Harare Metropolitan Province (/həˈrɑːr/[2]) is a province in northeastern Zimbabwe that comprises Harare, the country's capital and largest city, and three other municipalities, Chitungwiza, Epworth and Ruwa.[3][4] 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.

Harare Metropolitan Province
Location of Harare Province in Zimbabwe
Location of Harare Province in Zimbabwe
CountryZimbabwe
Established1997
CapitalHarare
Government
 • GovernorMiriam Chikukwa
Area
 • Total
872 km2 (337 sq mi)
Elevation
1,490 m (4,890 ft)
Highest elevation
1,540 m (5,050 ft)
Population
 (2022 census)[1]
 • Total
2,427,209
 • Rank1st
 • Density2,800/km2 (7,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (Central African Time)
HDI (2021)0.665
Websitehttp://www.zim.gov.zw/index.php/en/my-government/provinces/harare

Harare Province has an area of 872 square kilometres (337 sq mi), equal to 0.22% of the total area of Zimbabwe. It is the second-smallest in area of the country's provinces, after the city-province of Bulawayo. As of the 2022 census, the province has a population of 2,427,209,[1] of whom 1,849,600 live in Harare proper, 371,244 in Chitungwiza, and the remaining 206,365 in Epworth. In total, Harare Province is home to 16.26% of Zimbabwe's population, making it the country's most populous province. The province is Zimbabwe's leading political, financial, commercial, and communications centre, as well as a trade centre for tobacco, maize, cotton, and citrus fruits. Manufacturing, including textiles, steel, and chemicals, is also economically significant, as is gold mining. The province is home to several universities, a number of leading professional sports teams, and many historical sites and tourist attractions.

Etymology

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Harare Province is named after the city of Harare, which in turn took its name from a black township in the city now known as Mbare. Originally, the name "Harare" applied to a village near the Harare Kopje led by the Shona chief Neharawa, whose name meant "he who does not sleep."[5] The city of Harare, previously named Salisbury, was renamed on 18 April 1982, the second anniversary of Zimbabwean independence.[5] When Harare and two nearby towns were separated from Mashonaland East Province in 1997, the new province took the same name.

Geography

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Harare Province covers an area of 872 square kilometres (337 sq mi), making it the second-smallest province in Zimbabwe, after Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. It is situated in the northeastern part of the country, in the Mashonaland region. It is bordered to the north by Mashonaland Central Province, to the west by Mashonaland West Province, and to the east and south by Mashonaland East Province. The City of Harare proper covers most of the province's area, while Chitungwiza, Epworth and Ruwa take up smaller areas of the province, both bordering Mashonaland East.

Climate

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Under the Köppen climate classification, Harare Province has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb), an oceanic climate variety.

Climate data for Harare (1961–1990, extremes 1897–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 33.9
(93.0)
35.0
(95.0)
32.3
(90.1)
32.0
(89.6)
30.0
(86.0)
27.7
(81.9)
28.8
(83.8)
31.0
(87.8)
35.0
(95.0)
36.7
(98.1)
35.3
(95.5)
33.5
(92.3)
36.7
(98.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 26.2
(79.2)
26.0
(78.8)
26.2
(79.2)
25.6
(78.1)
23.8
(74.8)
21.8
(71.2)
21.6
(70.9)
24.1
(75.4)
28.4
(83.1)
28.8
(83.8)
27.6
(81.7)
26.3
(79.3)
25.5
(77.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 21.0
(69.8)
20.7
(69.3)
20.3
(68.5)
18.8
(65.8)
16.1
(61.0)
13.7
(56.7)
13.4
(56.1)
15.5
(59.9)
18.6
(65.5)
20.8
(69.4)
21.2
(70.2)
20.9
(69.6)
18.4
(65.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 15.8
(60.4)
15.7
(60.3)
14.5
(58.1)
12.5
(54.5)
9.3
(48.7)
6.8
(44.2)
6.5
(43.7)
8.5
(47.3)
11.7
(53.1)
14.5
(58.1)
15.5
(59.9)
15.8
(60.4)
12.3
(54.1)
Record low °C (°F) 9.6
(49.3)
8.0
(46.4)
7.5
(45.5)
4.7
(40.5)
2.8
(37.0)
0.1
(32.2)
0.1
(32.2)
1.1
(34.0)
4.1
(39.4)
5.1
(41.2)
6.1
(43.0)
10.0
(50.0)
0.1
(32.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 190.8
(7.51)
176.3
(6.94)
99.1
(3.90)
37.2
(1.46)
7.4
(0.29)
1.8
(0.07)
2.3
(0.09)
2.9
(0.11)
6.5
(0.26)
40.4
(1.59)
93.2
(3.67)
182.7
(7.19)
840.6
(33.09)
Average precipitation days 17 14 10 5 2 1 0 1 1 5 10 16 82
Average relative humidity (%) 76 77 72 67 62 60 55 50 45 48 63 73 62
Mean monthly sunshine hours 217.0 190.4 232.5 249.0 269.7 264.0 279.0 300.7 294.0 285.2 231.0 198.4 3,010.9
Mean daily sunshine hours 7.0 6.8 7.5 8.3 8.7 8.8 9.0 9.7 9.8 9.2 7.7 6.4 8.2
Source 1: World Meteorological Organization,[6] NOAA (sun and mean temperature, 1961–1990),[7]
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity, 1954–1975),[8] Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[9]

