU leader Joshua Nkomo from his Cabinet.
Clashes continued until 1984. Mugabe's party won the 1985 national elections. In 1987 Mugabe became executive President. ZANU and ZAPU formerly merged in 1989 under the name of ZANU - PF. In 1990, the voters reelected Mugabe executive president.
Zimbabwe is unable to pay its electricity bills to South Africa, fuel is often critically short, businessmen have stop investing here. The white farmers produce export crops, but hundreds of their farms are now occupied by squatters led by veterans of the independence war. The solution to the violent occupation of white-owned farms was to call on donor countries - notably Britain, to honour old pledges and provide the funds necessary to buy the properties and settle landless blacks on them. Southern African heads of state who met with Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe at Victoria Falls on April 21, 2000, rallied about him on land distribution, but made it clear they were deeply concerned about the stability of the entire region.
VICTORIA FALLS
What is the smoke that thunders?
Who discovered Victoria Falls?
What is the Big Tree?
Zimbabwe's" Victoria Falls is one. of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls in the world Here, the Zambezi River /2,700km/, the only major river in Africa to flow to the Indian Ocean, plunges into a vertical chasm 400 ft high and 5,580 ft wide. Livingston was struck by the river's beauty. He wrote in his diary: "Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight."
The force of the falling water -545 million limes a minute- sends clouds of spray into the air. Reaching heights of 500 meters these clouds are responsible for the Falls' African name: Mosi ao Tunya - The Smoke that Thunders. The name Victoria Falls was given by David Livingstone /1813-73/ who crossed Africa from west to east. On November 16,1855, he became the first white man to set eyes on these mighty falls. He christened them honor of his Queen Victoria /1819-1901/. Today, a large bronze statue of Livingstone gazes east long the line of the falls...
There are five separate falls making up this natural wonder: Devils Cataract Main Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Rainbow Falls and Eastern Cataract The lowest is 61 m and the highest is 108 m. They are twice as tall as Niagara Falls. Geologist set the age of Victoria Falls at 150 million years. A small resort town has grown up near the Falls. There are five hotels, a National Park camp, and a caravan and camping site.
For the best overall view of the Falls, one can experience the "Flight of Angels"- an aerial tour over the Falls by light aircraft. On the ground, the visitor can obtain close-hand views of the falls following the paths right to the lip of the gorge.
The visitor first sees the great plunge of the Devil's Cataract, a 30-meter wide, 70-ra fall. Here between the path and Livingston's statue a Chain Walk leads down into the gorge. From me viewpoint it is possible to see into the gorge to the 93-metre-high Main Falls.
Just to the east of Main Falls is Livingston Island. It was here that Livingstone first saw the Falls. Beyond this is a narrow falls named Horseshoe Falls. It is followed by the tallest of all the cataracts, the 108-m high Rainbow Falls. Past this, is the 10-meter-higb Eastern Cataract At the end, is Danger Point offering a magnificent view of the Falls.
There is much to see in the Victoria Falls area. In the National Park /56,000 hectares there is a wide variety of animal and bird life. The reserve is known for its large numbers of stately sable antelope. At the Crocodile Ranch the visitor may see over 2,000 livе reptiles, ranging in size from 50 cm to 4,5 m. Elephant buffalo and other animals may be seen coming to the river to drink and hippo in the river itself. For the fisherman the river abounds with combative tigerfish, giant vunduand many other species. Licences are not required.
In the midst of the town is the historically accurate Craft Village. Here all structures of traditional Zimbabwe village have been copied. The building styles and decorations represent the country's major tribes.
Another sight is the Big Tree, a giant baobab 16-m in circumference and 20 m high. It's about 1500 years old.
Victoria Falls at night offers sundowner cruises of the river, two casinos, vibrant traditional dancing. For souvenirs there are curio shops with products to suit every taste and pocket.
Hwange National Park is one of die world's major wildlife reserves, ft is one of thelast of the elephant sanctuaries left in Africa, Covering over 14,600 sq. km, it is the largest national park in Zimbabwe. There are 107 species of animal in the park and 401 species of bird. There are 30,000 elephants /total 1,343,340 in Africa/, many buffalo and rhinoceros.
There are three National Park's camps, all offering complete facilities for the visitors. From thee camps: a 482-km network of game-viewing roads leads to areas of animal concentrations. Moonlight viewing is an unforgettable experience. The species more likely to be seen around the three camps are:
Main Camp - zebra, giraffe; kudu, elephant Steenbok, impala, warhog, buffalo, wildbeest sable, lion, black-back jackal, hyena and bat-eared fox.
Sinamatella -hippo, klipspringer and leopard. Robins Camp - waterbuck, roan, reedbuck, side-striped jackal, cheetah and tsessebe. Hwange also has a variety of plant life from the teak forests to the mopani woods. There are many wonderful birds in Hwange National Park.
