View source for Harare

{{short description|Capital and largest city of Zimbabwe}}
{{about|the capital city of Zimbabwe|the city in Ethiopia|Harar}}
{{redirect|Southerton|people with the surname|Southerton (surname)|the electoral district|Southerton (constituency)}}

{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!--See Template:Infobox settlement for additional information-->| official_name      = Harare
| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]] and [[Harare Province|province]]
| translit_lang1     = 
| translit_lang1_type = 
| translit_lang1_info = 
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
|perrow = 1/2/3
|border = infobox
|total_width = 300
|image1 = Harare Skyline.jpg
|caption1 = Harare skyline from Pioneer Park
|image2 = Jacaranda trees in Montagu Ave, Harare, Zimbabwe in 1975.jpg
|caption2 = [[Jacaranda mimosifolia|Jacaranda]] trees lining Josiah Chinamano Avenue
|image3 = Harare parlament 24032005.jpg
|caption3 = [[Parliament House, Harare|Old Parliament House]] and the [[Cathedral of St Mary and All Saints, Harare|Anglican Cathedral]]
|image4 = Harare, Zimbabwe. 04.JPG
|caption4 = Downtown Harare
|image5 = Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe N.png
|caption5 = [[New Reserve Bank Tower]]
|image6 = Heroes Acre Monument, Harare, Zimbabwe.jpg
|caption6 = [[National Heroes' Acre (Zimbabwe)|Heroes' Acre]] monument
}}
| image_flag         = Flag of Harare.svg
| flag_size          = 
| image_seal         = 
| seal_size          = 
| image_shield       = Coat of arms of Harare.svg
| shield_size        = 
| nicknames          = Sunshine City, H Town
| motto              = {{ubl|{{native phrase|sn|Pamberi Nekushandira Vanhu}}|"Forward with Service to the People"}}
| image_map          = 
| mapsize            = 
| map_caption        = 
| pushpin_map        = Zimbabwe
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| pushpin_map_caption = Map showing Harare in [[Zimbabwe]]
| coordinates        = {{coord|17|49|45|S|31|3|8|E|region:ZW|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[Zimbabwe]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces of Zimbabwe|Province]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Harare Province|Harare]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 12 September 1890
| established_title2 = Incorporated (city)
| established_date2  = 1935
| established_title3 = Renamed Harare
| established_date3  = 18 April 1982
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor of Harare|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Jacob Mafume]] ([[Citizens Coalition for Change|CCC]])
| unit_pref          = 
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 982.3
| area_total_sq_mi   = 
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_land_sq_mi    = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_sq_mi   = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 
| area_metro_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| area_blank1_title  = 
| area_blank1_km2    = 
| area_blank1_sq_mi  = 
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 1490
| elevation_ft       = 
| population_total   = 1,491,740
| population_as_of   = 2022 census
| population_footnotes = <ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=http://www.zimstat.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/publications/Population/population/census-2012-national-report.pdf|title=2012 Population Census National Report|author=Zimstat|access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref>
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_urban   = 1,558,823
| population_urban_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zimstat.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/publications/Population/population/Harare.pdf|title=2012 Population Report: Harare|author=Zimstat|access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref>
| population_demonym = Hararean
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code          = 242
| website            = 
| footnotes          = Dialling code 242 (or 0242 from within Zimbabwe)
| timezone           = [[Central Africa Time|CAT]]
| utc_offset         = +02:00
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2018)
| blank_info_sec1    = 0.645<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{cite web |title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab |url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/ |website=hdi.globaldatalab.org |access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref><br />{{color|#FFD215|Medium}}
| blank_name         = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info         = [[Subtropical highland climate|Cwb]]
| name               = 
| population_metro   = 1,603,201
| population_metro_footnotes = <ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=http://www.zimstat.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/publications/Economic/Employment/Labour-Force-Report-2019.pdf|title=2019 Labour Force Report|author=Zimstat|access-date=20 September 2020}}</ref>
| population_note    = 
| leader_title1      = [[City council|Council]]
| leader_name1       = [[Harare City Council]]
}}

'''Harare''' ({{IPAc-en|h|ə|ˈ|r|ɑr|eɪ}} {{respell|hə|RAR|ay}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harare|title=Harare|access-date=25 May 2015}}</ref> formerly known as '''Salisbury''', is the [[Capital city|capital]] and largest city of [[Zimbabwe]]. The [[city proper]] has an area of {{convert|982.3|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, a population of 1,849,600 as of the [[2022 Zimbabwe census|2022 census]],<ref name="auto21">{{Cite web |title=2022 national census shows Zim rapidly urbanising |url=https://www.herald.co.zw/2022-national-census-shows-zim-rapidly-urbanising/ |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=The Herald |language=en-US}}</ref> and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metropolitan province.<ref name="auto21" /> The city is situated in north-eastern Zimbabwe in the country's [[Mashonaland]] region. [[Harare Metropolitan Province]] incorporates the city and the municipalities of [[Chitungwiza]], [[Epworth, Zimbabwe|Epworth]] and [[Ruwa]].<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/attachments/article/128/Harare%20Provincial%20Profile.pdf |access-date=22 November 2013 |publisher=Parliament Research Department |date=2011 |title=Harare Provincial Profile |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703165734/http://www.parlzim.gov.zw/attachments/article/128/Harare%20Provincial%20Profile.pdf |archive-date=3 July 2013}}</ref> The city sits on a [[plateau]] at an elevation of {{convert|1483|m|abbr=off|lk=out}} [[above sea level]], and its [[climate]] falls into the [[subtropical highland]] category.

The city was founded in 1890 by the [[Pioneer Column]], a small [[military force]] of the [[British South Africa Company]], and was named [[Southern Rhodesia|Fort Salisbury]] after the British Prime Minister [[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury|Lord Salisbury]]. Company [[Company rule in Rhodesia|administrators]] [[Demarcation line|demarcated]] the city and ran it until [[Southern Rhodesia]] achieved [[responsible government]] in 1923. Salisbury was thereafter the seat of the Southern Rhodesian (later [[Rhodesia]]n) government and, between 1953 and 1963, the capital of the [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|Central African Federation]]. It retained the name Salisbury until 1982 when it was renamed Harare on the second anniversary of Zimbabwe's independence from the [[United Kingdom]]. The national [[parliamentary|parliament]] moved out of Harare upon completion of the [[New Zimbabwe Parliament Building|New Parliament of Zimbabwe]] in [[Mount Hampden]] in April 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zimbabwe Celebrates Finish of New Parliament, Built by China |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/zimbabwe-celebrates-finish-of-new-parliament-built-by-china/6639580.html |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=Voice of America}}</ref>

Being the commercial capital of [[Zimbabwe]], it remains an important center of [[commerce]] and [[government]], as well as [[finance]], [[real estate]], [[manufacturing]], [[Health care|healthcare]], [[education]], [[art]], [[culture]], [[tourism]], [[agriculture]], [[mining]] and regional affairs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eprints.usm.my/16076/1/ICCI09-_14_aidah_awang.pdf |title=Project Management Success Factors for Sustainable Housing: A Framework |author=Abu Hassan Abu Bakar, Arman Abd Razak, Shardy Abdullah and Aidah Awang |publisher=School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia |via=eprints.usm.my |date= |access-date=3 March 2022}}</ref> Harare has the second-highest number of embassies in Southern Africa and situates the African headquarters of the [[World Health Organization]], along with [[Brazzaville]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Who we are |url=https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are |access-date=21 June 2021 |website=www.who.int}}</ref>

Harare has hosted multiple international [[conference]]s and events, including the [[1995 All-Africa Games]] and the 2003 [[Cricket World Cup]]. In 2018, Harare was ranked as a Gamma [[World city|World City]]. It is also home to [[Dynamos F.C.|Dynamos FC]], the club with the most titles in [[Football in Zimbabwe|Zimbabwean football]].

