1,811,905
Population (2022 census)
49,166 km²
Area
8
Districts
2.7 billion years
Age of the Mberengwa stromatolites

Midlands & Masvingo: History & Culture

Discover Midlands & Masvingo

Midlands Province sits at Zimbabwe’s geographic centre, its economy built on the chrome and gold mined around Kwekwe and Shurugwi, and the platinum worked at Mimosa mine near Zvishavane. The Mberengwa Greenstone Belt preserves some of the best-developed Archaean stromatolites on Earth, fossil evidence of microbial life roughly 2.7 billion years old. Gweru, the provincial capital and Zimbabwe’s third-largest city, grew as a railway and industrial town. Nearby, Antelope Park was established in 1987 and is now home to the African Lion Environmental Research Trust’s lion rehabilitation programme.

Photo by Akumudzi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Key Attractions

Antelope Park, Mberengwa Greenstone Belt, Shurugwi chrome hills, Gweru, Zvishavane (Mimosa platinum mine)

Heritage & Landmarks

What Makes Midlands & Masvingo Special

🠁

Antelope Park

Established 1987 near Gweru; home to the African Lion Environmental Research Trust's lion rehabilitation programme

🪨

Mberengwa Greenstone Belt

Archaean stromatolites roughly 2.7 billion years old, among the best-preserved on Earth

⛏️

Shurugwi

One of Zimbabwe's largest chrome-mining districts, also worked for gold, in scenic hill country

🏙️

Gweru

Zimbabwe's third-largest city and the provincial capital, a rail and industrial hub since colonial times

Stay in the Know

New Guides & Travel Updates

Get our new destination guides and changes to visa and border rules by email.

Twice a month, free, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy.