The
People
 |
Black Africans constitute nearly
98 percent of Zimbabwe's indigenous population; less than 1 percent
are white, and the remainder are Asians and peoples of mixed
racial origin known as Coloureds. The white population, mostly
of Rhodesian, South African, and British origins, increased from
80,000 in 1945 to a peak of 277,000 in 1977 and then declined
through emigration. |
Of the black majority, mostly
Bantu, 77 percent belong to the Shona linguistic group and are
commonly referred to as Mashona; about 20 percent are members
of the ethnically related Ndebele speaking tribes known as Matabele.
Smaller black ethnic groups include the Sotho, Sena, and Tonga.
English is the official language
and is used by most whites; Bantu languages are spoken by the
black majority. Most whites and an estimated 24 percent of the
total population belong to Christian churches - principally Anglican,
Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Dutch Reformed - and about 24
percent of all blacks follow traditional religious practices;
about 51 percent practice a mixture of Christian and tribal beliefs,
and a few are Muslims.
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