World Factbook
Zimbabwe
Republic of Zimbabwe
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
386,847 sq km
water
3,910 sq km
total
390,757 sq km
Climate
tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain
mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east
Land use
other
22.3% (2023 est.)
forest
35.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
41.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 10.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 31.3% (2023 est.)
Location
Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
junction of the Runde and Save Rivers 162 m
highest point
Inyangani 2,592 m
mean elevation
961 m
Irrigated land
1,740 sq km (2012)
Major aquifers
Upper Kalahari-Cuvelai-Upper Zambezi Basin
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
3,229 km
border countries
Botswana 834 km; Mozambique 1,402 km; South Africa 230 km; Zambia 763 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare
Geography - note
landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural river boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April), the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water; Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi)
Natural resources
coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals
Area - comparative
about four times the size of Indiana; slightly larger than Montana
Geographic coordinates
20 00 S, 30 00 E
Population distribution
aside from major urban agglomerations in Harare and Bulawayo, population distribution is fairly even, with slightly greater overall numbers in the eastern half, as shown in this population distribution map
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage
Zambezi (1,332,412 sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage
Okavango Basin (863,866 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Zambezi (shared with Zambia [s]), Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km; Limpopo (shared with South Africa [s], Botswana, and Mozambique [m]) - 1,800 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth