Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. Zimbabwe began as the British crown colony of Southern Rhodesia, created from land held by the British South Africa Company. The name Zimbabwe was introduced from ca. 1960 in the context of the unilateral declaration of independence, and used by the African nationalist factions in the Rhodesian Bush War. The name is based on the Shona name for the ruined city now known as Great Zimbabwe, first recorded as Symbaoe in 1531 by Vicente Pegado, Captain of the Portuguese Garrison of Sofala.
There are two theories on the origin of the word "Zimbabwe": Various sources hold that the word is derived from dzimba-dza-mabwe, translated from the Karanga dialect of Shona as "large houses of stone". The Karanga-speaking Shona people are found around Great Zimbabwe in the modern-day Masvingo. "Zimbabwe" may be a contracted form of dzimba-hwe which means "venerated houses" in the Zezuru dialect of Shona, and is usually applied to chiefs' houses or graves.
Victoria Falls, one of the world's biggest and most spectacular waterfalls, is located in the country's northwest as part of the Zambezi river. The country has a tropical climate with a rainy season usually from late October to March.
Mineral exports, agriculture, and tourism are the main foreign currency earners of Zimbabwe. The mining sector remains lucrative, with some of the world's largest platinum reserves. The Marange diamond fields, discovered in 2006, are considered the biggest diamond find in over a century.