Provinces of Zimbabwe

Provinces are constituent political entities of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe currently has ten provinces, two of which are cities with provincial status. Zimbabwe is a unitary state, and its provinces exercise only the powers that the central government chooses to delegate. Provinces are divided into districts, which are divided into wards.

Provinces of Zimbabwe
Category	Unitary state
Location	Republic of Zimbabwe
Number	10 Provinces
Populations	665,952 (Bulawayo) – 2,427,231 (Harare Province)
Areas	1,710 km2 (659 sq mi) (Bulawayo) - 28,967 sq mi (75,025 km2) (Matabeleland North)
Government	Provincial government, National government
Subdivisions	District

The Constitution of Zimbabwe delineates provincial governance and powers. After constitutional amendments in 1988, provinces were administered by a governor directly appointed by the President of Zimbabwe.^[1] Since the 2013 constitutional changes, there are technically no longer provincial governors, though in practice they remain in place as Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs. The 2013 Constitution also calls for the devolution of governmental powers and responsibilities where appropriate, though Zimbabwean opposition parties argue that the central government has yet to comply.^[2]

With the establishment of Company rule in Rhodesia in the 1890s, the country was divided into two provinces: Matabeleland in the west and Mashonaland in the east. Under British colonial rule as Southern Rhodesia, the colony was divided into five provinces. Later, the Rhodesian government expanded the number of provinces to seven: Manicaland, Matabeleland North and South, Mashonaland North and South, Midlands, and Victoria (today Masvingo).^[3] In the 1980s, Mashonaland North and South were reorganized to become three provinces (Mashonaland Central, East and West). The youngest provinces, Bulawayo and Harare, were created in 1997.

Name	Towns and cities		Established	Population (2022)[4]	Total area[5]		Location
	Capital	Largest			km2	mi2
Bulawayo	Bulawayo		1997	665,952	900	347
Harare	Harare		1997	2,427,231	872	337
Manicaland	Mutare		1897[6]	2,037,703	36,459	14,077
Mashonaland Central	Bindura		1983	1,384,891	28,347	10,945
Mashonaland East	Marondera		?	1,731,173	32,230	12,440
Mashonaland West	Chinhoyi	Kadoma	1983	1,893,584	57,441	22,178
Masvingo	Masvingo		?	1,638,528	56,566	21,840
Matabeleland North	Lupane	Victoria Falls	1973	827,645	75,025	28,967
Matabeleland South	Gwanda	Beitbridge	1973	760,345	54,172	20,916
Midlands	Gweru		?	1,811,905	49,166	18,983