Government and politics

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Provincial government

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Harare Province is overseen by the Minister of State for Harare Province, a de facto governor who oversees provincial affairs and sits in the House of Assembly of the Parliament of Zimbabwe. The governor is appointed by the President of Zimbabwe and is not appointed to a set term. Historically, the governor held the title Governor of Harare, but the office has since been renamed to align with the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe, which does not allow for provincial governors.

Local government areas

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Harare Province is divided into four local government areas: Harare City Council, Chitungwiza Municipality, Epworth Local Board and Ruwa Local Board.[10]

National politics

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Presidential election results
Year ZANU–PF MDC / MDC–T
2018 26.52% 204,710 71.12% 548,889
2013 38.85% 172,163 59.11% 261,925
2008 19.41% 61,215 72.01% 227,166
2002 24.38% 101,395 74.51% 309,832
1996 - -
1990 - -
Sources:[11][12][13][14]

Like each of Zimbabwe's ten provinces, Harare Province is represented in the Senate by six senators, three of whom must be women.[15] Senators are not directly elected by voters, but are instead selected by party lists via a proportional representation system.[15] The province's current senators since the 2018 elections are Theresa Makone (MDC Alliance), Elias Mudzuri (MDC Alliance), Kerina Gweshe (MDC Alliance), Morgan Femai (MDC Alliance), Sipani Hungwe (ZANU–PF), Oliver Chidawu (ZANU–PF).[16]

Harare Province is represented by 29 Members of Parliament in the House of Assembly, Zimbabwe's lower house of Parliament. The province's current MPs since the 2018 elections are Samuel Banda, Tendai Biti, Starman Chamisa, James Chidakwa, Happymore Chidziva, Wellington Chikombo, Goodrich Chimbaira, Kennedy Dinar, Shakespear Hamauswa, Chalton Hwende, Winnie Kankuni, Godfrey Karakadzay Sithole, Earthrage Kureva, Costa Machingauta, Willias Madzimure, Joanah Mamombe, Susan Matsunga, Allan Norman Markham, Tapiwa Mashakada, Maxwell Mavhunga, Tongai Mnangagwa, Peter Moyo, Erick Murai, Miriam Mushayi, Evan Mushoriwa, Job Sikhala, Unganai Tarusenga, Vimbai Tsvangirai-Java, and Murisi Zwizwai. All are members of the MDC Alliance except for Mnangagwa, a ZANU–PF member and the nephew of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Citypopulation.de Population of provinces and districts in Zimbabwe
  2. ^ "Harare". Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  3. ^ Harare Provincial Profile (PDF) (Report). Parliament Research Department. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2013-11-22.
  4. ^ "Harare". Zimbabwe Government Portal.
  5. ^ a b Room, Adrian (2003). Placenames of the World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for Over 5000 Natural Features, Countries, Capitals, Territories, Cities and Historic Sights. McFarland. ISBN 9780786418145.
  6. ^ "World Weather Information Service – Harare". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Harare Kutsaga Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  8. ^ "Klimatafel von Harare-Kutsaga (Salisbury) / Simbabwe" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  9. ^ "Station Harare" (in French). Meteo Climat. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  10. ^ "Harare". Zimbabwe Government Portal. 2012.
  11. ^ "Updated: Final Zimbabwe Presidential, Parliamentary Election Results 2018". ZWNews. 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  12. ^ "Harare Province : 2013 Harmonised Elections: Presidential Results" (PDF). Election Resource Centre. 2015-08-26.
  13. ^ "2008 Presidential Election Results: Harare Province" (PDF). Election Resource Centre. 2014-09-06.
  14. ^ "Presidential Election 2002 Results" (PDF). Election Resource Centre. 2014-08-20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-07. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  15. ^ a b "Zimbabwe poll explained: Ballot papers galore, and loads of new politicians". News24. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  16. ^ "Senators, women's quota, provincial council members". Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. 2018-08-02. Archived from the original on 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2018-08-06.

17°51′S 31°03′E / 17.850°S 31.050°E / -17.850; 31.050