151 Zimbabwe History Facts Did You Know These Historical Things

Originally, San people lived in Zimbabwe over 2,000 years ago.The British South Africa company started its colonization in the 1800s. The colonial era was started in Southern Rhodesia.Zimbabwe was granted independence by the British in 1980. It was due to an internationally recognized agreement. Zimbabwe was the last British colony known to gain independence. It had two economically stable decades, followed by major inflation in the 00s. The Robert Mugabe government destroyed the whole economic structure of Zimbabwe due to inflation, and the country is still reeling from its after-effects. Sixteen official languages have been approved by the Republic of Zimbabwe. Its capital is Harare.If you like our article, be sure to check out these fun facts articles about Zimbabwe’s culture and Zimbabwe’s economy.Fun Facts About Zimbabwe’s HistoryZimbabwe is situated in South Central Africa.It is a landlocked country. It does not have any seas or coastlines around it. Its main industries are agriculture and mining. It mainly produces tobacco and cotton. It is the sixth-largest producer of tobacco in the world.Zimbabwe was called several names before its independence in 1980, including Rhodesia, Zimbabwe Rhodesia, and Southern Rhodesia. The first people were the San people. After 2,000 years, the Bantu tribe lived in Zimbabwe. These Bantu people had agriculture as their main income. However, they were essentially pottery makers of the Iron age. They made pottery belonging to silver leaves or matola tradition. Ziwa and Gokomere ceramic wares were also found in the fourth century. The now prevalent Shona tribe in Zimbabwe is actually known to have migrated from South Africa.In the year 1890, the Shona tribe was colonized by the British. They received mining rights and used to mine all the iron, copper ore, and gold from the areas. After two unsuccessful wars against the colonizers, the tribe gave up.Zimbabwe was known as Rhodesia in 1895. In 1898 the Southern Africa part of Zimbabwe was known as Southern Rhodesia, and the northern part of Zimbabwe (now Zambia) was called Northern Rhodesia. It was named in honor of Cecil Rhodes. In October 1923, Zimbabwe became a self-governing British colony. In 1930, there was an act implemented on land distribution; it was called The Land Apportionment Act. It divided the land into four types based on racial discrimination, including the white-owned land, the land used by the crown, tribal trust lands as reserves, and purchase area lands for Africans who could afford it.The flag of Zimbabwe represents many significant things related to the country. The flag consists of green, golden, red, and black stripes. There are seven stripes that are equal in length. There is one black stripe in the middle and two stripes of red, gold, and green around it. There is a white triangle in the left corner. The triangle has a red star with five points. It also has the image of Zimbabwe’s national bird on it. It has cultural, regional, and political significance. The black color indicates the black majority race. The red symbolized the bloodshed in the Chimurenga Wars. The gold or yellow represents the country’s mineral wealth, specifically in relation to gold. The green represents the country’s rural agricultural areas. The Great Zimbabwe bird is also called the African fish eagle. It is the national symbol of Zimbabwe. The white triangle is a symbol of peace. The red star represents the freedom struggle of the nation and socialism.Facts About Ancient ZimbabweNear Lake Mutirikwe, in the southeastern hills of Zimbabwe, an ancient city called Great Zimbabwe was discovered by scientists.The ancient city of Great Zimbabwe was known as the ruling place of ancient monarchs who ruled Zimbabwe. It had a circular wall and tower. In the 15th century CE, almost all of the East African coastline was ruled by Great Zimbabwe. It is not certain which kingdom ruled. Gokomere was thought to be the home of the early ancestors of the Shona people. It was settled in the fourth century AD. Bantu people also resided there during the iron age. It is recorded as a UNESCO World Heritage site.Mwari, the great god of the Shona tribe, is worshipped by Zimbabwe. The golden bird is a representation of an African fish eagle. It is shown on the Zimbabwe flag as a representation of old tribes who settled there. The place was considered a royal palace for the monarch. The ruling party lived there, along with its inhabitants. The name Zimbabwe comes from the Shona language. It means ‘ruins’ in Shona. They were many edifices and towers built without mortar. Many South African countries have monuments built without mortar. The kingdom of Zimbabwe flourished from 1200-1500. Zimbabwe’s ruins are the oldest known ruins in South Africa. They are called the Great Enclosure and are 36 ft (11 m).The ruins are only built of stone. Some say that the number of inhabitants that lived in greater Zimbabwe was 18,000, though some researchers suggest that the population was likely to be below 10,000.There are three architectural groups of the ruins: The Great Enclosure, the Hill complex, and the Valley complex. The eight Zimbabwe birds were the most important artifacts of Greater Zimbabwe. Copper was the most commonly traded metal. Ivory and gold were the main international exports of Great Zimbabwe. It was reported that more