Exports: total value: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: agricultural 38% (tobacco 28%), manufactures 34%, gold 12%, textiles 4%, ferrochrome 7% (1996 est.) partners: South Africa 12%, UK 12%, Germany 6%, Japan 6% (1996 est.)
Imports: total value: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: machinery and transportation equipment 41%, other manufactures 24%, chemicals 13%, fuels 10% (1996 est.) partners: South Africa 38%, UK 9%, US 5%, Japan 5% (1996 est.)
Debt-external: $4.8 billion (1996)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $362 million (1993)
Currency: 1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1-18.7970 (January 1998), 11.8906 (1997), 9.9206 (1996), 8.6580 (1995), 8.1500 (1994), 6.4725 (1993)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
Communications
Telephones: 301,000 (1990 est.)
Telephone system: system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, and radiotelephone communication stations international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)