Geography
The landscape in southern Zimbabwe relatively flat, interspersed with rounded granite mountains. They are known as kopjes (Dutch: little heads) and they are often quite smooth. Mopane trees dominate the savannah landscape. Occasionally, one see baobab trees. The weather is hot and dry throughout the year, except during the summer when the rains come.
The town lies near Lake Mutirikwe and is home to a golf course and a freight railway line. It lies on the Mucheke River, with Queen Victoria Gardens in the town centre and Shagashe Game Park and an Italian memorial church built during World War II nearby. It also has an airstrip.
Masvingo is situated in a drought-prone area, with average rainfall of 600 mm/a. The raw water source for the city is Lake Mutirikwe. Apart from providing water for the city of Masvingo, Lake Mutirikwe supports water supply schemes for several riparian farmers and large sugar cane irrigation schemes in the Triangle and Hippo Valley areas. The storage capacity of the lake, which was completed in 1960, is 1.4 × 109 m³.
Read more about this topic: Masvingo
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