THE GREAT ZIMBABWE

activity looks at a fifth kingdom of Africa called Great Zimbabwe. As opposed to the other kingdoms we have looked at so far, which were in the northern half of Africa, Great Zimbabwe was in southern Africa. Read the text below, which will tell you about the history of Great Zimbabwe. Following this text is more information on people living in the interior of East and Central Africa around the time of the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe. These are regions of Africa that most people today do not know much about. As you read through these texts, think about why certain events and periods in African history tend to be better known than others. At the end of this activity, you will be asked to do a short writing assignment that addresses this issue


Great Zimbabwe
The word Zimbabwe literally means "stone dwelling" in the Shona language. Thus, Great Zimbabwe is appropriately named because it is indeed a great stone dwelling! The pictures below show parts of the ruins of Great Zimbabwe as they can be seen today by people who visit the country of Zimbabwe.

Possible site of training of young people for adulthood at Great Zimbabwe ruins
What or who created these stone ruins? What is the story of the people who once lived there? These are questions that historians have been trying to answer. By examining the ruins and dating the materials found within them, historians have been able to piece together the lives of people who built and dwelled in Great Zimbabwe.





The ruins of Great Zimbabwe are remains of what was once a great trading civilization, which sprang up in the interior of southern Africa. Although the civilization had some contact with outside groups, modern historians have agreed that Great Zimbabwe was built and managed by Africans living in the interior. It was a center of gold and ivory trade. Towards the latter part of the history of Great Zimbabwe, evidence suggests that the people living there were trading with regions as far as China, Persia, and Syria.

People living at Great Zimbabwe also practiced agriculture and cattle herding, although historians believe that this became a problem after awhile. Too many people living and farming one small area led to environmental degradation. Eventually the land was no longer able to sustain such a large number of people.

kariba lake Zimbabwe

The lake is studded with islands and fringed by mountains. Of the forests that grace the shoreline, the most intriguing is at Matusadona National Park. Here- is a half submerged mopane forest, still standing forty years after the valley was flooded, thousands of branches reaching naked into the sky from their watery grave.

One way to see the lake is to hire a boat. Its thousands of inlets and islands can occupy the sensitive visitor for several days. A wide variety of luxury cruisers is available for charter, but for those on a more limited budget, humbler craft can be hired for a single day tour. Equally satisfying is to explore the shoreline from a game viewing vehicle


Kariba is no less entrancing for being an artificial lake. Sandwiched between Zambia to the north and Zimbabwe to the south, it was created when the flow of the mighty Zambezi River was harnessed at Kariba Dam to generate hydro electricity for both countries. The construction of the dam and the power station beneath it remains one of the most spectacular feats of engineering ever undertaken in Africa. Today, Lake Kariba is the third largest man made reservoir in the world, its two thousand kilometres of shoreline creating a spectacular variety of estuaries that spill into the surrounding bush.





Kariba is located in the Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe - southern Africa - on the north eastern border with Zambia - 365 km from the Zimbabwean capital Harare.

The town is spread along approximately 20km of the Lake Kariba shoreline with its western boundary on the Zambezi River.

The town has a population of approximately 30000 inhabitants concentrated in the Nyamhunga and Mahombekombe townships, with smaller communities on The Heights, Chawara, Charara and Camphill.

Lonely Planet has described Kariba as an "unconsolidated two level jumble" - topographically it's very hilly similar to parts of Matusadona and Kaburi and it doesn't have a distinguishable centre - don't expect to see a lot if you arrive without a plan or decide to give our offices a miss on the Heights!

SUN CITY JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA

TABLE MOUNTAIN IN CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA

VICTORIA FALLS IN ZIMBABWE