ABSTRACT
The "Great Zimbabwe" ruins are located near Masvingo, and evidence suggests that it was built between the 9th and 13th centuries by Africans that established trading contacts with commercial centers on the continent’s southeastern coast. In 1888, Sir Cecil Rhodes obtained a concession for mineral rights from local chiefs and later the area was proclaimed a British sphere of influence. In 1965, the government declared Rhodesian independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black majority in the country. United Nations sanctions and a guerilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence as Zimbabwe in 1980. A land redistribution policy in 2000 has caused an exodus of white farmers, it has crippled the economy, and it has caused widespread shortages of basic commodities. Zimbabwe recognized CORS technology as an integral component for the prompt acquisition of spatial data.