== History ==
{{see also|Timeline of Harare}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Fort Salisbury|Fort at Salisbury Point}}

===Early colonial history===
[[File:Hoisting the flag at Fort Salisbury.png|thumb|left|The [[Pioneer Column]] hoists the [[Union Jack]] on the [[Inselberg|koppie]] overlooking the city on 13 September 1890]]
[[File:Salisbury in 1930.jpg|thumb|left|Salisbury in 1930]]
The [[Pioneer Column]], a military volunteer force of settlers organized by [[Cecil Rhodes]], founded the city on 12 September 1890 as a fort.<ref name="Gold Fever (Hoste)">{{cite book|last=Hoste|first=Skipper|title=Gold Fever|editor=N.S.Davies|publisher=Pioneer Head|location=Salisbury, Rhodesia|year=1977|isbn=0-86918-013-4}}</ref><ref>Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2013, p. 120</ref> They originally named the city Fort Salisbury after [[Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury|The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury]], then-[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]], and it subsequently became known simply as Salisbury. The Salisbury Polo Club was formed in 1896.<ref name="laffaye">Horace A. Laffaye, ''Polo in Britain: A History'', Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2012, p. 76</ref> Salisbury was declared a municipality in 1897, and it became a city in 1935.<ref>Britannica, [https://www.britannica.com/place/Harare Harare], britannica.com, USA, accessed on 7 July 2019</ref>

[[File:Parlament of Zimbabwe.jpg|thumb|239x239px|The original [[Parliament House, Harare|Parliament House]], constructed in 1895]]

At the time of the city's founding, its site and surroundings were poorly drained. The earliest development was on sloping ground along the left bank of a stream, in an area where the Julius Nyerere Way industrial road runs today. The first area to be fully drained was near the head of the stream and was named Causeway. Causeway is now the site of many important government buildings, including the [[Senate]] House and the Office of the Prime Minister. After the position was abolished in January 1988, the office was renamed for the use of the [[President of Zimbabwe|President]].<ref>Journal of Frederick Courtney Selous, Rhodesiana Reprint Library, Salisbury, 1969</ref>

Salisbury was the seat of the [[British South Africa Company]] administrator and became the capital of the [[self-governing colony|self-governing]] British colony of [[Southern Rhodesia]] in 1923.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lee |first=M. Elaine |date=31 December 1975 |title=The origins of the Rhodesian Responsible Government Movement |url=https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/The_origins_of_the_Rhodesian_Responsible_Government_Movement/26458738?file=48108034 |journal=The Journal of Central Africa Historical Association (Rhodesian History) |language=en |volume=6 |publisher=Department of History, University of Rhodesia|pages=33–53}}</ref>

===Post-war period===
In the immediate aftermath of the [[Second World War]], Salisbury expanded rapidly, boosted by its designation as the capital of the [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland]]. This growth ushered in a wave of [[liberalism]], investment and [[developmentalism]] from 1953 to 1963, transforming the city's skyline in the process.<ref name="radar.brookes.ac.uk">{{cite journal |last=Mbiba |first=Beacon |date=2017 |title=Harare: from a European settler-colonial 'sunshine city' to a 'zhing-zhong' African city |url=http://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/idpr.2017.13 |journal=International Development Planning Review |volume=39 |issue=4 |pages=375–398 |doi=10.3828/idpr.2017.13 |issn=1474-6743|url-access=subscription }}</ref> This was accompanied by significant post-war immigration by White people, primarily from [[Great Britain]], [[Southern Africa]] and, to a lesser extent, [[Southern Europe]].{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} According to the US Department of State, more than half of white Zimbabweans arrived in Zimbabwe after WW2.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zimbabwe (01/05) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/zimbabwe/47098.htm |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=U.S. Department of State}}</ref> The rapid rise of motor vehicle ownership and the investment in road development greatly accelerated the outward sprawl of suburbs such as [[Alexandra Park, Harare|Alexandra Park]] and [[Mount Pleasant, Harare|Mount Pleasant]]. At the same time, mostly black suburbs like [[Highfield, Harare|Highfield]] suffered from [[overcrowding]] as their populations boomed.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

The optimism and prosperity of this period proved to be short-lived, as the Federation collapsed, which hindered the city's prosperity.<ref name="radar.brookes.ac.uk" />{{Additional citation needed|date=July 2024}}

===1960s and 1970s===
{{Expand section|date=July 2024}}
[[File:1970s Jameson Avenue, Salisbury, Rhodesia 6875739032.jpg|thumb|left|Jameson Avenue, Salisbury (now Samora Machel Avenue, Harare) in 1970|alt=]]The [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland]] was dissolved in 1963. [[Ian Smith]]'s [[Rhodesian Front]] government [[Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence|declared Rhodesia independent]] from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965, with Salisbury retained as the capital. Smith's Rhodesia later became the short-lived state of [[Zimbabwe Rhodesia]]; it was not until 18 April 1980 that the country was internationally recognized as independent as the [[Zimbabwe|Republic of Zimbabwe]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-12 |title=Zimbabwe - Rhodesia, UDI, Independence {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Zimbabwe/Rhodesia-and-the-UDI |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Post-independence years ===
[[File:Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe N.png|thumb|[[New Reserve Bank Tower]], completed in 1997]]
The city initially boomed under a wave of optimism and investment that followed the country's independence in 1980. The name of the city was changed to Harare on 18 April 1982, the second anniversary of Zimbabwean independence, taking its name from the village near Harare Kopje of the [[Shona people|Shona]] chief Neharawa, whose nickname was "he who does not sleep".<ref>{{cite book |last=Room |first=Adrian |title=Placenames of the World: Origins and Meanings of the Names for Over 5000 Natural Features, Countries, Capitals, Territories, Cities and Historic Sights |publisher=McFarland |year=2003 |isbn=9780786418145}}</ref> Before independence, "Harare" was the name of the black residential area now known as [[Mbare, Harare|Mbare]].{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Significant investment in education and healthcare produced a confident and growing [[middle class]], evidenced by the rise of firms such as [[Econet Global]] and innovative design and [[architecture]], exemplified by the [[Eastgate Centre, Harare|Eastgate Centre]]. A notable symbol of this era in Harare's history is the [[New Reserve Bank Tower]], one of the city's major landmarks.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-24 |title=Top 7 Most Beautiful Buildings In Harare CBD |url=https://startupbiz.co.zw/most-beautiful-buildings-in-harare/ |access-date=2025-07-10 |website=StartupBiz Zimbabwe |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Harare was the location of several international summits during this period, such as the 8th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in September 1986 and the [[1991 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]].<ref name="thecommonwealth1">{{cite web|url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/146799/brief_history_of_chogm/|title=List of previous CHOGMS|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081031223635/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/146799/brief_history_of_chogm/|archive-date=31 October 2008}}</ref> The latter produced the [[Harare Declaration]], dictating the [[Commonwealth of Nations membership criteria|membership criteria]] of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]]. In 1998, Harare was the host city of the 8th Assembly of the [[World Council of Churches]].<ref name="wcc-coe1">{{cite web|url=http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/assembly/index-e.html|title=8th assembly & 50th anniversary|access-date=25 May 2015}}</ref>

However, by 1992, Harare began to experience an economic downturn and the government responded by enacting [[Neoliberalism|neoliberal]] reforms. These policies provoked a boom in [[banking]], finance and agriculture, but also led to significant job losses in [[manufacturing]], thereby greatly increasing unemployment and [[income inequality]]. Domestic firms struggled to compete with imports, leading to the collapse of several institutions, particularly in the textile industry.<ref name="radar.brookes.ac.uk"/>

=== Economic difficulties and hyperinflation (1999–2008) ===
In the early 21st century, Harare was adversely affected by the political and economic crises that plagued Zimbabwe, particularly following the contested 2002 presidential election and 2005 parliamentary elections. The elected council was replaced by a government-appointed commission due to alleged inefficiency.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} Still, essential services such as rubbish collection and street repairs rapidly worsened, and are now virtually non-existent in poorer parts of the city.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} In May 2006, the Zimbabwean newspaper ''[[Financial Gazette]]'' described the city in an editorial as a "sunshine city-turned-sewage farm".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/may19_2006.html#Z13|title=The Zimbabwe Situation|last=kdc|publisher=zimbabwesituation.com}}</ref> In 2009, Harare was voted the world's toughest city to live in according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's livability poll, which factors in stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://calgaryherald.com/Vancouver+world+easiest+city+live+Harare+worst+Poll/1674901/story.html|title=Vancouver world's most livable city, Harare the worst: Poll |first=Kelly|last=Sinoski |agency=The Vancouver Sun|work=Calgary Herald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611165337/https://calgaryherald.com/Vancouver+world+easiest+city+live+Harare+worst+Poll/1674901/story.html |archive-date=11 June 2009 |access-date=8 June 2009}}</ref> The situation was unchanged in 2011, according to the same poll.<ref>{{cite news    |title=Least livable cities |url=https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/least-livable-cities?articleId=USRTR2IWU9 |publisher=Reuters |date=21 February 2011 |access-date=19 August 2016}}</ref>

