Zimbabwe is a land-locked country in southern Africa, bordered by Mozambique in the North and East, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia. In the northwest the border lies along the great Zambezi River, while in the South the border with South Africa is marked by the Limpopo River.
Zimbabwe, which was once known affectionately as The Bread Basket of Africa, has been reduced to economic chaos by the gross mismanagement of a dictatorial state. Press Freedom is non-existent and the Law and Order compromised by a police force run by armed thugs. Farms, which once produced crops that were exported all over Africa, are now lying unattended and are incapable of producing even subsistence crops. Overgrazing is rife throughout the land.

In the northwest on the Zambezi River lies the giant man-made Lake Kariba, the dam producing electricity for Zimbabwe and its neighbour Zambia, a popular tourist destination where plenty of wildlife can be seen in a natural environment. A little further upstream on the same river lie the giant Victoria Falls, the seventh Natural Wonder of the World known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya (meaning "The Smoke That Thunders), over a mile wide where 546 million cubic meters of water a minute plunges down into a 100-metre deep gorge below. The constant spray of water has given rise to a rain forest on the Zimbabwe side of the Falls.

Close to Masvingo (once called Fort Victoria) lie the ruins of the Great Zimbabwe - the archeological remains of an ancient southern African city built of stone. This was once the centre of a vast empire known as the Munhumutapa Empire (also called Monomotapa Empire) covering the modern states of Zimbabwe (which took its name from these remains - the word 'Zimbabwe' means 'house of stone') and Mozambique. Further stone ruins can be found in Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands.

Zimbabwe can be reached by air or by road. Be warned though that most of the country’s major roads are in disrepair and that petrol stations normally have long queues awaiting service – a good way of telling where the next petrol station is! A train runs between Johannesburg and Harare and there is a coach service between the two cities.

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing hyperinflation, with inflation during 2006 over 1000%, so the price of goods may increase dramatically over even the course of a single day. It is said that those stores that are lucky enough to have goods to sell employ someone who is permanently going around the store marking up prices.

There are two major ethnic groups in Zimbabwe, the Shona making up 80% - 84% of the population, and the Ndebele comprising 8% - 10%. Up to 1million Ndebele may have fled the country for South Africa in the last 5 years and there are currently mass desertions from the National Army. The white population, making up less than 1% of the total, has reduced from 275,000 in 1970 to less than 60,000 today. Until such time as there is a change in government and a reversal of the economy it is wise to avoid traveling to Zimbabwe unless it is really necessary