Manicaland Province

Manicaland
Province
Nickname:  kumakomoyo (to those mountain)
Manicaland, Province of Zimbabwe
Country	Zimbabwe
Manicaland	1897
Capital	Mutare
Government
• Type	Provincial Ministry
• Minister of State for Provincial Affairs	Nokuthula Matsikinyere[1] (ZANU-PF)
• Provincial Administrator	Fungai Mbetsa [2]
• Provincial Affairs Director	not known
Area
• Total	36,459 km2 (14,076.899 sq mi)
Highest elevation	2,592 m (8,504 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Total	2,037,762[3]
• Estimate  (2023)	2,098,110
Demonym	VekuMakomoyo (those from mountainous area)
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (CAT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+01:00 (CAT)
HDI (2021)	0.583[4] low · 6th

Manicaland is a province in eastern Zimbabwe. After Harare Province, it is the country's second-most populous province, with a population of 2.037 million, as of the 2022 census. After Harare and Bulawayo provinces, Manicaland is Zimbabwe's third-most densely populated province. Manicaland was one of five original provinces established in Southern Rhodesia in the early colonial period. The province endowed with country's major tourist attractions, the likes of Mutarazi Falls, Nyanga National Park and Zimbabwe's top three highest peaks. The province is divided into ten administrative subdivisions of seven rural districts and three towns/councils, including the provincial capital, Mutare. The name Manicaland is derived from one of the province's largest ethnic groups, the Manyika, who originate from the area north of the Manicaland province and as well as western Mozambique, who speak a distinct language called ChiManyika in Shona (one of the dialect of the Shona language).

Manicaland is bordered by Mashonaland East Province to the northwest, Midlands Province to the west, Masvingo Province to the southwest, and Mozambique to the east. It has an area of 36,459 square kilometres (14,077 sq mi),^[5] equal to 9.28% of the total area of Zimbabwe. It is the sixth-largest in area of Zimbabwe's ten provinces. Its economy is largely centered around industry and agriculture, particularly manufacturing, diamond and gold mining, timber, tea and coffee plantations, and tourism.^[6] In recent years, Manicaland's economy has declined as manufacturing firms and mines continue to fold,^[6] and the province now lags behind other Zimbabwean provinces economically and developmentally.^[7]

Recent developments in the province are noted mainly in Bocha area where several major infrastructural projects are underway. The province is one heavily underdeveloped areas in the country, on top of that, its economy is one the worst mainly due to Zezuru-Korekore supremacy agenda which was pushed by former president Robert Gabriel Mugabe^[8] It is noticeable like in this instance despite the fact it hubs largest rural population, second largest population by province and country third largest city, it is among last 5 developed provinces and does not have an international airport which in turn restricts its growth. It is the home of Zimbabwean tourism alongside Matebeleland North but international tourists does not have direct access, they have to come via Harare where there is an international airport. Diamonds were first discovered in country in Chiadzwa area in Bocha but several years down the line, the area have not benefited anything from the discovery.^[9] Penalonga is where illegal gold extraction is done, but instead of Manicaland benefiting, the resources are being looted by Scott Sakupwanya's company and several top government officials.^[10]