==== Operation Murambatsvina ====
In May 2005, the Zimbabwean government demolished shanties, illegal vending sites, and backyard cottages in Harare, Epworth and other cities in [[Operation Murambatsvina]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Zimbabwe|title=Zimbabwe – Rhodesia and the UDI|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|date=3 January 2024 }}</ref> ("Drive Out Trash"). It was widely alleged{{Weasel inline|date=August 2018}} that the true purpose of the campaign was to make sure shanty towns would not develop in any urban areas that might favor the [[Movement for Democratic Change (pre-2005)|Movement for Democratic Change]], and to reduce the likelihood of mass action against the government by driving people out of the cities.{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}} The government claimed its actions were necessitated by a rise of criminality and disease.{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}} This was followed by [[Operation Garikayi/Hlalani Kuhle]] (Operation "Better Living") a year later, which consisted of building poor-quality concrete housing.{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}}

=== Economic uncertainty ===
In late March 2010, Harare's Joina City Tower was finally opened after fourteen years of delayed construction, marketed as 'Harare's New Pride'.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.urbika.com/articles/view/16441|title=Joina City- Harare's New Pride – Inside Joina City- Facts & Figures|date=31 March 2010|publisher=Urbika.com|access-date=17 June 2013|archive-date=20 June 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130620054216/http://www.urbika.com/articles/view/16441|url-status=dead}}</ref> Initially, uptake of space in the tower was low, with office occupancy at only 3% in October 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.for-builder.com/stories/2011/10/16/joina-city-occupancy-3pc |title=Joina City Occupancy 3pc |date=16 October 2011 |publisher=ForBuilder |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909144336/http://www.for-builder.com/stories/2011/10/16/joina-city-occupancy-3pc |archive-date=9 September 2013}}</ref> By May 2013, office occupancy had risen to around half, with all the retail space occupied.<ref name=changingspaces>{{cite news|url=http://mg.co.za/article/2013-05-31-00-zimbabwes-changing-spaces|newspaper=Mail and Guardian|title=Zimbabwe's Changing Spaces|last=Moyo|first=Jason|date=31 May 2013|access-date=17 June 2013}}</ref>{{Relevance inline|date=July 2024}}

The [[Economist Intelligence Unit]] rated Harare as the world's least livable city (out of 140 surveyed) in February 2011,<ref>{{cite news|title=Vancouver still world's most livable city: survey |first=Balazs |last=Koranyi |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cities-liveable-idUSTRE71K0NS20110221?pageNumber=1 |work=Reuters |date=21 February 2011 |access-date=28 September 2012}}</ref> rising to 137th out of 140 in August 2012.<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.eiu.com/public/thankyou_download.aspx?activity=download&campaignid=Liveability2012|title=Liveabililty Ranking and Overview August 2012|author=[[The Economist Intelligence Unit]]|date=August 2012|access-date=17 June 2013}}</ref>

In March 2015, [[Harare City Council]] planned a two-year project to install 4,000 [[solar street light]]s, starting in the central business district, at a cost of $15,000,000.<ref>{{cite web|last = Madalitso Mwando|title = Zimbabwe Capital Turns to Solar Streetlights to Cut Costs, Crime|work = allAfrica.com – Thomson Reuters Foundation|access-date = 2015-03-28|date = 2015-03-27|url = http://allafrica.com/stories/201503270369.html}}</ref>

In November 2017, the biggest demonstration in the history of the Republic of Zimbabwe was held in Harare, which led to the forced resignation of the long-serving 93-year-old [[President of Zimbabwe]], [[Robert Mugabe]], an event which was part of the first successful coup in Zimbabwe.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42035981|title=Zimbabwe crowds rejoice as they demand end to Mugabe rule|work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/zimbabwe-leader-mugabe-under-house-arrest-as-army-tightens-grip-on-capital-2017-11-15|title=Zimbabwe leader Mugabe under house arrest as army tightens grip on capital|work=Market Watch}}</ref>

===Contemporary Harare===
Since 2000, Harare has experienced periods of spectacular decline, particularly in the 2000s, but since the [[Great Recession]] it has stabilised and experienced significant population growth and uneven economic growth.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}{{clarify|date=July 2024}} There has nonetheless been substantial international investment and speculation in the city's [[financial]] and property markets. Development on the urban fringes of the city has occurred in areas such as [[Borrowdale, Harare|Borrowdale]], Glen Lorne, [[The Grange, Zimbabwe|The Grange]], [[Mount Pleasant, Harare|Mount Pleasant Heights]], as well as in the new suburbs of Hogerty Hill, Shawasha Hills, [[Bloomingdale, Zimbabwe|Bloomingdale]] and Westlea. Urban sprawl has also expanded into the nearby areas of [[Mount Hampden]], [[Ruwa]] and Norton.<ref name=McGregor2014>{{cite journal |last=McGregor |first=JoAnn |title=Sentimentality or speculation? Diaspora investment, crisis economies and urban transformation |journal=Geoforum |date=September 2014 |volume=56 |pages=172–181 |doi=10.1016/j.geoforum.2014.07.008 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In addition, inner city areas such as [[Avondale, Harare|Avondale]], Eastlea, Belgravia, [[Newlands, Harare|Newlands]] and Milton Park have seen increased [[gentrification]] driven by speculation from expat Zimbabweans. This speculation has also attracted other foreign buyers, resulting in high property prices and widespread rent increases.<ref>{{cite web |author=Staff Writer |title=A look at Zimbabwe's property market |url=https://businesstech.co.za/news/property/310256/a-look-at-zimbabwes-property-market/}}</ref> Harare sustained the highest population increase and urban development of any major Zimbabwean city since 2000, with other cities such as [[Bulawayo]], [[Gweru]], and [[Mutare]] largely stagnating during the same period.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/international/zimbabwe-property-market-characterised-by-a-high-demand-and-low-supply-20790629|title=Zimbabwe property market characterised by a high demand and low supply|website=www.iol.co.za}}</ref>

Beginning in 2006, the city's growth extended into its northern and western fringes, beyond the city's [[urban growth boundary]]. Predictions that by 2025 the metropolitan area population will reach 4 to 5 million have sparked concerns over unchecked sprawl and unregulated development.<ref name="auto11">{{cite web |title=Why property is more pricey in Zim than SA |url=https://www.newsday.co.zw/thestandard/business/article/206642/why-property-is-more-pricey-in-zim-than-sa |website=The Standard}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=July 2024}} The concentration of real estate development in Harare has also come at the expense of other Zimbabwean cities such as [[Gweru]] and particularly [[Bulawayo]], which is increasingly characterized by stagnation and high unemployment due to the collapse of many of its heavy industries. Today, Harare's property market remains highly priced, more so than regional cities such as [[Johannesburg]] and [[Cape Town]].{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} The top end of the market is completely dominated by wealthy or [[dual-citizen]] Zimbabweans (see [[Zimbabwean diaspora]] and [[Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom]]), Chinese and South African buyers.<ref name=McGregor2014/><ref name="auto11"/> Despite gentrification and speculation, the country's and city's unemployment rates remain high.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In 2020, Harare was classified as a [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network|Gamma city]] by the [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The World According to GaWC 2020 |url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |website=GaWC – Research Network |publisher=Globalization and World Cities |access-date=31 August 2020 |archive-date=24 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824031341/https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{Historical populations|1982|656011|1992|1189103|2002|1435784|2012|1485231|2022|1491754|type=|footnote=Source:<ref>{{cite web |title=2022 Population and Housing Census Preliminary Results |url=https://zimbabwe.unfpa.org/en/publications/2022-population-and-housing-census-preliminary-results |website=UNFPA - Zimbabwe |access-date=13 January 2024}}</ref>}}As of 2012, Harare has a population of 2,123,132.<ref name="auto1" /> Over 90% of people in Harare are [[Shona people|Shona-speaking people of African descent]]. Harare is also home to many [[Northern Ndebele people|Ndebele]] and [[Kalanga people]] as well. Many [[white Zimbabweans]] also live in the Harare metropolitan area.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stone |first=Diana |date=2019-03-07 |title=Nightmares in Harare |url=https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v41/n05/diana-stone/diary |access-date=2025-11-04 |work=London Review of Books |language=en |volume=41 |issue=05 |issn=0260-9592}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-10 |title=Another White Family Relocates As Afrikaners Migrate to Zimbabwe En Masse |url=https://www.zimeye.net/2025/08/10/another-white-family-relocates-as-afrikaners-migrate-to-zimbabwe-en-masse/ |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=ZimEye |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Geography ==
===Topography===
The city sits on one of the higher parts of the [[Highveld]] plateau of Zimbabwe at an elevation of {{convert|1483|m|abbr=off}}. The original landscape could be described as a "parkland"<ref>TV Bulpin: Discovering South Africa pp 838</ref> or wild place. The soils of Harare are varied: the northern and central areas largely have reddish brown, granular clay; some of the southern parts have gray-brown sand over pale, loamy sand or sandy loam.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/images/Eudasm/Africa/images/maps/download/afr_zw2006_so.jpg|title=Provisional Soil Map of Zimbabwe Rhodesia|website=European Soil Data Centre}}</ref>