than 20 million tonnes of gold were extracted from mines. The cattle trade was also an important occupation in the region. Famine and water shortages led to a decline in this empire. It was said that the gold mines were also exhausted., and hence there was no trade, leading to a decline in Great Zimbabwe.Great Zimbabwe was made of Granite. It is now a tourist site in Zimbabwe. Historians have also found out that it was the castle of Queen Sheba who lived during the King Solomon era.Facts About Zimbabwe’s IndependenceRobert Mugabe was the first president of the Republic of Zimbabwe.Parliamentary elections were conducted in February 1980. In April 1980, Prince Charles granted independence to Zimbabwe in a ceremony in the capital city, Harare. Robert Mugabe and his ZANU party won by a large number. There are 16 official languages recognized by the government of Zimbabwe. The Shona language is widely accepted as the national language in the country. The Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army(ZIPRA), the armed wing of Zimbabwe African’s People Union, the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army(ZANLA), and the armed wing of Zimbabwe African National Union(ZANU) were the two main parties who heavily opposed British forces. Ian Smith had formed a government in Zimbabwe, and these two parties were his government’s biggest threats. The famous Rhodesian Bush War was fought for the independence of Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe War of Liberation or the Second Chimurenga was a civil war against the ruling British government. From July 1964 to December 1979, a conflict was fought between the three governments: The white-led Ian Smith government, Joshua Nkomo’s Zimbabwe African Peoples Union, and Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union.The end of white minority rule in July 1979 renamed Rhodesia to Zimbabwe Rhodesia, and a Black majority government was formed. However, the new rule was not accepted internationally, and the war continued. They reached a compromise. At Lancaster House, Mugabe and Nkomo showed a patriotic front despite their differences. They had a meeting with the UK Government and the government of Zimbabwe Rhodesia. The Lancaster House agreement was signed in December 1979 in London. Under the supervision of the Commonwealth and the British government. Elections were held in the country in March 1980. Robert Mugabe’s ZANU won the election, and he became the first Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.Cold war politics played a major role in delaying the country’s independence. China supported ZANLA, and the soviet union supported ZIPRA. The groups fought against the ruling Rhodesian forces. They also had internal conflicts and fought among themselves sometimes. The Rhodesian Front was supported by the United States and its western allies. They claimed that the policies implied by the two African parties were communist in nature. The Rhodesian government became the mascots of anti-communism.Facts About Zimbabwe’s Colonial EraThe British South African Company (BSAC), led by Cecilia Rhodes, started making islands in zimbabwe in the 80s.The southern part of Zambezi was called southern Rhodesia. It was later called Rhodesia. It was named after Cecil Rhodes. He was called a diamond magnate. The colonial-era lasted for almost 100 years. From the year 1890 to 1980, the British colonized Zimbabwe. In 1893, there was the Matabele war called the first Matabele war. In 1923, the company rule ended. Zimbabwe became a self-governing British colony. The conservative white minority government declared independence in 1965. The black nationalist forces opposed this government, as they did not have equal rights to the native Rhodesian people. White farmers were given the majority of rights and lands, and the black majority had fewer seats in parliament. There was a 15-year guerilla war between the nationalist forces and the ruling government. Zimbabwe joined the Commonwealth of Nations in the year 1980 as a new nation. There was a democratic change in the country. The Mugabe government started to print notes, and there was an economic collapse in the year 2002. So, Zimbabwe was removed for its breaching of international law. Zimbabwe abandoned its currency in 2008 under the rule of Robert Mugabe.King Lobengula of the Ndebele kingdom gave a concession form of rights in the year 1888. This was given to Rhodes. He showed the concession form to the government of the United Kingdom. He wanted to obtain a royal charter. In 1890, he used the help of this concession to establish Fort Salisbury and present-day Harare. Hence, they formed a company rule. In the Frist Matabele war, they defeated the Nblese and took over their kingdom. In 1896 and 1897, the Shona tribe resisted and unsuccessfully fought against the company rule. These wars were also called Chimurenga.At present, Zimbabwe, in theory, is a democratic country, but the parliamentary elections, which are held every few years, are always won by the ZANU party. Some claim the elections to have widespread violations of rules. Hence, after its independence, Zimbabwe did not have a change of the ruling party ever.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our Zimbabwe history facts, then why not take a look at our Zimbabwe education facts or Zimbabwe facts?

Originally, San people lived in Zimbabwe over 2,000 years ago.