Zimbabwe 5-DOLLARS (KM13)¶
-
Reverse BLACK RHINOCEROS
-
Obverse Great Zimbabwe Bird
- Composition
- Stainless Steel in Brass ring
- Country
- Zimbabwe
- Approx. Size
- 27mm
- Area
- Africa
- Animal Class
- Mammals
- Species
- Black Rhinoceros
- KM#
- 13
The Black Rhinoceros is a critically endangered animal. Large, solitary, and grumpy, rhinos are always favourites at zoos. The Black Rhino and White Rhino are both grey, and are named for the shape of their upper lip. The Black Rhino has a hook-shaped upper lip, and the White Rhino has a wide square-shaped lip. Dutch settlers called the rhino with the wide lip "wijde rhino" (wijde is Dutch for wide, of course). English settlers confused this for white, and the 'other' rhino naturally became 'black.'
Zimbabwe¶
- Area
- Africa
Zimbabwe is a land-locked country in south-eastern Africa. Zimbabwe contains numerous paleolithic sites, as well as the ruins of a famous gold-trading centre that peaked in the 14-15th century. Zimbabwe used to be Southern Rhodesia, named after Cecil Rhodes of the British South Africa Company.Mr. Rhodes controlled and developed the area from the late ninteenth century until 1923 when Britain joined Southern Rhodesia with Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. In 1963, Northern Rhodesia became Zambia and Nyasaland became Malawi. Meanwhile, Southern Rhodesia didn't achieve independence because the white people in control refused to play properly with the black people who were there first. Political games followed for five years. In 1970 the area became the Republic of Rhodesia. By 1978 everyone seemed to be getting along, and the black majority had the majority say in the government. By 1980, Zimbabwe was born as an independent member of the British Commonwealth of Nations.