=== Suburbs ===
{{Main|Category:Suburbs of Harare}}

The City of Harare is divided into suburbs, outside of which are independent municipalities such as [[Epworth, Zimbabwe|Epworth]], [[Mount Hampden]], [[Norton, Zimbabwe|Norton]], Ruwa, and [[Chitungwiza]], which are still located within the greater metropolitan province.<ref name="auto13"/>

The [[central business district]] of Harare is characterized by wide streets and a mix of historic, post-war, and modern buildings. Downtown sights include the Kopje Africa Unity Square, the Harare Gardens, the National Gallery, the August House parliamentary buildings, and the [[National Archives]]. [[Causeway, Harare|Causeway]], a road and sub-neighbourhood of central Harare, is a busy workaday area that acts as the city's "embassy row" (along with Belgravia to the north-east) in which numerous embassies, diplomatic missions, research institutes, and other international organizations are concentrated.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nDSR1FF2hY8C&q=causeway+harare&pg=PA377|title=Africa Review 200 -Op/075|isbn=9780749440657|last1=Page|first1=Kogan Kogan|year=2003|publisher=Walden Publishing Limited }}</ref> Additionally, many government ministries and museums, such as the [[Zimbabwe Museum of Human Sciences]], are located here.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2010-02-18|title=Zimbabwe displays 'Biblical Ark'|language=en-GB|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8522097.stm|access-date=2020-11-25}}</ref>

[[Rotten Row, Harare|Rotten Row]] is a sub-district of downtown Harare that begins at the intersection of Prince Edward Street and Samora Machel Avenue and runs to the flyover where it borders [[Mbare]] on Cripps Road.<ref name="auto12">{{cite web|last=Herald|first=The|title=Inside Rotten Row Court 6|url=https://www.herald.co.zw/inside-rotten-row-court-6/|access-date=2020-11-25|website=The Herald|language=en-GB}}</ref> Rotten Row was named after a road in [[London]] of the same name. The name "Rotten Row" is an altered form of the French phrase "Route du Roi," the [[King's Road]].<ref>{{cite web|title=History and Architecture|url=https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park/about-hyde-park/history-and-architecture|access-date=2020-11-25|website=The Royal Parks|language=en|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127130930/https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park/about-hyde-park/history-and-architecture|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is known as Harare's legal district, home to the Harare Magistrate's Court, the city's central library, and the [[ZANU-PF]] building, along with numerous law offices.<ref name="auto12"/> The neighbourhood also lends its name to the eponymous book by [[Petina Gappah]] published in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kola|first=F. T.|date=2016-11-19|title=Rotten Row by Petina Gappah review – buzzing with Zimbabwe life|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/19/rotten-row-by-petina-gappah-review|access-date=2020-11-25|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

The northern and north-eastern suburbs of Harare are generally home to its more affluent residents, including former president [[Robert Mugabe]], who lived in Borrowdale Brooke.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2014/06/22/mugabes-borrowdale-brooke-neighbour-speaks/|title=Mugabe's Borrowdale Brooke neighbour speaks out|date=22 June 2014}}</ref> These northern suburbs are often referred to as "dales" because of the common suffix "-dale" found in some suburbs such as Avondale, Greendale, and Borrowdale.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} The dwellings are mostly low-density homes of 3 bedrooms or more, and these are usually occupied by families.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} Borrowdale in particular is home to some of the most extensive real estate developments in the city.<ref name="auto6">{{cite web |title=Of suburb names and colonial hangover |url=https://www.thepatriot.co.zw/old_posts/of-suburb-names-and-colonial-hangover/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428201957/https://www.thepatriot.co.zw/old_posts/of-suburb-names-and-colonial-hangover/ |archive-date=28 April 2021 |access-date=16 November 2020 |website=The Patriot}}</ref> The north-western suburb of [[Emerald Hill, Zimbabwe|Emerald Hill]] is named so either due to the green colour of the tree-covered hill or its Irish connections — many of the roads in the suburb have Irish names, such as [[Dublin]], [[Belfast]], Wicklow, and Cork.<ref name="auto6"/>
 
To the east of Harare's city center, notable suburbs include [[Arcadia, Harare|Arcadia]], [[Newlands, Harare|Newlands]], Arlington, and others. [[Newlands, Harare|Newlands]] was named by Colin Duff, Zimbabwe's agricultural secretary in the 1920s. Arlington is a newer suburb adjacent to [[Harare International Airport]] and was previously owned by William Harvey Brown, a former mayor of Salisbury. Brown was originally from [[Iowa]] and joined the occupying [[British South Africa Company]] forces in the 1890s to collect specimens for the [[Smithsonian Institution]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="auto6"/>

The southern portions of Harare have historically been more industrial areas, often home to most of its African population as well as some lower-class European-descended populations.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41230768|jstor = 41230768|title = The European Population of Southern Rhodesia |last1 = McEwan|first1 = Peter J. M.|journal = Civilisations|year = 1963|volume = 13|issue = 4|pages = 429–444}}</ref> Willowvale, is perhaps best known for the 1988 [[Willowgate]] scandal, which implicated several members of the [[ZANU-PF]] party in a scheme where automobiles were illegally resold by various government officials.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} Harare's south-west also contains many high-density townships, which were set up by the government from the 1930s onwards. For example, [[Highfield, Harare|Highfield]], established in 1930, is the second-oldest high-density suburb in Harare. Highfield was created as a place for black workers to settle, providing labor for the industrial areas of Southerton and Workington.<ref name="auto6"/>

===Climate===
[[File:Jacaranda trees in Montagu Ave, Harare, Zimbabwe in 1975.jpg|thumb|[[Jacaranda]] trees in Montagu Ave, Salisbury in 1975]]
Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], Harare has a [[subtropical highland climate]] (Köppen ''Cwb''), an [[oceanic climate]] variety. Because the city is situated on a plateau, its high altitude and cool south-easterly airflow cause it to have a climate that is cooler and drier than a [[Tropical climate|tropical]] or [[subtropical climate]].

The average annual temperature is {{convert|17.95|°C|1}}, rather low for the tropics. This is due to its high altitude position and the prevalence of cool south-easterly airflow.<ref>Average for years 1965–1995, Goddard Institute of Space Studies World Climate database</ref>

There are three main seasons: a warm, wet summer from November to March/April; a cool, dry winter from May to August (corresponding to winter in the Southern Hemisphere); and a warm to hot, dry season in September/October. Daily temperature ranges are about  {{convert|7|-|22|°C|°F|0}} in July (the coldest month), about  {{convert|15|-|29|°C|°F|0}} in October (the hottest month) and about {{convert|16|-|26|°C|°F|0}} in January (midsummer). The hottest year on record was October 26, 2011 with {{convert|37|°C|°F|1}} and the coldest year was 1965 with {{convert|17.13|°C|°F|1}}.

The average annual rainfall is about {{convert|825|mm|abbr=on}} in the southwest, rising to {{convert|855|mm|abbr=on}} on the higher land of the northeast (from around Borrowdale to Glen Lorne). Very little rain typically falls during the period of May to September, although sporadic showers occur most years. Rainfall varies a great deal from year to year and follows cycles of wet and dry periods from 7 to 10 years long. Records begin in October 1890 but all three Harare stations stopped reporting in early 2004.<ref>Global Historic Climate Network database NGDC</ref>

