Introduction
The capital and largest city of Zimbabwe, Harare also has the country's most important factories and business offices. Harare is in the tropics, but it is spared from excessive heat because of its high altitude—4,865 feet (1483 meters) above sea level. Before 1982, Harare was called Salisbury.
Places of interest
Harare is a city of tree-lined streets, modern high-rise offices, and impressive government buildings. The National Archives has exhibits of historical documents. The National Gallery of Zimbabwe keeps many examples of African sculpture. In the National Botanic Gardens, African plants are on display. The Harare Gardens is a large public park. The University of Zimbabwe opened in 1957.
Harare's Mbare district is known for its open-air market, called the Musika. There, huge crowds gather most days of the week. The city is known for its fine suburbs, where the white ruling class lived in colonial days. Outside town are national parks where African animals can be seen.
Economy
Harare is Zimbabwe's main government and business center. The products of the country's farms are traded here and loaded on trains or trucks for export. Rail lines and roads lead to ports in Mozambique. Tobacco is the most important product, but cotton and corn (maize) are also produced. Food products are processed in the city, and various articles are manufactured. The gold that is mined in the region also passes through the city. An international airport is on the outskirts of the city.
History
African people have lived in the highlands around Harare for thousands of years. When Europeans arrived in the 19th century, a village of the Shona people stood on the site, ruled by a chief called Neharawe.
The modern city was founded in 1890 as a fort for the troops of the British South Africa Company. The company, controlled by empire builder Cecil Rhodes, named the new town after the British prime minister Lord Salisbury. A railway to the Indian Ocean port of Beira, Mozambique, was completed in 1899. Afterward, the town grew rapidly as a market and a mining center.
In 1923 part of the British South Africa Company's territory became the British colony of Southern Rhodesia. Salisbury became the capital of the new colony. In 1965 Southern Rhodesia declared independence as the white-controlled republic of Rhodesia. In 1980 the Republic of Zimbabwe was proclaimed, restoring black rule after a century of colonialism. Through all these changes, Salisbury remained the capital. In 1982 the name of the city was changed to Harare, in honor of chief Neharawe, whose name can also be spelled Neharare. Population (1992 census), 1,184,169.
