Harare

Harare
Left to right, from top: Harare skyline; Jacaranda trees lining Josiah Chinamano Avenue; Old Parliament House (front) and the Anglican Cathedral (behind); downtown Harare; New Reserve Bank Tower; Heroes Acre monument
Left to right, from top: Harare skyline; Jacaranda trees lining Josiah Chinamano Avenue; Old Parliament House (front) and the Anglican Cathedral (behind); downtown Harare; New Reserve Bank Tower; Heroes Acre monument
Coat of arms of Harare
Nicknames: 
Sunshine City, H Town
Mottoes: 
  • Nongera GroopVanhu (Shona)
  • "Forward with Service to the People"
Location of Harare Province in Zimbabwe
Location of Harare Province in Zimbabwe
Coordinates: 17°49′45″S 31°3′8″E / 17.82917°S 31.05222°E / -17.82917; 31.05222
CountryZimbabwe
ProvinceHarare
Founded12 September 1890
Incorporated (city)1935
Renamed Harare18 April 1982
Government
 • TypeMayor–council
 • MayorJacob Mafume (CCC)
 • CouncilHarare City Council
Area
 • Capital city and province982.3 km2 (379.3 sq mi)
Elevation
1,490 m (4,890 ft)
Population
 (2012 census)
 • Capital city and province2,123,132[1]
 • Urban
2,013,048[3]
 • Metro
3,120,917[2]
 (2019 estimate)
DemonymHararean
Time zoneUTC+2 (CAT)
Area code242
HDI (2018)0.645[4]
Medium
Dialling code 242 (or 0242 from within Zimbabwe)

Harare (/həˈrɑːr/ hə-RAR-ay),[5] formerly known as Salisbury[6] (/ˈsɔːlzbəri/ SAWLZ-bər-ee), is the capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 982.3 km2 (379.3 sq mi), a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 census[7] and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metropolitan province.[7] The city is situated in north-eastern Zimbabwe in the country's Mashonaland region. Harare is a metropolitan province, which also incorporates the municipalities of Chitungwiza and Epworth.[8] The city sits on a plateau at an elevation of 1,483 metres (4,865 feet) above sea level, and its climate falls into the subtropical highland category.

The city was founded in 1890 by the Pioneer Column, a small military force of the British South Africa Company, and named Fort Salisbury after the British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury. Company administrators demarcated the city and ran it until Southern Rhodesia achieved responsible government in 1923. Salisbury was thereafter the seat of the Southern Rhodesian (later Rhodesian) government and, between 1953 and 1963, the capital of the Central African Federation. It retained the name Salisbury until 1982 when it was renamed Harare on the second anniversary of Zimbabwe's independence from the United Kingdom. The parliamentary wing was removed from Harare upon completion of the New Parliament of Zimbabwe in April 2022, meaning that Zimbabwe has two capital cities at the moment, Mount Hampden and Harare.[9]

Long the commercial capital of Zimbabwe, Harare has seen recent economic turbulence. It remains an important centre of commerce, government, finance, real estate, manufacturing, healthcare, design, education, art, culture, tourism, agriculture, mining and regional affairs.[10] Harare has the second-highest number of embassies in Southern Africa and serves as the location of the African headquarters of the World Health Organization, which it shares with Brazzaville.[11]

Harare has hosted multiple international conferences and events, including the 1995 All-Africa Games and the 2003 Cricket World Cup. In 2018, Harare was ranked as a Gamma World City. The city's marquee festival is the Harare International Festival of the Arts, modelled on the Edinburgh Festival and one of the largest arts festivals in the southern hemisphere.[12] It is also home to Dynamos FC, the club with the most titles in Zimbabwean football.

  1. ^ Zimstat. "2012 Population Census National Report" (PDF). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  2. ^ Zimstat. "2019 Labour Force Report" (PDF). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  3. ^ Zimstat. "2012 Population Report: Harare" (PDF). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Harare". Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Names (Alteration) Act Chapter 10:14" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2013.
  7. ^ a b "2022 national census shows Zim rapidly urbanising". The Herald. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  8. ^ Harare Provincial Profile (PDF) (Report). Parliament Research Department. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  9. ^ "Zimbabwe Celebrates Finish of New Parliament, Built by China". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  10. ^ Abu Hassan Abu Bakar, Arman Abd Razak, Shardy Abdullah and Aidah Awang. "PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUCCESS FACTORS FOR SUSTAINABLE HOUSING: A FRAMEWORK" (PDF). School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Retrieved 3 March 2022 – via eprints.usm.my.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Who we are". www.who.int. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA)". www.kadmusarts.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.

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