Formerly Southern Rhodesia, Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in the southern part of Africa, bordered by Mozambique to the east, Zambia to the northwest, Botswana to the southwest, and South Africa to the south.

After gaining its independence from Britain in 1980, the new Zimbabwean government (headed by incumbent President Robert Mugabe, the only president in Zimbabwean history) was accredited to improving the overall standard of living within the country. However, due to political corruption, economic mismanagement and reports of human rights abuses, Zimbabwe has been in a constant state of decline over the past decade. Mugabe’s controversial regime has deterred the US and the EU from providing financial aid to the country.