Hwange, originally known as Wankie, is a town in

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

, located in Hwange District, in

Matabeleland North Province Matabeleland North is a province in western Zimbabwe. With a population of 827,645 as of the 2022 census, it is the country's second-least populous province, after Matabeleland South, and the least densely Zimbabwean populated province. Matabele ...

, in northwestern Zimbabwe, close to the international borders with

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

and

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

. It lies approximately , by road, southeast of Victoria Falls, the nearest large city. The town lies on the railway line from

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; ) is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council claimed it to be about ...

, Zimbabwe's second-largest city, to Victoria Falls. Hwange sits at an elevation of , above sea level.

Overview

The town houses the offices of Hwange Town Council, as well as the headquarters of Hwange District Administration. Hwange and the surrounding countryside is a centre for the industry in Zimbabwe. Hwange Colliery is the largest in the country, with proven reserves that are estimated to last over 1,000 years, at current production levels. The Wankie Coal Field, one of the largest in the world, was discovered here in 1895 by the American Scout

Frederick Russell Burnham Major (rank), Major Frederick Russell Burnham Distinguished Service Order, DSO (May 11, 1861 – September 1, 1947) was an American scout and world-traveling adventurer. He is known for his service to the British South Africa Company and to t ...

. Today the coal for the whole country is transported by the mining railway to Thomson Junction, where it is handed over to the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) for onward transmission. In 2010, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique signed an agreement to develop a railway for the export of coal to Technobanine Point near

Maputo Maputo () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed ov ...

. The cost per tonne of rail transport to the coast amounts to ten times the coast of extraction. Hwange is also a tourism centre due to the presence of the nearby Hwange National Park, the largest National Park in Zimbabwe. The national park is home to a vast number of elephant, giraffe, lion and other wildlife. Royal Bank Zimbabwe, a

commercial bank A commercial bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and gives loans for the purposes of consumption and investment to make a profit. It can also refer to a bank or a division of a larger bank that deals with whol ...

, maintains a branch in the town. Zimbabwe's biggest power plant, Hwange Thermal Power Station, was built here in the 1980s.

History

The town is named after the chieftain of Zwange, who is now called ''Chief Hwange''. The town was known as Wankie until 1982.

Wankie Coal Mine Disaster

In June 1972, the deadliest mining disaster in the country's history took place when an underground explosion occurred in Wankie No.2 Colliery. Four hundred and twenty-seven miners lost their lives; three hundred and ninety-one Africans and thirty-six Europeans. Apart from the one hundred and seventy-six Rhodesians who died, there were ninety-one Zambians, fifty-two from Mozambique, thirty-seven from Malawi, thirty Tanzanians, thirteen from South West Africa, and one from Botswana.

Population

Hwange's population was recorded as 42,581 during Zimbabwe's 1992 census. As of the 2022 census, the town has a population of 21,300.

Climate

Sports

First-class cricket has been played in Hwange at the well established cricket venue located in the town, the Tom Kenton Oval, home of the Hwange (Wankie) cricket club, earlier called the Wankie Oval. Hwange Colliery (formerly known as Wankie Colliery) is a Hwange-based soccer team.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Zimbabwe