FACTBOX: Zimbabwe: its people, land and economy

(Reuters) - Below are some key facts on Zimbabwe, where the opposition have defeated President Robert Mugabe in the presidential election but face a run-off vote after failing to win an outright majority.

* AREA: 386,900 sq km (149,400 sq miles) and landlocked. Borders Zambia to the north, Mozambique to the east, Botswana and Namibia to the west and South Africa to the south. The capital is Harare.

* POPULATION: Around 13.3 million. The prevalence of AIDS, falling life expectancy and high infant death rates mean estimates are unreliable.

* LANGUAGE: The official language is English. Shona, Ndebele and other minority languages are also spoken.

* ETHNIC GROUPS: Most are of Bantu-speaking Shona or Ndebele origin. Other groups include the Venda, Shangaan, Tonga and Kalanga.

* RELIGION: African traditional religions -- 55 percent; Christianity -- 45 percent; also small minorities of Muslims and others

* ECONOMY: Food shortages have helped drive prices higher, pushing inflation up. Inflation, already the world's highest, soared to about 165,000 percent year-on-year in February.

-- Since 2001 the southern African nation has grappled with food shortages, which critics partly blame on Mugabe's seizure of white-owned farms to resettle landless blacks. They in turn lack adequate seed, fertilizer and fuel.

-- Zimbabwe has had to import grain from South Africa, Zambia and Malawi. Last December, Finance Minister Samuel Mumbengegwi said the food import bill was expected to more than double for 2007 to $405 million, straining the country's scarce foreign exchange resources.

-- Apart from the chronic shortage of basics, frequent power cuts, broken sewers and bad roads mirror the economic decay in a country where only one in four adults is in formal employment.

-- Critics have said the economic crisis is a result of Mugabe's politically driven economic decisions, including the seizure of white-owned farms to give to landless blacks.

(For a related story please click on)

(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: africa.reuters.com/ )

(Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit;)