Zimbabwe Cities

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Zimbabwe Cities by Population

64 cities shown of 64 total Zimbabwe cities that are over 1,000 in population...

1. Harare 1,542,813
2. Bulawayo 699,385
3. Chitungwiza 340,360
4. Mutare 184,205
5. Gweru 146,073
6. Epworth 123,250
7. Kwekwe 99,149
8. Kadoma 79,174
9. Masvingo 76,290
10. Chinhoyi 61,739
11. Marondera 57,082
12. Norton 52,054
13. Chegutu 47,294
14. Bindura 37,423
15. Zvishavane 35,896
16. Victoria Falls 35,761
17. Hwange 33,210
18. Redcliff 33,197
19. Rusape 29,292
20. Chiredzi 28,205
21. Beitbridge 26,459

22. Kariba 25,531
23. Karoi 25,030
24. Gokwe 18,942
25. Chipinge 18,860
26. Shurugwi 17,075
27. Gwanda 14,450
28. Mashava 12,994
29. Chivhu 10,369
30. Shamva 10,317
31. Mazoe 9,966
32. Glendale 9,768
33. Banket 9,641
34. Mutoko 9,532
35. Murehwa 8,559
36. Inyathi 8,402
37. Mvurwi 7,970
38. Penhalonga 7,681
39. Mhangura 6,503
40. Chakari 6,472
41. Mount Darwin 6,349
42. Concession 4,983

43. Nyanga 4,852
44. Mvuma 4,331
45. Binga 4,327
46. Shangani 3,835
47. Macheke 3,642
48. Odzi 3,438
49. Centenary 3,388
50. Dete 2,993
51. Chimanimani 2,752
52. Insiza 2,645
53. Esigodini 2,228
54. Plumtree 2,148
55. Nyazura 2,110
56. Raffingora 1,957
57. Chirundu 1,911
58. Filabusi 1,756
59. Headlands 1,728
60. Dorowa Mining Lease 1,676
61. Beatrice 1,647
62. Kamativi Mine 1,575
63. Lalapanzi 1,390
64. Lupane 1,200

Zimbabwe History

The name Zimbabwe derives from Dzimba dza mabwe"" meaning ""great house of stone"" in the Shona language. Its use as the country's name is a tribute to Great Zimbabwe, site of the capital of the Empire of Great Zimbabwe. In other languages, such as German, the initial Z is replaced with an S so as to produce the same sound in the phonics of the said language; for example Zimbabwe is spelled ""Simbabwe""."

By the Middle Ages, there was a Bantu civilisation in the region, as evidenced by ruins at Great Zimbabwe and other smaller sites, whose outstanding achievement is a unique dry stone architecture. Around the early 10th century, trade developed with Phoenicians on the Indian Ocean coast, helping to develop Great Zimbabwe in the 11th century. The state traded gold, ivory and copper for cloth and glass. It ceased to be the leading Shona state in the mid 15th century. From circa 12501629, the area that is known as Zimbabwe today was ruled under the Mutapa Empire, also known as Mwene Mutapa, Monomotapa or the Empire of Great Zimbabwe, which was renowned for its gold trade routes with Arabs. However, Portuguese settlers destroyed the trade and began a series of wars which left the empire in near collapse in the early 17th century. In 1834, the Ndebele people arrived while fleeing from the Zulu leader Shaka, making the area their new empire, Matabeleland. In 183738, the Shona were conquered by the Ndebele, who arrived from south of the Limpopo and forced them to pay tribute and concentrate in northern Zimbabwe. In the 1880s, the British arrived with Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company. In 1898, the name Southern Rhodesia was adopted.

In 1888, British colonialist Cecil Rhodes obtained a concession for mining rights from King Lobengula of the Ndebele peoples. Cecil Rhodes presented this concession to persuade the government of the United Kingdom to grant a royal charter to his British South Africa Company over Matabeleland, and its subject states such as Mashonaland. Rhodes sought permission to negotiate similar concessions covering all territory between the Limpopo River and Lake Tanganyika, then known as 'Zambesia'. In accordance with the terms of aforementioned concessions and treaties, Cecil Rhodes promoted the colonisation of the region's land, and British control over labour, precious metals and other mineral resources. In 1895 the BSAC adopted the name 'Rhodesia' for the territory of Zambesia, in honour of Cecil Rhodes. In 1898 'Southern Rhodesia' became the official denotation for the region south of the Zambezi, which later became Zimbabwe. The region to the north was administered separately by the BSAC and later named Northern Rhodesia.