A Provincial Tour of Zimbabwe Trivia Quiz

Answer: Zambia

The Victoria Falls, called in the Lozi language Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Smoke that Thunders), are on the Zambezi River, on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The fall is a distance of 108 m (360 ft), with an average flow rate of 1,088 cu m/s (38,430 cu ft/s). Victoria Falls National Park (along with Zimbabwe National Park, adjacent to the west along the river) features an abundance of wildlife: elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, antelopes, vervet monkeys and baboons are common; lions and leopards are occasionally seen. Above the falls, the river has large populations of hippopotamus and crocodile. A large variety of birds are also found near the falls, including several species which breed there.

The names of many of Zimbabwe's provinces are based on the historical development of the country. The Matabeleland districts were conquered by settlers during the First Matabele War (1893-1894), and were the tribal lands of the Ndebele people.

Answer: Limpopo

Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, after the capital Harare, with a population in 2009 of 1,500,000. Before becoming an administrative area in its own right, it was the capital of Matabeleland North. Located on Zimbabwe's Highveld (High Plain), it is close to the watershed between the Zambezi River, which forms part of Zimbabwe's northern border with Zambia, and the Limpopo River, which forms part of the southern border with South Africa.

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 an important venue for Rugby matches.

Answer: Kalahari desert

The Kalahari desert covers most of Botswana, as well as large portions of Namibia and South Africa and small areas of Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is actually only a semi-desert region, and supports wildlife with large areas of excellent grazing after good rainfalls.

There are a number of nature reserves featuring such spectacular wildlife as hyenas, lions, meerkats, giraffes, warthogs, and a range of antelope species. There are even seasonal wetlands in the desert, which attract flamingos during the rainy season.

Answer: Large houses of stone

The term 'zimbabwe' is used to describe over 200 sites in southern Africa with the ruins of large buildings constructed with mortarless walls, of which the Great Zimbabwe is the largest, having been the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe (1220-1450). The kingdom of Zimbabwe controlled the ivory and gold trade from the interior of Africa to the coast, and was also a centre for imports from Arabia and Asia.

The most commonly accepted origin for the word 'zimbabwe' is that it is derived from 'dzimba-dza-mabwe', and means 'large houses of stone'. It may also be a contracted form of 'dzimba woye' which means 'venerated houses' in the Zezuru dialect.

Answer: Wolves

Tourists have the opportunity to wrestle with lion cubs during the day, watch lions hunting at night, ride elephants (both on land and as they swim in the lake) and view a range of game species in a safari that can be conducted on foot, on horseback, from a horse-drawn carriage or on elephant.

ALERT is a programme designed to ethically re-introduce the offspring of rehabilitated captive-bred African lion back into the wild, safeguarding the future of a species which is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.

Answer: Limestone caves

The Chinhoyi caves, about 8 km (5 mi) north of town, were first described by Frederick Courteney Selous in 1888. They are the most extensive cave system in Zimbabwe with public access, and were designated as a National Park in 1955. The main cave has a pool of cobalt blue water called the Sleeping Pool or Chirorodzira (Pool of the Fallen). Diving in the caves is popular all year round, and divers have discovered submarine connections between some of the caves.

Answer: Gold

The town of Shamva (originally called Abercorn) was established in 1895 when gold was discovered in the area. The town of Kimberly Reefs was established in 1901, when a gold mine opened there. It was given its current name of Bindura in 1913. Bindura, the capital of the province, also has nickel, copper and cobalt mines. Important agricultural products of the province include cotton, maize, tobacco, soybeans and tropical fruits.

On June 21, 2001, the district of Centenary attracted many who wanted to see the total solar eclipse, as it was one of the few areas of Zimbabwe from which it could be seen.

Answer: Steel

Marondera was one of the earliest European settlements in Southern Rhodesia (the colonial name for Zimbabwe). Before the seizure of white-owned farms and redistribution of land which began in 2000, it was a major trade centre for timber, tobacco, maize, cotton, beef and dairy products,

Mashonaland East is also an area with a history of mining. The Wedza district was originally inhabited by the Mbire people of the Soko clan, who mined iron in the hills of Wedza (a name meaning 'place of wealth'). A number of other minerals have been mined in the vicinity, including gold, nickel, beryl and tungsten, but they are not found in sufficient quantities to be considered commercially viable at the start of the 21st century.

Answer: Textiles

Harare (known as Salisbury before 1982) has significant textile, steel and chemical manufacturing industries. It is also a major trade centre, and gold is mined in the area. In 2009, Harare was voted to be the world's toughest city to live in according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's liveability poll.

The Mashona area of Zimbabwe, now divided into the provinces of East Mashonaland, Central Mashonaland, West Mashonaland and Harare, was the first territory occupied by the British South Africa Company. It corresponds roughly to the region occupied by the Shona people.

Answer: Mount Nyangani

Mount Nyangani, formerly known as Mount Inyangani, is 2,592 m (8,504 ft) above sea level at its peak. It is in the Nyanga National Park, about 275 km (170 mi) southeast of Harare, near the border with Mozambique. Manicaland is also the location of Murahwa Hill, known for its rock paintings and Iron Age village.

Mount Smith is in Ethiopia, while Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru are both in Tanzania.