City and province in Zimbabwe
About Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council claimed it to be about 1.2 million. Bulawayo covers an area of 546 square kilometres in the western part of the country, along the Matsheumhlope River. Along with the capital Harare, Bulawayo is one of two cities in Zimbabwe that are also provinces.
History
The city was founded by the Ndebele king Lobengula, the son of King Mzilikazi, born of Matshobana, who settled in modern-day Zimbabwe around the 1840s. This followed the Ndebele people's great trek from northern Kwazulu. The name Bulawayo comes from the Ndebele word bulala and it translates to "the one to be killed". It is thought that at the time of the formation of the city there was a civil war. Mbiko ka Madlenya Masuku, a trusted confidant of King Mzilikazi and leader of the Zwangendaba regiment, fought Prince Lobhengula as he did not believe that he was the legitimate heir to the throne. This was because Lobhengula was born to a Swazi mother, and Masuku felt that she was of a lesser class. At the time Lobengula was a prince fighting to ascend his father's throne. …
Geography
Bulawayo is located in the south west of Zimbabwe, in the middle of savanna country. It has four seasons, with rains starting in late October to about March. The coldest months are May and June with July being cold and windy. The city sits on a plain that marks the Highveld of Zimbabwe and is close to the watershed between the Zambezi and Limpopo drainage basins. The land slopes gently downwards to the north and northwest. The southern side is hillier, and the land becomes more broken in the direction of the Matobo Hills to the south. Under the Köppen climate classification, Bulawayo features a hot semi-arid climate (BSh). Due to its relatively high altitude, the city has fairly moderate temperatures despite lying in the tropics. The mean annual temperature is 19.16 °C (66.49 °F), similar to Pretoria, which is a similar elevation but almost 600 kilometres (370 mi) further south. …
Culture
Bulawayo has museums of national importance, including the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, National Gallery, Bulawayo and the Bulawayo Railway Museum. Bulawayo also hosts an arts and culture festival annually in September, the Intwasa Arts Festival. There are a number of parks in Bulawayo, including: Centenary Park (which includes an amphitheatre, lawns and a large fountain) City hall (with artists selling sculptures) Mthwakazi Arts Center Barham Green Hillside Dams Conservancy (which has a number of dams within it) Mabukweni Waterfront (which also has activities like zip line) Umguza Dam Matobo Sailing Club (which has activities including canoeing and Luna Park)
Content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA. Read the full article →