Matabeleland North Province

Last updated

Matabeleland North Province
Matabeleland North in Zimbabwe.svg
Matabeleland North, Province of Zimbabwe
Country Zimbabwe
Capital Lupane
Established1974
Area
  Total75,025 km2 (28,967 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)
  Total827,645
  Density11/km2 (29/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+2 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
HDI (2021)0.541 [1]
low · 9th of 10

Matabeleland North is a province in western Zimbabwe. With a population of 827,645 as of the 2022 census, [2] it is the country's second-least populous province, after Matabeleland South, and is the country's least densely populated province. Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South were established in 1974, when the original Matabeleland Province was bifurcated. [3] In 1997, the province lost territory when the city of Bulawayo became a province in its own right. Matabeleland North is divided into seven districts. Its capital is Lupane, and Victoria Falls and Hwange its largest towns. The name "Matabeleland" is derived from the Matabele or Ndebele people, the province's largest ethnic group.

Contents

Matabeleland North is bordered by Matabeleland South and Bulawayo to the south, Midlands to the east, Mashonaland West to the northeast, Botswana to the west, and Zambia to the north, which is separated from Zimbabwe by the Zambezi river. It has an area of 75,025 square kilometres (28,967 sq mi), amounting to 19.2% of the total area of Zimbabwe. In terms of area, It is the largest the country's ten provinces. Matabeleland North is located on the edge of the Kalahari Basin, giving it an arid climate. Its economy is dominated by agriculture, with 83% of employed people in the province working as farmers. [4] Cattle ranching and tourism also contribute to the economy. The Zimbabwean side of Victoria Falls, a World Heritage Site and major tourist attraction, is located in Matabeleland North.

Demographics

CensusPopulation [2]
2002704,948
2012749,017
2022827,645

Geography

Matabeleland North-constituency2008.gif
Districts of Matabeleland North Matabeleland North districts.png
Districts of Matabeleland North

The region of Matabeleland, of which Matabeleland North is a part of, is characterized by generally inhospitable land when compared to other parts of Zimbabwe. [5] It has lower rainfall than provinces such as Mashonaland, and is plagued by water scarcity in general. The land is also less fertile than other provinces, as commercial crops cannot be grown and rural farmers usually cannot produce enough maize to feed their families. However, during the colonial era, large numbers of cattle ranches were formed and cattle ranching has proved to be more successful than growing crops in the province. The upper reaches of the Nata River flow through Matabeleland North before entering Botswana to discharge to the Makgadikgadi Pans. [6]

The region does have a significant amount of other resources like gold, limestone, methane gas, coal, and timber. As seen in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe's largest game reserve, the area is also known for its substantial wildlife population. However, the most famous geographic feature of Matebeleland North is Victoria Falls, the world's largest waterfalls that are located on the Zambezi river on the northern border of the province.

Government

Districts

Matabeleland North is divided into 7 districts:

Elections

The region is regarded as a very independent region when it comes to politics. [5] In the most recent parliamentary election held in March 2008, both factions of the MDC won a total of eight seats from the Matabeleland North delegation to the House of Assembly, while ZANU-PF won four seats and one other seat was won by an independent. In the Senate, the MDC won a combined five seats and ZANU-PF won one seat. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Zimbabwe</span>

The politics of Zimbabwe occurs in a society deeply divided along lines of race, ethnicity, gender and geography. The ZANU–PF party has historically been dominant in Zimbabwe politics. The party, which was led by Robert Mugabe from 1980 to 2017, has used the powers of the state to intimidate, imprison and otherwise hobble political opposition in Zimbabwe, as well as use state funds and state media to advance the interests of the party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masvingo Province</span> Province in Masvingo, Zimbabwe

Masvingo, previously named Victoria, is a province in southeastern Zimbabwe. It has a population of 1.638 million as of the 2022 census, ranking fifth out of Zimbabwe's ten provinces. Established by the British South Africa Company, it was one of the five original provinces of Southern Rhodesia. In 1982, two years after Zimbabwean independence, it was renamed Masvingo Province. The province is divided into seven districts, including Masvingo District, which contains the provincial capital Masvingo City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matabeleland South Province</span> Province in Zimbabwe

Matabeleland South is a province in southwestern Zimbabwe. With a population of 683,893 as of the 2012 Zimbabwean census, it is the country's least populous province. After Matabeleland North, it is Zimbabwe's second-least densely populated province. Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North were established in 1974, when the original Matabeleland Province was bifurcated. The province is divided into six districts. Gwanda is the capital, and Beitbridge is the province's largest town. The name "Matabeleland" is derived from Ndebele, the province's largest ethnic group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matabeleland</span> Region of southwestern Zimbabwe

Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers and are further separated from Midlands by the Shangani River in central Zimbabwe. The region is named after its inhabitants, the Ndebele people who were called "Amatabele"(people with long spears – Mzilikazi 's group of people who were escaping the Mfecani wars). Other ethnic groups who inhabit parts of Matabeleland include the Tonga, Bakalanga, Venda, Nambya, Khoisan, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, and Tsonga.

Hwange, originally known as Wankie, is a town in Zimbabwe, located in Hwange District, in Matabeleland North Province, in northwestern Zimbabwe, close to the international borders with Botswana and Zambia. It lies approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi), by road, southeast of Victoria Falls, the nearest large city. The town lies on the railway line from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second-largest city, to Victoria Falls. Hwange sits at an elevation of 770 metres (2,530 ft), above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Zimbabwean parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Zimbabwe on 31 March 2005 to elect members to the Zimbabwe House of Assembly. All of the 120 elected seats in the 150-seat House of Assembly were up for election. There were a further 20 members appointed by the President and ten elected by traditional chiefs, who mostly support the government. Electoral colleges for the election of the ten chiefs to the parliament were to be held on 8 April.

