With a population of about 13 million, Zimbabwe is a large landlocked country located in the heart of southern Africa. British influence began in 1888 when the British South Africa Company obtained mineral rights to the area from local chiefs. Eventually the region was divided under British rule as Southern Rhodesia, or present-day Zimbabwe, and Northern Rhodesia, or modern Zambia. In 1953, Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland, now Malawi, formed a federation that was dissolved at the end of 1963 after much crisis and turmoil. Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland became the independent states of Zambia and Malawi in 1964, while Southern Rhodesia became Rhodesia and remained under British control. In response to British pressure to accept black-majority rule, Rhodesian whites declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1965, which led to economic sanctions imposed by the United Nations. U.N. sanctions and years of antigovernment violence finally forced agreement to the principle of black-majority rule and led to independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. For three decades since independence, President Robert Mugabe has been Zimbabwe's only ruler who has dominated the country's political system. Until the 2008 parliamentary elections, Zimbabwe was effectively a one-party state, ruled over by Mugabe's ZANU-PF party. Following months of political turmoil, Mugabe agreed to an historic power-sharing deal with the opposition in September 2008. After months of difficult negotiations, the new government was formed in February 2009 with Mugabe remaining president and Morgan Tsvangirai becoming prime minister. Zimbabwe is rich in agricultural and mineral resources. However, periodic weather-related downturns in farm production, low commodity prices, and poor fiscal and monetary management have all contributed to creating a pattern of uneven performance. Moreover, the violent implementation of fast-track land reform aimed at benefiting landless black Zimbabweans has led to sharp falls in production and the collapse of the agriculture-based economy. As a result, Zimbabwe’s economic and social situation has deteriorated significantly. The economy is in crisis, and the country has endured rampant inflation and critical food and fuel shortages.