The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land redistribution campaign, which began in 2000, caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection. Opposition and labor strikes in 2003 were unsuccessful in pressuring MUGABE to retire early; security forces continued their brutal repression of regime opponents. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election, allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005, Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition, according to UN estimates. ZANU-PF announced in December 2006 that they would seek to extend MUGABE's term in office until 2010 when presidential and parliamentary elections would be "harmonized."

Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Total	Land	Water
390580 sq km	386670 sq km	3910 sq km

Age structure

	0-14	15-64	65+
Percentage share (count, rate)	37.2% (male 2,308,731/female 2,266,027)	59.3% (male 3,663,108/female 3,641,519)	3.5% (male 198,867/female 232,891)

Sex rate

0-14	15-64	65+
1.019 male(s)/female 0-14	1.006 male(s)/female 15-64

Infant mortality

Total	Male	Female
51.12 total	53.87 deaths/1,000 live births male	48.29 deaths/1,000 live births female

Life expectancy

Total	Male	Female
39.5 years total	40.62 years male	38.35 years female

3.08 (2007) Leteracy (age 15 and over can read and write English)

Total	Male	Female
90.7% total	94.2% male	87.2% female

Gross domestic product - Purchasing power parity: 25580000000.0 (2006)
Gross domestic product - Real growth rate: -4.1% (2006)
Gross domestic product - Per capita: 2100 (2006)
Unemployment rate: 80
Population below poverty line: 80

Internet - Country code: zw
Internet - Hosts: 7,954 (2006)
Internet - Users: 1220000.0 (2006)