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=**//__Zimbabwe__//**=

Leader: President Robert Mugabe

__Zimbabwe__

 * landlocked country in southern portion of Africa
 * mostly savanna, but the moist and mountainous eastern part of the country has some tropical evergreen and hardwood forests
 * a lot of poverty; close to 80% of people in Zimbabwe are unemployed
 * hyperinflation is also a major issue, especially from 2003 to 2009
 * used to have one of the best economies in Africa
 * tourism, farming, and reserves of metallurgical-grade chromite, as well as coal, copper, nickel, gold, platinum, and other mineral deposits
 * now one of the worst economies in the world
 * population of Zimbabwe is 12,754,378
 * majority of the population (almost 85%) is Christian
 * Bantu-speaking ethnic groups make up 98% of total population
 * about 70% of the population is made up of the Shona people
 * white Zimbabweans make up 1% of the total population

__President Robert Mugabe__

 * born in Rhodesia
 * raised as a Roman Catholic
 * studied in Marist Brothers and Jesuit schools
 * qualified as a teacher; left to study at Fort Hare
 * earned many degrees
 * Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Fort Hare
 * Bachelor of Administration and Bachelor of Education from the University of South Africa
 * Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Laws, Master of Science, and Master of Laws all from the University of London External Programme
 * joined the National Democratic Party (NDP) in 1960
 * later became one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule
 * the Shona majority elected him to head the first government as the prime minister on March 4, 1980
 * tried to come to a coalition with his ZAPU (Zimbabwe African People's Union) rivals
 * assumed the new position of executive President of Zimbabwe in 1987

__References:__
Hu Jintao ( leader of People's Republic of China) - supports his Zimbabwe African National Union group Joshua Nkomo (leader of ZAPU) - after some arguing, finally came to a compromise

__4 benchmarks set by Mo Ibrahim Foundation:__
Safety Rule and Law : ranked 51st (33 points) Participation and Human Rights : ranked 47th (30 points) Sustainable Economic Opportunity : ranked 52nd (21 points) Human Development : ranked 42nd (45 points)

__Political Platform:__

 * has been accused of having a racist attitude against white people; has tried to get rid of white-minority rule
 * firmly against homosexuality, LGBT rights in Zimbabwe
 * was once compared to Hitler
 * believes in justice for his own people, sovereignty for his own people, recognition of the independence of his people, and their right to their resources

__Bibliography__
"Central Intelligence Agency." //CIA //. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. .

"Mugabe, Robert." //Africa: An Encyclopedia for Students //. Ed. John Middleton. Vol. 3. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. 104-105. //Gale Virtual Reference Library //. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3400100291&v=2.1&u=pl7053&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w

"Robert Mugabe Biography." //Bio.com //. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. .

"Zimbabwe Profile." //BBC News //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">. BBC, 31 May 2012. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14113249>.