Bulawayo

Bulawayo is the seicont maist muckle ceity in Zimbabwe, efter the caipital Harare, wi a population in 2009 o 1,500,000. It is locatit in Matabeleland, 439 km sooth-wast o Harare, an is nou treatit as a separate provincial area frae Matabeleland. The caipital o Matabeleland North is nou Lupane, as Bulawayo is a stand-alane province.

General information
Bulawayo is forby kent as the 'Ceity o Kings', 'Skies', 'Bluez', 'Bulliesberg' or 'KoNtuthu ziyathunqa' – a SiNdebele wird for 'a place of smoky fires'. It is a multicultural ceity wi maist residents able tae tawk at least three leids (includin Inglis, Ndebele, Kalanga, Sotho, Nambya, Tonga an Venda). The majority o the population o Bulawayo belang tae the Ndebele ethnic an leid group, that ar strynd frae a 19t yeirhunner Zulu migration an are a minority in Zimbabwe.

Bulawayo haes lang been and is still regardit as the seicont business caipital o Zimbabwe efter Harare an is hame tae the Naitional Railways o Zimbabwe acause o its strategic position near Botswana an Sooth Africae. It is the nearest muckle ceity tae Hwange National Park, Matopo National Park an Victoria Falls.

Etymology
The name Bulawayo comes frae the Sindebele wird KoBulawayo meanin 'a place whaur they are killed.' It is thocht that at the time o the formation o the ceity, there wis a ceevil war an a group o Ndebeles no aligned tae Prince Lobengula wur fechtin him as they felt he wis no the heir tae the throne, hence he gied his caipital the name 'whaur he (the prince) is being killed'. Some historians differ on this matter, descrievin Bulawayo as 'at the place o He who Kills' or 'place o slaughter'.

The name Bulawayo is imported frae Nguniland whilk is a place ance occupied bi the Khumalo fowk. The place still exists an it is next tae Richards Bay.

References

Category:Populatit places established in 1871
Category:Populatit places in Zimbabwe
Category:Provinces o Zimbabwe