6 Interesting Things to Know About Zimbabwe
Before you travel it is always safe to find out a little info to enhance your trip, right? We certainly think so. We put together a few facts you. Hopefully, they will come in handy when you are trying to get to know people in Wonderful Zimbabwe.
- The name Zimbabwe is derived from ‘Dzimba dzamabwe’ meaning ‘Houses of stone’ referring to the great stone structures that the Shona built. You can still find the remains of these in Masvingo. You can put this in your list of amazing places to visit in your lifetime- Great Zimbabwe.
- Zimbabwe has 16 official languages. These are Shona, Ndebele, Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and English. Most people speak English, so you don’t need to stress- but you can learn a few words from us here
- Zimbabwe gained independence from British rule in 1980 after a long liberation struggle and much negotiation. We all know this, what you may not know, however, is that Bob Marley sang at an official concert to celebrate Zimbabwe’s independence. Thousands of excited Zimbabweans attended the free event at the iconic Rufaro Stadium. Bob Marley paid his own way to Zimbabwe and refused payment for his appearance. Now that’s a real gift.
- Victoria Falls is one of the world’s biggest waterfalls, as we all know- that’s why it’s on all the travel, bucket lists. Did you know, that the falls are so big that you can hear the thunder of the water from 40km away? Crazy. If you have not already seen the falls, go check it out and tell us what you think.
- Olympic gold medalist, swimmer Kirsty Coventry serves as the current Minister of Youth, Sport, Art and Recreation. A whole entire Olympic medalist is the Minister. We love it!
- Zimbabwe is home to the second largest elephant population in the world. It’s true. Zimbabwe is home to an estimated 82,000 elephants. You can spot these in all the big game reserves and in some instances, in the streets depending on where you venture. You might want to book yourself a tour while you are out there and see more of these beauties. To prepare yourself, read a little more about them here.
That’s all for today folks! Be sure to check out our social media pages and let us know what you think about Zimbabwe when you get a chance to visit. We look forward to hearing from you!