Basic Information
Zimbabwe’s full name is the Republic of Zimbabwe, and it became independent on April 18, 1980!
Zimbabwe - Facts for Kids
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Facts About Zimbabwe For Kids
Harare is Zimbabwe’s capital city, and it’s home to over 1.5 million people!
Zimbabwe uses 16 official languages, including English, Shona, and Ndebele!
Zimbabwe is located in Southern Africa, between the Zambezi River to the north and the Limpopo River to the south!
The Zimbabwean dollar was replaced by multiple currencies, and now people use U.S. dollars and other foreign money!
Zimbabwe has a presidential system of government, where citizens elect their leader every five years!
Zimbabwe’s flag has seven colors, including a special Zimbabwe Bird that’s also found on ancient ruins!
The national animal of Zimbabwe is the Sable Antelope, known for its beautiful curved horns!
Zimbabwe’s national flower is the Flame Lily, which has beautiful red and yellow petals!
Zimbabwe’s climate is tropical, but because the country sits on a high plateau, it enjoys cooler temperatures than many other African countries!
Geography & Nature
Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, is partly in Zimbabwe and is as wide as 170 school buses lined up!
The Great Zimbabwe Ruins are the largest ancient stone structures in Africa south of the Sahara Desert!
Zimbabwe has five UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Mana Pools National Park, where elephants stand on their back legs to reach tall tree branches!
The Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe are home to the Nyanga Mountains, where the highest point reaches 2,592 meters (about as high as 650 giraffes stacked on top of each other)!
Lake Kariba, located on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is the world’s largest human-made lake by volume, and it’s home to thousands of hippos and crocodiles!
The Zambezi River, which forms Zimbabwe’s northern border, is longer than 2,500 kilometers (about the distance of 25,000 soccer fields)!
Zimbabwe has special rocks called balancing rocks that look like giant natural sculptures!
The word “Zimbabwe” comes from the Shona words “dzimba dzemabwe,” which means “houses of stone”!
Culture & Traditions
In Zimbabwe, people greet each other by clapping their hands in a special rhythm!
Traditional Zimbabwean music often uses the mbira, a special thumb piano made with metal keys!
In Zimbabwe, during the Rain Dance ceremony called “mukwerera,” people ask their ancestors for good rains for farming!
Many Zimbabwean children play a traditional game called “mahumbwe,” where they practice adult roles and responsibilities!
Zimbabwe’s traditional dress includes colorful printed fabric called “muZambia” that can be worn in many different ways!
Stone sculpture is so important in Zimbabwe that the country is often called “the world’s sculpture gallery”!
The Tonga people of Zimbabwe tell stories about a mythical creature called Nyami Nyami, the river god of the Zambezi!
During special ceremonies, some Zimbabweans wear masks called “nyau” that represent different spirits and animals!
In Zimbabwe, traditional healers called “n’anga” use special plants and herbs to help treat illnesses!
In Zimbabwe, storytelling is often done at night around a fire, and the stories usually have important moral lessons!
Food & Daily Life
Sadza, a thick porridge made from corn meal, is eaten at almost every meal in Zimbabwe!
Many Zimbabwean families grow their own vegetables in gardens called “miriwo”!
A popular snack in Zimbabwe is roasted termites, which are full of protein and taste a bit like nuts!
Many Zimbabwean schools start the day with singing and morning assembly outside!
In Zimbabwe, people enjoy a sweet, tangy drink called mukaka wemawuyu, made from the fruit of the baobab tree.
In Zimbabwe, many rural families cook their food over an open fire using a big, three-legged iron pot!
Zimbabwe grows some of the world’s best tea, and many families drink tea together in the afternoon!
In Zimbabwe’s countryside, many kids help their families by fetching water from wells or community taps.
A popular street food in Zimbabwe is called maputi, which is like popcorn made from special white corn!
In Zimbabwean culture, during meal times, kids wait for the grown-ups to start eating first as a sign of respect!
History & Heritage
The Great Zimbabwe ruins were built between the 11th and 15th centuries without using any mortar to hold the stones together!
Zimbabwe was once known as Southern Rhodesia, named after Cecil Rhodes, but changed its name after independence!
Ancient gold mines in Zimbabwe show that people were mining gold there over 1,000 years ago!
The Zimbabwe Bird symbol found on the country’s flag was discovered in the Great Zimbabwe ruins!
Rock paintings in Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe, are over 13,000 years old and show what life was like for ancient hunters!
The first railway in Zimbabwe was completed in 1897, connecting the cities of Bulawayo and Harare!
Zimbabwe’s traditional chiefs still play an important role in solving community disputes!
The Zimbabwe Bird appears on all of Zimbabwe’s coins and is the oldest known Zimbabwe symbol!
Ancient traders from as far away as China visited Zimbabwe to trade for gold and ivory!
Modern Life & Technology
Zimbabwe has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa — almost everyone aged 15 and older can read and write!