The climate supports the natural vegetation of open woodland. The most common tree of the local region is the msasa or ''[[Brachystegia spiciformis]]'' whose wine-red leaves are most visible in the city in late August. Two introduced species of trees, the [[jacaranda]] and the [[Delonix regia|flamboyant]] from South America and Madagascar respectively, were introduced during the colonial era and contribute to the city's colour palette with their lilac and red blossoms. The two species flower in October/November and are planted on alternating streets in the capital. [[Bougainvillea]] is prevalent in Harare as well. Some trees from Northern Hemisphere middle latitudes are also cultivated, including [[American sweetgum]], [[English oak]], [[Quercus mongolica|Japanese oak]] and [[Quercus texana|Spanish oak]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Ornamental Trees | website=goldenstairsnursery.co.zw | date=2021-09-27 | url=https://www.goldenstairsnursery.co.zw/product-category/plants/trees-ornamental/page/4/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927081311/https://www.goldenstairsnursery.co.zw/product-category/plants/trees-ornamental/page/4/ | archive-date=2021-09-27 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Harare (1961–1990, extremes 1897–present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 33.9
|Feb record high C = 35.0
|Mar record high C = 32.3
|Apr record high C = 32.0
|May record high C = 30.0
|Jun record high C = 27.7
|Jul record high C = 28.8
|Aug record high C = 31.0
|Sep record high C = 35.0
|Oct record high C = 37.0
|Nov record high C = 35.3
|Dec record high C = 33.5
|year record high C = 37.0
|Jan high C = 26.2
|Feb high C = 26.0
|Mar high C = 26.2
|Apr high C = 25.6
|May high C = 23.8
|Jun high C = 21.8
|Jul high C = 21.6
|Aug high C = 24.1
|Sep high C = 28.4
|Oct high C = 28.8
|Nov high C = 27.6
|Dec high C = 26.3
|year high C = 25.5
|Jan mean C = 21.0
|Feb mean C = 20.7
|Mar mean C = 20.3
|Apr mean C = 18.8
|May mean C = 16.1
|Jun mean C = 13.7
|Jul mean C = 13.4
|Aug mean C = 15.5
|Sep mean C = 18.6
|Oct mean C = 20.8
|Nov mean C = 21.2
|Dec mean C = 20.9
|year mean C = 18.4
|Jan low C = 15.8
|Feb low C = 15.7
|Mar low C = 14.5
|Apr low C = 12.5
|May low C = 9.3
|Jun low C = 6.8
|Jul low C = 6.5
|Aug low C = 8.5
|Sep low C = 11.7
|Oct low C = 14.5
|Nov low C = 15.5
|Dec low C = 15.8
|year low C = 12.3
|Jan record low C = 9.6
|Feb record low C = 8.0
|Mar record low C = 7.5
|Apr record low C = 4.7
|May record low C = 2.8
|Jun record low C = 0.1
|Jul record low C = 0.1
|Aug record low C = 1.1
|Sep record low C = 4.1
|Oct record low C = 5.1
|Nov record low C = 6.1
|Dec record low C = 10.0
|year record low C = 0.1
|precipitation colour=green
|Jan precipitation mm = 190.8
|Feb precipitation mm = 176.3
|Mar precipitation mm = 99.1
|Apr precipitation mm = 37.2
|May precipitation mm = 7.4
|Jun precipitation mm = 1.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 2.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 2.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 6.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 40.4
|Nov precipitation mm = 93.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 182.7
|year precipitation mm = 840.6
|unit precipitation days=
|Jan precipitation days = 17
|Feb precipitation days = 14
|Mar precipitation days = 10
|Apr precipitation days = 5
|May precipitation days = 2
|Jun precipitation days = 1
|Jul precipitation days = 0
|Aug precipitation days = 1
|Sep precipitation days = 1
|Oct precipitation days = 5
|Nov precipitation days = 10
|Dec precipitation days = 16
|year precipitation days = 82
|Jan humidity = 76
|Feb humidity = 77
|Mar humidity = 72
|Apr humidity = 67
|May humidity = 62
|Jun humidity = 60
|Jul humidity = 55
|Aug humidity = 50
|Sep humidity = 45
|Oct humidity = 48
|Nov humidity = 63
|Dec humidity = 73
|year humidity = 62
|Jan sun = 217.0
|Feb sun = 190.4
|Mar sun = 232.5
|Apr sun = 249.0
|May sun = 269.7
|Jun sun = 264.0
|Jul sun = 279.0
|Aug sun = 300.7
|Sep sun = 294.0
|Oct sun = 285.2
|Nov sun = 231.0
|Dec sun = 198.4
|year sun = 3010.9
|Jand sun = 7.0
|Febd sun = 6.8
|Mard sun = 7.5
|Aprd sun = 8.3
|Mayd sun = 8.7
|Jund sun = 8.8
|Juld sun = 9.0
|Augd sun = 9.7
|Sepd sun = 9.8
|Octd sun = 9.2
|Novd sun = 7.7
|Decd sun = 6.4
|yeard sun = 8.2
|source 1 = [[World Meteorological Organization]],<ref name = WMO >{{cite web
|url = http://worldweather.wmo.int/130/c00263.htm
|title = World Weather Information Service – Harare
|publisher = World Meteorological Organization
|access-date = 10 June 2016
|archive-date = 29 August 2019
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190829103402/http://worldweather.wmo.int/130/c00263.htm
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> NOAA (sun and mean temperature, 1961–1990),<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/ZI/67775.TXT
|title = Harare Kutsaga Climate Normals 1961–1990
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200713124345/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/ZI/67775.TXT
|archive-date = 2020-07-13
|url-status = dead
|access-date = 10 June 2016}}</ref> 
|source 2 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] (humidity, 1954–1975),<ref name = DWD>
{{cite web
|url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_677750_kt.pdf
|title = Klimatafel von Harare-Kutsaga (Salisbury) / Simbabwe
|work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world
|publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst
|language = de
|access-date = 10 June 2016}}</ref> Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)<ref name = meteoclimat>
{{cite web 
|url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=944
|title = Station Harare 
|publisher = Meteo Climat 
|language = fr 
|access-date = 10 June 2016}}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

== Economy ==
{{Unbalanced section|date=July 2024}}
Harare is Zimbabwe's leading financial, commercial, and communications centre, as well as an international trade centre for [[tobacco]], [[maize]], [[cotton]], and [[citrus]] fruits.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} Manufacturing of products including [[textile]]s, [[steel]], and [[Chemical substance|chemicals]] is also economically significant, as is the trade of precious minerals such as [[gold]], [[diamonds]] and [[platinum]].{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} Early investor optimism following the inauguration of the Mnangagwa government in 2017 has since largely subsided due to the slow pace of reforms aimed at making Harare and Zimbabwe more business-friendly.<ref name="auto4">{{cite web|title=Zimbabwe|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-investment-climate-statements/zimbabwe/|access-date=2021-01-21|website=United States Department of State|language=en-US}}</ref>  The economy suffered high inflation and frequent power outages in 2019, which further hampered investment, and the poor implementation of adequate monetary reforms alongside deficit reduction attempts had a similar effect.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} Although the government has repeatedly stressed its commitments to improving transparency, increasing the ease of doing business, and fighting corruption, progress remains limited under the Mnangagwa administration.<ref name="auto4"/>

Harare experienced a real estate boom in the 2000s and early 2010s, particularly in the wealthy northern suburbs, with prices rising dramatically over the last decade despite challenges in other sectors of the economy.<ref name="auto16">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/15/business/worldbusiness/15iht-zecon.html|title=Zimbabweans ask, who can afford houses? (Published 2006)|first=MacDonald|last=Dzirutwe|newspaper=The New York Times |date=15 May 2006}}</ref> This boom was largely fueled by members of the [[Zimbabwean diaspora]] and by speculation, with investors hedging against the local currency.<ref name="auto16"/><ref name=McGregor2014/> However, the once-growing market began to cool off due to a 2019 hike in interest rates and the economic fallout from the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], leaving a number of projects unfinished.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2020/06/05/policy-flip-flopping-crippling-real-estate/ |title='Policy flip-flopping crippling real estate' - the Zimbabwe Independent |access-date=19 November 2020 |archive-date=27 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127080355/https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2020/06/05/policy-flip-flopping-crippling-real-estate/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Another challenge to Harare's economy is the persistent emigration of highly educated and skilled residents to the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand, largely due to the economic downturn and political unrest.<ref name="auto3">{{cite web |url=https://samponline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Acrobat55.pdf |title=The Engagement of the Zimbabwean Medical Diaspora |website=samponline.org |access-date=2021-01-21}}</ref> The city's [[brain drain]], almost unprecedented compared to other [[emerging markets]],{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} has led to declining numbers of local entrepreneurs, an overstretched and declining middle class, and a dearth of employment opportunities outside the informal and [[public sector]].<ref name="auto3"/> In addition, the city's working-class residents are increasingly moving to nearby South Africa and [[Botswana]], though they are readily replaced by less well-off rural migrants.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://samponline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Acrobat61.pdf |title=Unfriendly Neighbours|website=samponline.org |access-date=2021-01-21}}</ref> However, despite over a decade of neglect, the city's infrastructure and [[human capital]] still compares favourably with cities in other parts of Africa and Latin America.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} It remains to be seen whether the current government can entice its diverse and well-educated [[Zimbabwean diaspora]], numbering some 4 to 7 million people, to invest in the economy, let alone consider returning.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://samponline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/brief30.pdf |title= Zimbabwe's exodus to australia |date=2015 |website= samponline.org|access-date=2021-01-21}}</ref><ref name="auto3"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303388998|title=Zimbabwe: Migration and Brain Drain|website=ResearchGate}}</ref>

