Bulawayo
| Bulawayo | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Coordinates | 20 ° 10 ′ S , 28 ° 35 ′ E | ||
| Symbols | |||
|
|||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Zimbabwe | ||
|
City with provincial status |
Bulawayo | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZW-BU | ||
| height | 1358 m | ||
| surface | 479 km² | ||
| Residents | 653,337 (2012) | ||
| density | 1364 Ew. / km² | ||
| founding | 1893 | ||
| politics | |||
| Town Clerk (Administrative Director) | Christopher Dube | ||
| Culture | |||
| Twin cities |
 Aberdeen
|
||
 Bulawayo Town Hall
|
|||
Bulawayo is a city in the southwest of the country of Zimbabwe . It is also the capital of the Bulawayo Province , which is, however, headed by a governor. With around 653,000 inhabitants (2012 census) it is the second largest city in the country after Harare .
history
Bulawayo was re-founded in 1893 by Cecil John Rhodes after the British victory over the King of Matabele Lobengula on the site of the Gubulawayo kraal, which was created in the middle of the 18th century, and in 1894 it was relocated to its current location, a little further south. Just three years later it was connected to the railway network. The place has been a city since 1943. The name Bulawayo comes from the Ndebele language and means place of slaughter .
The city is located on the Matsheumhlope River at about 1340 m above sea level.
Population development
The following overview shows the population by area since the 1982 census.
| year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 1982 | 413.814 |
| 1992 | 621.742 |
| 2002 | 676,650 |
| 2012 | 653,337 |
economy
There are textile, metal goods and tire industries as well as breweries, printing houses and publishing houses. The city is a trading center for the agricultural products of the surrounding area. It is a rail hub with routes to Victoria Falls / Livingstone , Plumtree / Gaborone , Harare and Beitbridge on the border with South Africa . There is also an international airport 20 km northeast of the city .
Today's Technical University ( National University of Science and Technology ) has existed since 1927 .
Attractions
The broad, tree-flanked streets with their many still-preserved Victorian house fronts are characteristic of the cityscape .
Bulawayo is the seat of the National Museum, founded in 1901. The Douslin House from 1900 now houses the National Art Gallery . The Natural History Museum was opened to the public in 1964. With over 75,000 exhibits, it has the largest collection of mammals on the African continent, showcases on the history and geology and exhibits of birds and insects.
The National Railway Museum opened in 1972. It shows an extensive vehicle collection. In addition to locomotives and cars of the special is saloon car of Cecil John Rhodes worth seeing, in which a stylishly laid dinner table provides the historical atmosphere. The museum also provides information on the history of the Rhodesian and Zimbabwean railways . To the north of the train station is the Maria Immaculata cathedral basilica .
Near Bulawayo are the ruins of Khami , a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
The grave of Cecil John Rhodes is located 35 km south of Bulawayo, in Matobo National Park , at the so-called World's View . The Matobo Hills are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Close to town is the permanent Breedon Everard Raceway .
flag
The city's flag features an elephant and three rock hyrax as heraldic animals. It also shows a red cross on a white background and the motto “Si Ye Pambili” ( Sindebele for “Let's go forward”). Hyrax represented the royal family of the Matabel tribe. The cross stands for the influence of the missionaries and the elephant for Lobengula, the last chief of the Matabele .
traffic
Road traffic
Bulawayo is a large transit hub with streets laid out in a star shape. The A5, A6, A7 and A8 highways meet in Bulawayo. The main roads are mostly tarred and mostly in relatively good condition.
Rail transport
As the main train station , Bulawayo has a terminus that is regularly served. This is where the route to Harare , to neighboring Botswana, and the route to Victoria Falls , on the border with Zambia , meet .
The National Railway Museum is right next to the main train station .
Air traffic
The city has a small airport ( IATA code BUQ), which has a 2550 meter long runway. The airport is only used for regional connections and private air traffic.
Personalities
The Afropop Artists Dorothy Masuka and Taylor Nkomo , Princess Charlene of Monaco , Prince Harry's former girlfriend Chelsy Davy , the jazz musician Dumisani Ngulube , the racing driver John Love and the football player Benjani Mwaruwari come from Bulawayo. From the 1940s to 1963, the German Jewish member of the Prussian state parliament, Berta Jourdan, worked here as a teacher for young people with educational difficulties.
The band Liyana around singer Prudence Mabhena , about which the Oscar- winning film Music by Prudence from 2010 is about, was founded as part of a school project of the King George VI School & Center for Children with Physical Disabilities in Bulawayo.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Zimbabwe Data Portal: Bulawayo . zimbabwe.opendataforafrica.org (English)
- ↑ Town's Clerk Department . Bulawayo City Council, citybyo.co.zw (English)
- ↑ Zimbabwe: Provinces, Cities & Places - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information. Retrieved January 7, 2019 .
- ↑ article on the city flag (english)
