Zimbabwe is an important producer of gold, asbestos, and nickel. A smelter at Kwekwe removes iron from ore mined in the area. Coal comes from the Hwange region. The country also has deposits of chromite, copper, tin, and gems. Crops include coffee, corn, cotton, peanuts, sugar, sunflower seeds, tea, tobacco, and wheat.
Cattle raising on large ranches is also important.
The Kariba Gorge hydroelectric complex on the Zambezi is one of the world's largest. Its power plant supplies electric power to most of Zimbabwe. It is operated by Zimbabwe and Zambia. These discoveries indicate that people have lived in the region for thousands of years. By the A.D. 800's, people were mining minerals for trade.