===Shopping and retail===
Locally produced art, handicrafts and souvenirs can be purchased at locations including Doon Estate, Uwminsdale, Avondale Market and Mbare Musika. Msasa Park and Umwinsdale in particular host a number of galleries that produce high-quality Shona soapstone sculptures and textiles, such as Patrick Mavros Studios, which has another gallery in [[Knightsbridge]], [[London]].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25065149|jstor = 25065149|title = The Kingdom, the Power and Forevermore: Zimbabwe Culture in Contemporary Art and Architecture|last1 = Pikirayi|first1 = Innocent|journal = Journal of Southern African Studies|year = 2006|volume = 32|issue = 4|pages = 755–770|doi = 10.1080/03057070600995681|s2cid = 145351878|url-access = subscription}}</ref> International brands are generally less common in Harare than in European cities. However, conventional and luxury shopping can be found on Fife Avenue, Sam Nujoma (Union) Avenue, Arundel Village, Avondale, Borrowdale, Eastgate, Westgate and Sam Levy's Village.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://zimfieldguide.com/harare/harare-capital-zimbabwe|title=Harare, capital of Zimbabwe &#124; Zimbabwe Field Guide|website=zimfieldguide.com}}</ref> Virtually all luxury shopping is concentrated in the wealthier northern suburbs, particularly Borrowdale.

== Transportation ==
[[File:Harare International Airport.jpg|thumb|[[Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport]]]]
Harare is a relatively young city, mostly growing during the country's post-[[The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|Federation]] and post-independence booms. It was also segregated along racial and class lines until 1976. As a result, Harare today is a mostly low-density urban area geared towards private motorists, lacking a convenient public transportation system.<ref name="auto14">{{Cite news|date=2019-01-07|title=Getting Around With Kids, When Even the Grocery Store Is an Onerous Journey|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-07/motherhood-and-transit-in-zimbabwe-a-daily-struggle|access-date=2020-11-25}}</ref> Very little investment has been made to develop an effective and integrated public transportation system, leaving a significant number of the city's residents dependent on the city's informal minibus taxis.<ref name="auto14"/> The rise of local ridesharing apps such as GTaxi and Hwindi has partly eased pressure on the city's transportation system, but such rides are still too expensive for most working people to use.<ref>{{cite web|title=Transportation in Harare, Zimbabwe|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/zimbabwe/harare/transportation|access-date=2020-11-25|website=Lonely Planet|language=en}}</ref> In addition, bus services are also available but they are mostly geared towards intercity travel and recreation than journeys within Harare itself.

The city's public transport system includes public and private sector operations. The former consists of [[Zimbabwe United Passenger Company|ZUPCO]] buses. Privately owned public transport included licensed [[station wagon]]s (nicknamed 'emergency taxis') until 1993, when the government began to replace them with licensed buses and minibuses, referred to officially as 'commuter omnibuses'.<ref>D.A.C. Maunder and T.C. Mbara, "The initial effects of introducing commuter omnibus services in Harare, Zimbabwe", ''TRL: The Future of Transport'' 123 (January 1995). {{ISBN|1-84608-122-X}}; and https://trl.co.uk/reports/TRL123</ref> Harare has two kinds of taxis, [[metered taxis]] and the much more ubiquitous [[share taxis]] or 'kombis'. Unlike many other cities, metered taxis generally do not drive around the city looking for passengers and instead must be called and ordered to a destination. The minibus "taxis" are the de facto day-to-day form of transport relied upon by the majority of Harare's population.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tuverl.com/blog/a-look-at-public-transportation-in-zimbabwe/|title=A look At Public Transportation In Zimbabwe|date=16 February 2020|access-date=19 November 2020|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127093409/https://www.tuverl.com/blog/a-look-at-public-transportation-in-zimbabwe/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Harare Central Station.jpg|thumb|Harare Railway Station]]
As of May 2023, Harare is not served by any [[passenger rail]] service. The [[National Railways of Zimbabwe]] previously operated daily overnight passenger train services to [[Mutare]] and [[Bulawayo]] using the [[Beira–Bulawayo railway]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century African History |editor1= Paul Tiyambe Zeleza |editor2= Dickson Eyoh |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415234794 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qjolgQhpFtoC |year=2003 |chapter= Bulawayo, Zimbabwe |author= Mlambo, Alois}}</ref> Long-distance rail service was suspended in 2020 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and has not been restarted. Between 2001 and 2006, three [[commuter rail]] routes operated in Harare, serving Tynwald, [[Mufakose]] and [[Ruwa]]. These commuter rail routes, nicknamed 'Freedom Trains', were reintroduced in 2021, but were suspended again in November 2022 due to payment disputes with [[Zimbabwe United Passenger Company|ZUPCO]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chronicle |first=The |title=NRZ speaks on return of intercity passenger trains |url=https://www.chronicle.co.zw/nrz-speaks-on-return-of-intercity-passenger-trains/ |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=The Chronicle |date=20 January 2023 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Long-distance bus services link Harare to most parts of Zimbabwe.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

The city is crossed by [[Beira–Lobito Highway|Transafrican Highway 9 (TAH 9)]], which connects it to the cities of [[Lusaka]] and [[Beira, Mozambique|Beira]].

The largest airport in Zimbabwe, the [[Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport]], serves Harare.

== Education ==
The [[University of Zimbabwe]] is located in Harare. Founded in 1952, the university is the country's oldest and largest, offering a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The student population stands at 20,399, with 17,718 undergraduate students and 2,681 postgraduate students.<ref>{{cite web|title=University of Zimbabwe Profile|url=https://www.uz.ac.zw/index.php/50-about-uz/introducing-uz/108-university-of-zimbabwe-profile|access-date=2021-11-03|website=www.uz.ac.zw|archive-date=19 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319075053/https://www.uz.ac.zw/index.php/50-about-uz/introducing-uz/108-university-of-zimbabwe-profile|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Sports ==
[[File:2018-10-17 Boxing lightweight Boys&#039; –60 kg at 2018 Summer Youth Olympics – Victory ceremony (Martin Rulsch) 2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Kirsty Coventry]], [[President of the International Olympic Committee]], former Olympian and former Minister of Sport]]

Harare has long been regarded as Zimbabwe's sporting capital due to its role in developing Zimbabwean sport, the range and quality of its sporting events and venues, and its high rates of spectatorship and participation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sport in Zimbabwe|url=https://www.topendsports.com/world/countries/zimbabwe.htm|access-date=2021-06-21|website=www.topendsports.com}}</ref> The city is also home to more professional [[sports team]]s competing at the national and international levels than any other Zimbabwean city. [[Association football|Football]] is the most popular sport in Harare, particularly among working-class residents, with the city producing many footballers who have gone on to play in the [[English Premier League]] and elsewhere.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} [[Cricket]] and [[rugby football|rugby]] are also popular sports with those from middle-class backgrounds.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In 1995, Harare hosted most of the sixth [[All-Africa Games]], sharing the event with other Zimbabwean cities such as [[Bulawayo]] and [[Chitungwiza]]. It hosted some of the matches of [[2003 Cricket World Cup]], which was hosted jointly by [[Kenya]], South Africa and [[Zimbabwe]]. Harare also hosted the [[ICC Cricket]] [[2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier|2018 World Cup Qualifier]] matches in March 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cricketworld.com/icc-world-cup-qualifiers-2018-super-sixes-match-8-zimbabwe-v-united-arab-emirates-preview/50532.htm|title=ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2018 – Super Sixes Match 8 – Zimbabwe v United Arab Emirates – Preview|website=Cricket World}}</ref>

Harare is home to [[Harare Sports Club]] Ground, which hosts many [[Test cricket|Test]], [[One Day International]]s and [[T20I]] Cricket matches. The [[Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League]] clubs of [[Dynamos F.C.]], [[Black Rhinos F.C.]], and [[CAPS United F.C.]] also call the city home.<ref name="auto15">{{Cite news|url=https://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2017/08/22/harare-among-world-s-worst-cities-to-live-in|title='Harare among world's worst cities to live in'|work=DailyNews Live|access-date=2018-08-02|archive-date=2 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802071424/https://www.dailynews.co.zw/articles/2017/08/22/harare-among-world-s-worst-cities-to-live-in|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Harare's main stadiums are [[National Sports Stadium (Zimbabwe)|National Sports Stadium]] and [[Rufaro Stadium]].

