The Eastern Highlands along the country's border with Mozambique is an area of forests and mountains. This region is a forest-grassland that is wetter than surrounding areas. The highlands are formed by some of the mountains that run through East Africa and that contain forests, woodlands, and grasslands. Two types of forest are in this area, dry and rainforest. A large portion of this area contains expansive rolling hills.
The Limpopo River, which flows to the Indian Ocean, is Zimbabwe's southern boundary and is shared with South Africa. It is 1087 miles (1750 kilometers) long. The people who live in the Limpopo Basin are very poor and afflicted with many diseases including malaria, cholera, and HIV/AIDS. Tsetse flies are a huge problem here and along the Zambezi River.
Zimbabwe's northern border is the Zambezi River, which is 2,200 miles (3.540 kilometers) long. The Zambezi eventually flows into the deep Batoka Gorge on its way to the large artificial Lake Kariba, a lake so large that it resembles an inland sea. The Mana Pools National Park, located on the banks of the Zambezi, has tall cliffs overhanging the river and floodplains. The park is remotely located and has a great number of wildlife.
The western part of Zimbabwe is located at the edge of the Kalahari Desert. It includes the Kalahari thornveld (grassland with thorny plants), woodlands, and massive domes of granite. Victoria Falls, or Mosi-oa-Tunya in the indigenous language) is in the Victoria Falls National Park on the border with Zambia. The falls, among the largest in the world, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are fed by the Zambezi River and are at their fullest in February or March. Large mammals can be seen in the contiguous Zambezi National Park.
The agricultural center of Zimbabwe is its fertile central plateau (high veld). Due to redistribution of land during political upheavals since the 1990s, commercial farming has foundered and little is being harvested.
Located in southeastern Zimbabwe, Great Zimbabwe is the name given to the mysterious ruins of an ancient structure that was built and expanded for hundreds of years. It was begun in the eleventh century by Bantu-speaking people. The stone walls are made of blocks of granite using no mortar, and soapstone birds have been found in the ruins. Great Zimbabwe was a trading center of gold and ivory. Lengthy guided tours are available of the ruins.
The Matobo National Park in southern Zimbabwe is the home of 3,000 examples of Bushman rock art in the form of granite boulders in human and animal shapes. Bushmen lived in this area about 2,000 years ago and left hundreds of rock paintings in hidden caves. Matobo National Park is also a wildlife sanctuary, and the hills in this area are considered sacred. The hills were battle sites during the conflicts between white settlers and the indigenous Africans.
