Masvingo (province)
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Masvingo is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 56,566 km² and a population of approximately 1.3 million (2002). Masvingo (formerly Fort Victoria) is the capital of the province. The town was founded in 1890 and was the first large settlement to be established by the Pioneer Column of the BSAC which makes it the oldest town in Zimbabwe. It named Fort Victoria after Queen Victoria.
The province is largely populated by members of the Karanga tribe who are members of the Shona speaking group of tribes that also includes the Zezuru, Manyika and Ndau.
Masvingo province, known before 1980 as Victoria province, is in the drier lowveldt area in the south of Zimbabwe. The boundaries were changed slightly in the 1980's. From white settlement until 2000 most of the area was devoted to cattle ranching, with mining and sugar cane growing (irrigated from Mutirikwi), and communal areas where subsistence farming is carried out. With the land reforms of the early 21st century large scale cattle and mixed farms are being redistributed to small farmers.
In the east of the province along the Mozambique border is Gonarezhou National Park, part of the Gaza, Kruger and Gonarezhou Transfrontier National Park concept.
Masvingo is divided into 7 districts:
See also:
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| Provinces | |
| Manicaland | Mashonaland Central | Mashonaland East | Mashonaland West | Masvingo | Matabeleland North | Matabeleland South | Midlands | |
| Cities | |
| Bulawayo | Harare | |
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