Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe - the state in Southern Africa, occupying the space 390,6  thousand sq. km and adjoining on the republic of South Africa in the south, Zambia in the north, Mozambique in the east, Botswana in the west and the southwest. From the end of XIX century till 1979 of Zimbabwe - possession of the Great Britain. An official language - English.

Almost all terrain of the country occupy plateau Matabele and Mashona with altitude 800-1500  the m. Monotony slabovsholmlennoj surfaces is infringed by separate granite peaks and heaps of rocks. Plateaus are bordered and particulate decomposed by regional ridges: in the north - Umvukve, in the southwest - Matopo, in the east - Injanga with mount Injangani (2596 . In the north of a plateau it is stepwise downgraded to a river Zambezi valley, in the south - to the river Limpopo. A climate in northern half subequatorial, in southern - tropical. In the summer (December-March) average temperatures do not exceed 25  °C, in the winter (June-August) - 17  °C. The Precipitation increases from 400  mm a year in the south to 1200  mm on slopes of mounts Injanga in the northeast. The maximum of rains falls out from November till March. The majority of the rivers belongs áàññåéíàì  two boundary rivers - Zambezi in the north and Limpopo in the south. Exclusion is compounded by systems of the rivers Sabi (running into Indian ocean) and Nata. On the river Zambezi (on boundary line with Zambia) the well-known Victoria falls surrounded with national park, and big conservation reservoir Kariba are had.

The Most moistened sections of a plateau are occupied by light forests and park savannah which in drier places give way kustarnikovym and to woodless grassy savannahs. In the south are stretched opustynennye savannahs with prickly bushes and the rarefied sward. Woods meet small islets. The fauna is typical for savannahs of Africa, but is impoverished as a result of destruction of large animals. In the country ten reservations and national parks (Uanki, Victoria-Fols, Matops, etc.) in which there are elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, lions, leopards, river horses.

The Majority of the population (all - nearby 10,7  million persons) belongs to the people of bunch to a bow. Are most numerous shona and matabele, saved the pedigree social organisation and many traditional handcrafts - earthenware (ornamentirovannaja ceramic ware), weaving, manufacturing of carpets-applications from skins. In Zimbabwe monumental stone structures of the most ancient in Africa civilisations VI-XVIII of centuries - monomotapa were saved. All them nearby 400, but the acropolis and temples near a Fort-viktorija, decorated with stone sculptures are most known. The largest cities and the cultural centres - capital Harare (the former name of Salisbury) and Bulawayo.