I just returned from a trip to Zimbabwe in the past few days. I would like to share with you what I saw and felt in Zimbabwe through this article. Hope you know the most authentic things. Zimbabwe.
Before 2000, Zimbabwe was a very wealthy and developed country, enjoying great prestige and influence in Africa. Its capital, Harare, is known as the "Flower of Africa" and is a modern city full of energy and charm. According to the recollections of some diplomats who worked there, in the 80s of the 20th century, in the diplomatic circles, if you could not work in European and American countries, the second choice was to go to Harare, Zimbabwe.
Today, Harare still has a beautiful environment, complete facilities, efficient management, friendly people and social stability. It is the political, economic, cultural, and educational center of Zimbabwe, as well as the most important transportation hub and commercial hub in the whole of Southern Africa. One of the centers.
Zimbabwe is located in the southern hemisphere, with a latitude between 15° and 22°, and has a highland climate. Due to its high altitude, the country's climate is like spring all year round, warm but not sultry, dry but not cold. Temperatures range from 15 to 30 degrees for most of the year, with very few extreme heat or low temperatures. If you've ever been to Kunming, Yunnan, you can imagine how comfortable the weather is in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe's climate is not only suitable for human habitation, but also for the growth of a variety of plants, making the country rich and diverse in natural landscapes and biological resources.
The Bank of Zimbabwe has done something that shocked the world, and that is to print money without restraint to meet the needs of the people and the people. This practice began after the agrarian reform movement in 2000, when fiscal spending had to be increased to compensate white farmers who had lost their land and to resettle black farmers who had newly acquired land. Due to the lack of foreign exchange earnings and international aid, it is unable to raise enough money and can only rely on the central bank to print more money to pay off the debt.
However, this practice has triggered severe inflation, which has led to a significant depreciation of Zimbabwe's currency and a loss of credibility. In order to combat inflation, the central bank has continuously introduced banknotes of higher denominations, from the initial 100 yuan to the later 100 trillion yuan. These banknotes are dazzlingly printed with various fractions and index symbols. Eventually, after printing 100 trillion yuan of banknotes in 2009, the central bank announced that it would stop printing money and abolish the national currency.
Due to inflation caused by runaway money printing, Zimbabwe's currency completely lost its purchasing power and circulation function in 2009. At that time, Zimbabwe's annual inflation rate was as high as 230 billion, the highest in the history of the world. A 100 trillion yuan banknote is not even useful for a piece of toilet paper, because it is not even enough to print it.
In this regard, people have to use the currencies of other countries to trade, such as the US dollar, South African rand, yuan, etc., ** can not control this situation, can only accept the reality of the coexistence of multiple currencies by default. In April 2009, the national currency was officially abolished, allowing people to freely use foreign currencies for settlements. As a result, Zimbabwe became a country without its own currency, but also a multi-currency country.
Zimbabwe is a country rich in electricity resources. It has a number of hydropower stations and thermal power stations, with a capacity of 2,200 megawatts. Due to the surplus of electricity in the country**, the price of electricity is very low, only about 50 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity. This is far lower than the cost of power generation. It is estimated that the cost of hydropower in Zimbabwe is between 6 and 8 cents, and the cost of thermal power is between 12 to 1between 5 cents. This means that Zimbabwe's power sector is losing money and needs subsidies to stay afloat. Low electricity prices have also led to wasted electricity and increased demand, leading to power shortages and curtailments in Zimbabwe at some point.
Zimbabwe was once a British colony. Occupied by British colonists in 1890, it became a self-governing British territory in 1923 and did not officially declare independence until 1980. During these nearly 100 years of colonial rule, Britain had a profound impact on Zimbabwe's politics, economy, culture and society, one of which was the spread of religion.
According to statistics, more than 80% of Zimbabwe's population believes in ** religion, most of which are Protestants and a few are Catholics. Another legacy of the colonial period is the spread of the English language. English is the official language of Zimbabwe and the working language of education, business, and institutions. Most Zimbabweans are fluent in English and have good English reading and writing skills.
Zimbabwe is located in southern Africa and is rich in mineral resources. One of the most striking is the ** resource. With proven gold ore reserves of 13 million tonnes, Zimbabwe is the third largest producer in Africa, after South Africa and Ghana. **Plays an important role in Zimbabwe's history, culture, and economy, and is one of the country's major foreign exchange**. In addition to **, Zimbabwe also has the world's largest chromium reserves, which are about 60.8 billion tons. Chromium is widely demanded in the global market and is another important export mineral for Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is a country where cars are the main means of transportation, and almost every household owns one or more cars. However, most of these cars are used cars imported from Japan. The brand is mainly Toyota. The cars are in such poor condition that they are not even allowed on the road in Japan. This is because Zimbabwe lacks automotive manufacturing, imposing high duties and taxes on imported cars, making new cars** very expensive. In Japan, a large number of old cars are sold out every year. They are cheap and comply with Zimbabwe's left-hand drive rules. As a result, Zimbabweans choose to import used cars from Japan to meet their travel needs.
Bicycles and motorcycles are almost invisible on the streets of Zimbabwe. This could be because the country didn't go through the era of bicycles as the main means of transportation, or because the country was once so wealthy that people had no interest in bicycles.
In terms of necessities of life, Zimbabwe does not lack a variety of goods and services, but it is higher than ours. Due to the low level of agricultural and industrial development in the country, many daily necessities need to be imported from neighboring countries such as South Africa, such as food, clothing, home appliances, medicines, etc., which are affected by transportation costs and tariffs, so ** is relatively high.
Still, in Zimbabwe's supermarkets and shopping malls, you can still find a variety of brands and types of goods to suit your different needs and preferences. If you want to buy some products with Chinese characteristics, you can also go to some Chinese supermarkets or Chinese-owned stores to find them. There, you can buy items such as Chinese food, spices, tea, Chinese herbs, books, stationery, etc.
Zimbabwe's visa policy is relatively flexible. Citizens of most countries can apply for a visa on arrival or an eVisa in advance**. Visa on arrival fees vary depending on nationality and length of stay, but generally range from $30 to $75. The e-Visa costs $45 and requires a scanned copy of your passport, ** itinerary and other documents. Either way, the visa is valid for 90 days and can be extended once. When applying for a visa, make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months and has enough blank pages.
Currently, Zimbabwe uses a variety of foreign currencies such as the US dollar, South African rand, and Chinese yuan as the currency in circulation, but it is difficult to withdraw money from banks or ATMs due to cash shortages and restrictions. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare enough cash before departure and try to use small denomination notes.
In addition, Zimbabwe has issued a coin called a bond coin, which is equivalent to the US dollar but can only be used domestically. Bond coins can often be given change at places like supermarkets or gas stations, but remember not to confuse them with coins from other countries.
There are many ways to get around in Zimbabwe, including planes, trains, cars, buses, taxis, etc. If you want to get to different cities or attractions quickly and easily, you can choose to take a domestic flight, but be sure to book and confirm your flight details in advance, as delays or cancellations can sometimes occur.
If you want to experience Zimbabwe's railway history and scenery, you can choose to take the train, but be patient and prepared for the time as trains are slow and often delayed or interrupted. If you want to save costs and experience the local lifestyle, you can choose to take a bus or taxi, but you must pay attention to safety and hygiene, negotiate well, and refuse unreasonable requests.