===Popular teams===
{{more citations needed section|date=July 2024}}

The following table shows the major sports teams in the Harare area.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Club !! Sport !! League !! Founded !! Venue !! Capacity
|-
| [[Dynamos F.C.]] || [[Association football]] || align=center|[[Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League|ZPSL]] || 1963{{efn|group=o|name=moved|Year team moved to Harare/Salisbury}} || [[Rufaro Stadium]]<br /><small>([[Mbare, Harare]])</small> || align=center | 40,00
|-
| [[CAPS United F.C.]] ||[[Association football]]|| align=center|[[Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League|ZPSL]]|| 1973{{efn|group=o|name=moved|Year team moved to Harare/Salisbury}} || [[National Sports Stadium (Zimbabwe)|National Sports Stadium]]<br /><small>(Harare)</small> || align=center | 60,000
|-
| [[St. George's College, Harare|Old Georgians]] || [[Rugby Union]] || align=center|[[Super Six Rugby league|SSRL]]|| 1926{{efn|group=o|name=moved}} || [[Harare Sports Club]] || align=center | 10,000
|-
| [[Old Hararians]] || [[Rugby Union]] || align=center|[[Super Six Rugby league|SSRL]]|| 1898{{efn|group=o|name=moved}} || [[Harare Sports Club]] || align=center | 10,000
|-
| [[Black Rhinos F.C.]] || [[Association football]] || align=center | [[Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League|ZPSL]] || 1983 || [[Figaro Stadium]]|| align="center" | 17,544
|-
| [[Mashonaland Eagles]] || [[Cricket]] || align=center|[[Logan Cup]] || 2009{{efn|group=o|name=moved}} || Harare Sports club || align=center | 10,000
|-
| [[Old Miltonians]]|| [[Rugby Union]] || align=center|[[Super Six Rugby league|SSRL]]|| 1910{{efn|group=o|name=moved}} || [[Harare Sports Club]] || align=center | 10,000
|}
 
{{notelist|group=o}}
 
'''Football and cricket'''
 
The main football stadiums in Harare are the [[National Sports Stadium (Zimbabwe)|National Sports Stadium]] and [[Rufaro Stadium]].
 
Virtually all first-class and international [[cricket]] matches are hosted at Harare Sports Club, with most domestic tours occurring in spring and summer. This city is also home to the [[Mashonaland Eagles]] in the domestic [[Logan Cup]] tournament. The Eagles are coached by renowned former [[Zimbabwe national cricket team]] batsman [[Grant Flower]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/importance-of-counties-zimbabwe-tours-cannot-be-overstated-hamilton-masakadza-1216425|title=Importance of counties' Zimbabwe tours 'cannot be overstated' – Hamilton Masakadza|website=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> The team are one of the country's strongest sides and last won the Logan Cup in the [[2022-23 Logan Cup]] season.<ref name="moyo">{{cite web |last1=Moyo |first1=Brandon |title=Eagles crowned Logan Cup champions |url=https://www.chronicle.co.zw/eagles-crowned-logan-cup-champions/ |website=Chronicle |date=29 May 2023 |access-date=7 July 2024 |archive-date=8 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708183444/https://www.chronicle.co.zw/eagles-crowned-logan-cup-champions/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

'''Rugby'''
 		
Harare is also the heartland of [[rugby union]] in Zimbabwe, rivalling [[Windhoek]] in Namibia as the strongest rugby region in Africa beyond South Africa.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} The governing Rhodesia Rugby Football Union was founded in Harare in 1895 and became the [[Zimbabwe Rugby Union]] in 1980. The union and national sides are based in the northern suburb of [[Alexandra Park, Harare|Alexandra Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.world.rugby/member-unions/125|title=World Rugby|website=www.world.rugby}}</ref> Harare is home to four of the country's national Super Six Rugby League (SSRL) clubs: Harare Sports Club, [[St. George's College, Harare|Old Georgians]], Old Hararians and Old Miltonians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://businesstimes.co.zw/zim-rugby-league-suspended/|title=Zim rugby league suspended|date=25 April 2019}}</ref> Additionally, the Zimbabwe Rugby Academy, the national development side which plays in the second division of the [[Currie Cup]], is largely made up of players from the city. International rugby test matches tend to be hosted at [[Harare Sports Club]], the [[Police Grounds, Harare|Police Grounds]], and at [[Hartsfield]] in [[Bulawayo]], with a particularly strong rivalry with the [[Namibia national rugby union team]]. Traditionally the city hosted tours by the [[British and Irish Lions]], [[Argentina national rugby union team|Argentina]], and the [[New Zealand national rugby union team|All-Blacks]] on their respective tours of South Africa. However, this is no longer the case, due to the end of traditional rugby tours and the [[Zimbabwe national rugby union team]]'s decline in the international rugby rankings.<ref name="auto8">{{cite web|url=https://www.herald.co.zw/rugbys-forgetable-year/|title=Rugby's forgetable year|first=The|last=Herald|website=The Herald}}</ref> [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]] was the last major country to tour Harare, visiting in 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wru.wales/article/wild-times-in-zimbabwe-and-namibia/|title=Wild times in Zimbabwe and Namibia|website=Welsh Rugby Union &#124; Wales & Regions|access-date=17 November 2020|archive-date=1 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101070048/https://www.wru.wales/article/wild-times-in-zimbabwe-and-namibia/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 	
High school teams are generally of a high standard, with [[Prince Edward School]], [[St. George's College, Harare|St. George's College]], and [[St. John's College (Harare)|St. John's College]] all ranking among the country's leading teams and frequently sending their first XV sides to compete against well-known [[South Africa]]n high schools during [[Craven Week]].<ref name="auto8"/> After high school, the city's best players unfortunately tend to move on to South Africa or the United Kingdom due to a lack of professionalism and greater educational and earning opportunities abroad, thus depleting the strength of the [[rugby union in Zimbabwe]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newframe.com/long-read-rugby-in-post-colonial-zimbabwe/|title=Long Read &#124; Rugby in post-colonial Zimbabwe|date=11 March 2020|website=New Frame|access-date=17 November 2020|archive-date=16 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116102347/https://www.newframe.com/long-read-rugby-in-post-colonial-zimbabwe/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Notable internationals hailing from Harare include [[Tendai Mtawarira]], [[Don Armand]], and [[Brian Mujati]], among numerous others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/dec/01/if-you-lived-in-bitterness-you-wouldnt-enjoy-anything-exeter-chiefs-zimbabwean-rugby-union-exiles|title='If you lived in bitterness you wouldn't enjoy anything': Exeter's Zimbabwean rugby exiles|date=1 December 2017|website=The Guardian}}</ref>

== Media ==
Harare is host to some of Zimbabwe's leading media outlets. Despite accusations of government censorship and intimidation, the city maintains a robust press, much of which is defiantly critical of the current government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/press-freedom_critics-decry-zimbabwes-press-freedom-failures/6198806.html|title=Critics Decry Zimbabwe's Press Freedom Failures|website=Voice of America|date=26 November 2020 }}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=July 2024}} In print media, the most internationally-famous paper is the ''[[The Herald (Zimbabwe)|Herald]]'', the city's oldest newspaper, founded in 1893 and former paper of record prior to its purchase by the government. The paper is best noted for its heavy censorship during the [[Rhodesian Front]] government from 1962 to 1979, with many of its articles appearing as redacted — with black boxes marking the words removed by government censors — before its forced purchase.<ref name="auto20">{{cite web|url=https://library.columbia.edu/libraries/global/virtual-libraries/african_studies/countries/zimbabwe/news.html|title=Zimbabwe: Online News & the Internet &#124; Columbia University Libraries|website=library.columbia.edu}}</ref> Today it is largely seen as little more than a government mouthpiece by residents and overwhelmingly supports the government line.<ref name="auto5">{{cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/africa/more-newspapers-hit-the-streets-of-harare-as-zimbabwe-media-industry-opens-up-1.517360|title=More newspapers hit the streets of Harare as Zimbabwe media industry opens up|date=1 July 2010|website=The National}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In contrast, private newspapers continue to adopt a more independent line and enjoy a diverse and vibrant readership.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} These include the [[Financial Gazette]], the financial [[paper of record]] which is nicknamed 'the Pink Press' for its tradition of printing on a pink broadsheet. Other newspapers include: the ''[[Zimbabwe Independent]]'', a [[centre-left]] newspaper and ''de facto'' [[paper of record]] noted for its investigative journalism; the ''Standard'', a centre-left Sunday paper; ''[[NewsDay (Zimbabwean newspaper)|NewsDay]]'', a left-wing tabloid; ''H-Metro'', a mass-market tabloid; the ''[[Daily News (Harare)|Daily News]]'', a [[left wing]] opposition paper; and ''Kwayedza'', the leading [[Shona language]] newspaper in Zimbabwe.<ref name="auto5"/>{{Additional citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Online media outlets include ''ZimOnline'', ''ZimDaily'', the ''Zimbabwe Guardian'' and ''NewZimbabwe.com'' amongst others.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2018/01/19/muckraker-hunt-democracy-land-despotism/ |title=Muckraker: The hunt for democracy in the land of despotism - the Zimbabwe Independent |access-date=28 November 2020 |archive-date=2 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402102309/https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2018/01/19/muckraker-hunt-democracy-land-despotism/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://library.stanford.edu/africa-south-sahara/browse-topic/news-country/zimbabwe-news|title=Zimbabwe news|website=Stanford Libraries}}</ref><ref name="auto20"/>

