Provinces of Zimbabwe

Template:Sidebar with collapsible listsProvinces are constituent political entities of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe currently has ten provinces, two of which are cities with provincial status. Zimbabwe is a unitary state, and its provinces exercise only the powers that the central government chooses to delegate. Provinces are divided into districts, which are divided into wards.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe delineates provincial governance and powers. After constitutional amendments in 1988, provinces were administered by a governor directly appointed by the President of Zimbabwe.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Since the 2013 constitutional changes, there are technically no longer provincial governors, though in practice they remain in place as Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs. The 2013 Constitution also calls for the devolution of governmental powers and responsibilities where appropriate, though Zimbabwean opposition parties argue that the central government has yet to comply.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

With the establishment of Company rule in Rhodesia in the 1890s, the country was divided into two provinces: Matabeleland in the west and Mashonaland in the east. Under British colonial rule as Southern Rhodesia, the colony was divided into five provinces. Later, the Rhodesian government expanded the number of provinces to seven: Manicaland, Matabeleland North and South, Mashonaland North and South, Midlands, and Victoria (today Masvingo).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In the 1980s, Mashonaland North and South were reorganized to become three provinces (Mashonaland Central, East and West). The youngest provinces, Bulawayo and Harare, were created in 1997.

Provinces of Zimbabwe

Name	Towns and cities		Established	Population Template:Small<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Total area<ref>Zimbabwe at GeoHive</ref>		Population density (per km²)	Location
	Capital	Largest			km²	mi²
Bulawayo	Bulawayo		1997	665,952	900	347	739.95	File:Bulawayo in Zimbabwe (adm).svg
Harare	Harare		1997	2,427,231	872	337	2783.53	File:Harare in Zimbabwe (adm).svg
Manicaland	Mutare		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2,037,703	36,459	14,078	55.90	File:Manicaland in Zimbabwe (adm).svg
Mashonaland Central	Bindura		1983	1,384,891	28,347	10,948	48.88	File:Mashonaland Central in Zimbabwe (adm).svg
Mashonaland East	Marondera		?	1,731,173	32,230	12,440	53.73	File:Mashonaland East in Zimbabwe (adm).svg
Mashonaland West	Chinhoyi	Kadoma	1983	1,893,584	57,441	22,178	32.96	File:Mashonaland West in Zimbabwe (adm).svg
Masvingo	Masvingo		?	1,638,528	56,566	21,850	28.97	File:Masvingo in Zimbabwe (adm).svg
Matabeleland North	Lupane	Victoria Falls	1973	827,645	75,025	28,970	11.03	File:Matabeleland North in Zimbabwe (adm).svg
Matabeleland South	Gwanda	Beitbridge	1973	760,345	54,172	20,917	14.03	File:Matabeleland South in Zimbabwe (adm).svg
Midlands	Gweru		?	1,811,905	49,166	18,984	36.84	File:Midlands in Zimbabwe (adm).svg

See also

• Districts of Zimbabwe
• Municipalities of Zimbabwe
• List of provincial governors of Zimbabwe
• List of Zimbabwean provinces by population
• List of Zimbabwean provinces by Human Development Index
• List of Zimbabwean presidential election results by province
• ISO 3166-2:ZW

External links

• Map of Provinces of Zimbabwe - Statoids.org

References

Template:Reflist5.Zimbabwe census2012 https://www.citypopulation.de/Zimbabwe-Cities.htmlTemplate:ZW provinces Template:Articles on first-level administrative divisions of African countries