Matabeleland North Province

Matabeleland North Province

Matabeleland North is a province in western Zimbabwe. It borders the provinces of Midlands and Mashonaland West to the east and northeast respectively, and the province of Matabeleland South and the city of Bulawayo to the south. Its northern border is defined by the Zambezi river, while its western border is shared with the country of Botswana. It has an area of 75,025 km² and a population of approximately 700,000 (2002). Lupane is the capital of the province. Hwange and Victoria Falls are the only towns in this province.

The province gets its name of Matabeleland from the ethnicity of Matabele (Ndebele) people who inhabit the area.

The province of Matabeleland North was created when the former province of Matabeleland was separated into Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South in 1974. In 1997, the province underwent another territory change when the province's former capital city of Bulawayo split from the rest of the province.