Nyanga, originally known as Inyanga, 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 ...

Location

It is located in Nyanga District,

Manicaland Province Manicaland is a Provinces of Zimbabwe, province in eastern Zimbabwe. After Harare Province, it is the country's second-most populous province, with a population of 2.037 million, as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census. Making it the third mo ...

, in Eastern Highland of

, along the international border with

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

. This location lies immediately north of Nyanga National Park in the

Eastern Highlands :''"Eastern Highlands" also refers to Eastern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea, and part of the Great Dividing Range, Australia.'' The Eastern Highlands, also known as the Manica Highlands, is a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe ...

, about , by road, north of

Mutare Mutare, formerly known as Umtali until 1982, is the capital and largest city in the province of Manicaland. It is the third most populated in Zimbabwe. Having surpassed Gweru in the 2012 census, with an urban area, urban population of 224,802 ...

, the third large city. This location lies approximately , by road, east of

Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...

, the capital of Zimbabwe and the largest city in that country. Nyanga sits at an elevation of , above sea level.

Climate

Overview

Mount Nyangani Mount Nyangani (formerly Mount Inyangani) is the highest mountain in Zimbabwe at . The mountain is located within Nyanga National Park in Nyanga District, about north-northeast of Mutare. The summit lies atop a small outcrop of rock around abov ...

, the highest mountain in Zimbabwe, lies about , southeast of the town. Its highest peak rises to approximately , above sea level. Nyanga is primarily a tourist town and is a popular tourist destination with its

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

golf courses A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

, mountain hikes and holiday resorts. The Mtarazi Falls, inside Nyanga National Park, are the highest

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

s in the country, cascading about , from top to bottom. The surrounding areas also contain many

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

and

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

archaeological remains such as pit structures, stone forts, terraces and pathways. Inside the town is the bustling township of Nyamhuka, around which there is an ever expanding growth of high and medium-density housing. Nyanga is also host to the largest army training camp in Zimbabwe, hosting recruits from across Africa.

History

The Nyanga region has long been regarded as a place of great natural beauty. In 1896,

Cecil John Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes ( ; 5 July 185326 March 1902) was an English-South African mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. He and his British South Africa Company founded ...

wrote to his agent: "Dear McDonald, Inyanga is much finer than you described.....Before it is all gone, buy me quickly up to , and be sure to take in the ''Pungwe Falls''. I would like to try sheep and apple growing." Rhodes displaced the inhabitants and the chieftainship of the wonderful place- the Sakarombes of the Lion-Zebra (Shumba-Nyambizi totem) who found refuge in the semi-arid areas of Nyanga in Ruwangwe. Nyanga has been made famous in Scotland by the 1960 Hamish Henderson song Freedom Come-All-Ye as the birthplace of an unnamed black man who will overthrow the Afrikaaner Government. Nyanga is also mentioned in the 1977 folk song "It’s a Long Way to Mukumbura" by Mike Westcott and Leprechaun, where it is referred to as " JOC Inyanga".

Population

The current population of Nyanga is not publicly known. According to the 1982 Population Census, the town had a population of 2,973. In 2004, the population of the town was estimated at 4,850. The next national population census in

is scheduled from 18 August 2012 through 28 August 2012.Next Population Census In Zimbabwe Scheduled For August 2012

Image gallery

Image:Nyanga village.jpg, Nyanga village. Image:Nyanga rural.jpg, Rural areas north of Nyanga town. Image:Nyanga terracing.jpg, Ancient terracing in the Nyanga north area. Image:Ziwa ruins wall.JPG, Ziwa ruins site north of Nyanga.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Manicaland Province Nyanga District