The Northern Ndebele people are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. Significant populations of native speakers of the Northern Ndebele language (siNdebele) are found in Zimbabwe and in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buhera District</span> District in Manicaland, Zimbabwe

Buhera District is a district in Manicaland Province, in eastern Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsholotsho District</span> Administrative district in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe

Tsholotsho, originally known as Tjolotjo, is a district in Matabeleland North province in Zimbabwe. Its administrative centre is at Tsholotsho business centre which is located about 98 km north-west of Bulawayo. Districts around Tsholotsho include Lupane, Hwange, Umguza, and Bulilima. The Manzamnyama River separates Tsholotsho from Bulilima District, whilst the Gwayi River separates it from Umguza and Lupane districts, and the Hwange National Park separates it from Hwange District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Zimbabwean parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Zimbabwe on 24 and 25 June 2000 to elect members of the House of Assembly. The electoral system involved 120 constituencies returning one member each, elected by the first-past-the-post system, with the president nominating 20 members and ten tribal chiefs sitting ex officio. This was the first national election in which Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU–PF party had faced any real opposition since the 1980s, with the newly formed Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) challenging their control of parliament.

Articles related to Zimbabwe include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lupane District</span> Administrative district in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe

Lupane ( luːpɑːnɛ) District is located in the Matabeleland North Province of Zimbabwe, and it is also the Provincial Capital. The District is situated at an elevation of 976 m with a population of 107,000 inhabitants by 2022. Lupane Town is the main center of the district located 172 km from Bulawayo along the A8 Victoria Falls Road. The Government Provincial Administrative offices are located at the Town Centre. A new university near the Town has been established under the name Lupane State University, which caters for the region and beyond. The word Lupane is thought to be a Kalanga or Lozwi word.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Coltart</span> Zimbabwean lawyer, Christian leader and politician

David Coltart is a Zimbabwean lawyer, Christian leader and politician. He was a founding member of the Movement for Democratic Change when it was established in 1999 and its founding secretary for legal affairs. He was the Member of Parliament for Bulawayo South in the House of Assembly from 2000 to 2008, and he was elected to the Senate in 2008. He was the Minister for Education, Sport, Arts and Culture from February 2009 until August 2013. He is a top official of the Citizens Coalition for Change political party which was formed in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gutu District</span> District in Masvingo, Zimbabwe

Gutu is the third largest district in Masvingo Province, southern Zimbabwe, after Chiredzi and Mwenezi. It is the northernmost district in the province. The name "Gutu" is historically reported to have emerged from "Chinomukutu wemiseve" – meaning, "the one with a load of arrows". This is according to oral historical folklore of the "Gumbo" clan who are said to have taken over the area from the "Shiri" clan through killing them by poisoning the fruit trees in the "Gona" area. Mupandawana is the largest district service centre. It was designated as a "growth point" during the early years of independent Zimbabwe together with such places as Gokwe in the Midlands Province and Juru in Mashonaland East province. Mpandawana gained town status in April 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Parliament of Zimbabwe</span> 2008–2013 meeting of Zimbabwean Senate and House of Assembly

The 7th Parliament of Zimbabwe was a meeting of the Zimbabwean Parliament, composed of the Senate and the House of Assembly. It met in Harare over five sessions from 25 August 2008 to 27 June 2013. Its membership was set by the disputed 2008 Zimbabwean general election, which resulted in a ZANU–PF majority in the Senate and Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai control of the House of Assembly. Political negotiations resulted in the 2009 Government of National Unity, a coalition government composed of ZANU–PF, the MDC–T, and the MDC–M.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harare Province</span> Province in Zimbabwe

Harare Metropolitan Province is a province in northeastern Zimbabwe that comprises Harare, the country's capital and largest city, and three other municipalities, Chitungwiza, Epworth and Ruwa. At independence in 1980, it was originally part of Mashonaland Province which in 1983 was divided into three large provinces, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, and Mashonaland West - at this point, the city of Harare became part of Mashonaland East. In 1997, along with Bulawayo, it became a metropolitan province, along with the then two nearby urban settlements. Harare Metropolitan Province is divided into four local government areas - a city council, a municipality and two local boards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hwange District</span> Administrative district in northwestern Zimbabwe

Hwange District is an administrative district in northwestern Zimbabwe, in southern Africa.

The A8 Highway is a paved primary trunk road in Zimbabwe running from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls. It is managed by the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA). It is part of the R9 Route, which links Victoria Falls with Beitbridge.

Elections were held in Zimbabwe on 31 July 2013 for the presidency and to set the membership of Parliament, consisting of the Senate and National Assembly. Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) was reelected President with 61% of the vote against his main contender, Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC–T), who received 34%. ZANU–PF won large majorities in both houses of Parliament.

References

  1. "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Zimbabwe: Administrative Division (Provinces and Districts) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  3. "Zimbabwe Provinces". www.statoids.com. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  4. Zwinoira, Tatira (16 January 2018). "Harare, Byo has lowest economic activity rate". NewsDay Zimbabwe. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  5. 1 2 Heinrich Böll Stiftung | Afrika
  6. C. Michael Hogan (2008) Makgadikgadi, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham
  7. Kubatana - Archive - Results - 'Harmonised' elections 29 March 2008: House of Assembly and Senate Archived 7 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine