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Spotlight on Zimbabwe

The name Zimbabwe comes from “Dzimba dza mabwe”, which means “great houses of stone”, in the Shona language.
The counrty has three official languages: English, Shona, and Ndebele.
AT 2952 meters high, Mount Inyangani is the highest point in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s adult literacy rate is approximately 90 — it is one of the highest in Africa.
The Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe are also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, “the smoke that thunders”.
There are rock paintings — or “Bushman” paintings — across Zimbabwe that date back more than 5,000 years.
Zimbabwe gained independence on April 18, 1980.
About 50% of the population in the country comprises of Syncretics (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs), 25% are Christians and the rest follow indigenous beliefs.

Spotlight on Sweden

85% of Sweden’s 9.2 million people live in cities.
Sweden has the highest number of McDonalds restaurant per person in Europe.
A popular souvenir in Sweden is the road sign for moose-crossing. In fact, a large number of these signs are stolen from Swedish roads every year.
On Easter children dress up as witches and go trick-or-treating.
The government has proposed a total ban on fossil fuel driven vehicles by 2025.
About 13% of the Swedish population were born in a country other than Sweden.
Sweden has the longest life expectancy — over 80 years!
76% of mothers in Sweden work — this is the highest percentage of working mothers in the developed world.
Parents are allotted 13 months of paid maternity leave and the father is required to take at least 1 month of it.
Sweden granted women the right to vote in 1862. They were the first country in the world to do so.
After Spain and France, Sweden is the largest country by land mass in the EU.
As of 2004 you can pay your Swedish taxes by sending an SMS message from your cell phone.

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