Bulawayo, The City Of Kings
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with, as of the 2012 census, a population of 653,337.[2] It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km (273 mi) southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland.
Colloquially Bulawayo is also known by various names, these being the ‘City of Kings’, ‘Skies’, ‘Bluez’, ‘Bulliesberg’ or ‘KoNtuthu ziyathunqa’ – a isiNdebele phrase for “a place that continually exudes smoke”. This name arose from the city’s historically large industrial base.[3] The majority of the Bulawayo’s population belongs to the Ndebele ethnic and language group.
For a long time in Zimbabwe’s history Bulawayo was regarded as the industrial centre of Zimbabwe and the city served as the hub to the country’s rail network with the National Railways of Zimbabwe headquartered there because of its strategic position near Botswana and South Africa.[3] It is the nearest large city to Hwange National Park, Matobo National Park and Victoria Falls.
History
The city was founded by the Ndebele king, Lobengula the son of King Mzilikazi kaMatshobana who settled in modern day Zimbabwe around the 1840s after the Ndebele people’s great trek from Zululand. The name Bulawayo comes from the isiNdebele word KoBulawayo meaning ‘a place where he is being killed.’The name Bulawayo is imported from Nguniland which is a place once occupied by the Khumalo people. The place still exists and it is next to Richards Bay. In recent years, Bulawayo has managed to rise above the economic crisis that Zimbabwe has experienced in the past years and slowly rising up to greater heights.
Climate
Due to its relatively high altitude, Bulawayo features a humid subtropical climate (Cwa), though it is a drier version of the climate. The mean annual temperature is 19.16 °C (66.44 °F),[6] similar to Pretoria at a similar altitude but almost 600 km (373 mi) farther south.
Special Features
Bulawayo is home to the Queens Sports Club and Bulawayo Athletic Club, two of the three grounds in Zimbabwe where test match cricket has been played. It is also home to Hartsfield Rugby grounds where many international Test matches have been played. Hartsfield was developed by Reg Hart, after whom the grounds were named, and on which field many of southern Africa’s greatest rugby players have competed. It is home to two large football teams, Highlanders and Zimbabwe Saints. Other football teams include Bantu Rovers, Chicken Inn, How Mine.

Other important sporting and recreational facilities include
• Barbourfields Stadium
• Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Grounds
• Kumalo Hockey Stadium
• Ascot Racecourse
• White City Stadium