=== Television and radio ===
The state-owned [[ZBC TV]] maintains a monopoly on free-to-air TV channels in the city, with private broadcasters (such as the now-defunct Joy TV) coming and going based on the whims of the government.<ref>[http://www.theindependent.co.zw/2012/02/16/muckraker-zbc-has-taken-over-the-rbcs-mantle/ 'MuckRaker: ZBC has taken over the RBC's mantle'], ''[[Zimbabwe Independent]]'', 16 February 2012</ref> As such, many households that can afford the cost subscribe to the satellite television distributor [[DStv]] for entertainment, news, and sport from Africa and abroad.

In November 2021, it was announced that six new free-to-air private television stations would go live in Zimbabwe and join ZBC TV after the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe issued licences, ending the 64-year monopoly enjoyed by the state-owned broadcaster. Zimpapers Television Network, a subsidiary of diversified media group Zimbabwe Newspapers Ltd, was one of the channels awarded a free-to-air television licence. The other five were NRTV, 3K TV, Kumba TV, Ke Yona TV, and Channel Dzimbahwe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Major milestone as six new TV stations get licences |url=https://www.herald.co.zw/major-milestone-as-six-new-tv-stations-get-licences/ |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=The Herald |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-30 |title=Zimbabwe awards new TV licences, but only to regime-linked players |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/52603/zimbabwes-new-television-licenses-media-pluralism-without-diversity/ |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=The Africa Report.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Harare is also well served by radio, with a number of the country's leading radio stations maintaining a presence in the city. There are currently four state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation channels (SFM, Radio Zimbabwe, Power FM and National FM), as well as private national commercial free-to-air stations such as Star FM, Capital 100.4 FM, and ZiFM. In addition, Channel Zim (an alternative satellite channel) and [[Voice of America|VOA]] Zimbabwe both broadcast via inexpensive free-to-air decoders.<ref name="auto10">{{cite web|url=https://www.myguidezimbabwe.com/travel-articles/radio-stations-in-zimbabwe|title=Radio Stations in Zimbabwe|date=24 July 2019|website=My Guide Zimbabwe}}</ref> Eight newly licensed local commercial stations have been commissioned, but were not yet on air as of 2020.<ref name="auto10"/>
 
Commercial stations tend to show similar trends in programming, with high percentages of music, talk radio or phone-in programs, and sports, with only infrequent news bulletins. Despite the country's 16 official languages, virtually all broadcasts occur in English, Shona, and Ndebele.<ref name="auto10"/>

== Notable institutions ==
<!-- New links in alphabetical order please -->
{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
* [[44 Harvest House]]
* [[Eastgate Centre, Harare|Eastgate Centre]]
* [[Econet Wireless]]
* [[Gwanzura]]
* [[Mbare Musika]]
* [[Parirenyatwa Hospital]]
* [[Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe]]
* [[St. George's College, Harare]]
* [[Sam Nujoma Street]]
* [[Zimbabwe Stock Exchange]]
{{colend}}

== Culture ==
[[File:Entrance_to_the_National_Gallery_of_Zimbabwe.jpg|thumb|left|National Gallery of Zimbabwe]]
Harare has a strong cultural and artistic scene that often responds to ongoing economic and political crises, offering opportunities for satire, experimentation, and reinvention. While authors and musicians such as [[Doris Lessing]], [[Petina Gappah]] and [[Thomas Mapfumo]] have long criticized the corruption and shortcomings of the Smith and Mugabe governments, the emergence of protest and critical theatre since 2000 has invigorated the local arts scene.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://africanarguments.org/2019/01/rest-in-power-oliver-mtukudzi-tuku-music-legend-pan-african-trailblazer/|title=Rest in Power: Oliver Mtukudzi, music legend and pan-African trailblazer|date=25 January 2019}}</ref> Actors, directors and artists have joined musicians and writers in criticizing political maleficence and audiences have rallied behind them, making the local theatre and art scene one of the most vibrant in the [[southern hemisphere]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.onetel.net.uk/~herbertroese/africa4.htm |title=Modern Sculptures from Zimbabwe |access-date=29 November 2020 |archive-date=23 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123061434/http://web.onetel.net.uk/~herbertroese/africa4.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The city is also the site of the [[Harare International Festival of the Arts]] (HIFA), which has featured such acclaimed artists as Cape Verdean singer [[Sara Tavares]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hifa.co.zw/|title=What's Next..." reflecting a sense of positive progress|publisher=hifa.co.zw|access-date=6 June 2013|archive-date=26 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626031219/http://www.hifa.co.zw/|url-status=dead}}</ref> HIFA was cancelled in 2019, and it is unclear whether it has been held in subsequent years.<ref name="machaya">{{cite web |last1=Machaya |first1=Prince |title=HIFA cancelled, organisers say Zimbabwe has other 'important issues' |url=https://www.zimlive.com/hifa-cancelled-organisers-say-zimbabwe-has-other-important-issues/ |website=Zimbabwe News Now |access-date=8 July 2024 |date=15 February 2019}}</ref>

Harare is home to several notable museums and monuments. The [[National Gallery of Zimbabwe]] exhibits Shona art and stone sculpture. The [[Zimbabwe Museum of Human Sciences]] near [[Rotten Row, Harare|Rotten Row]] documents the archaeology of [[Southern Africa]] through the Stone Age and into the Iron Age. Artifacts, newspapers, and other items from milestones in Zimbabwe's history can be found at the National Archives. The [[National Heroes' Acre (Zimbabwe)|Heroes' Acre]] is a burial ground and national monument, whose purpose is to commemorate both pro-independence fighters killed during the Rhodesian Bush War and contemporary Zimbabweans who have served their country and are buried at the site.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Private cultural institutions include [[Chapungu Sculpture Park]] in the Msasa Park neighborhood, which displays the work of Zimbabwean stone sculptors. It was founded in 1970 by Roy Guthrie, who was instrumental in promoting the work of its sculptors worldwide.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} One notable example of architecture in Harare is the [[Eastgate Centre, Harare|Eastgate Centre]], a shopping mall with an innovative design, located equidistant from Unity Square and Borrowdale.

Harare is home to 4 pipe bands. St Johns College, ( two world championships) Churchill School Pipe band ( Still holds the world endurance piping record of 100 hours) Nantes College Pipe band, and the Harare Caledonian Pipe band.

== Green spaces ==
Harare has been nicknamed Zimbabwe's "Sunshine City" for its abundant parks and outdoor amenities.<ref name="auto13">{{Cite journal|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0021909620943620?journalCode=jasa|doi=10.1177/0021909620943620| issn=0021-9096 |title=Mugabe's Urban Legacy: A Postcolonial Perspective on Urban Development in Harare, Zimbabwe|year=2020|last1=Matamanda|first1=Abraham R.|journal=Journal of Asian and African Studies|volume=56|issue=4|pages=804–817|s2cid=225530172|url-access=subscription}}</ref> There is an abundance of parks and gardens across town, many close to the CBD, with a variety of common and rare plant species amid landscaped vistas, pedestrian pathways, and tree-lined avenues.<ref name="auto13"/>{{failed verification|date=July 2024}} Harare's parks are often considered the best public parks in all of Zimbabwe's major cities.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} There are also many parks in the surrounding suburbs, particularly in the affluent suburbs of Borrowdale, Mount Pleasant, and Glen Lorne, located northeast of the central business district.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Within the city, prominent green spaces include:{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}
* The [[National Botanic Garden (Zimbabwe)|National Botanical Gardens]] in [[Alexandra Park, Harare|Alexandra Park]], which cultivates [[Southern African]] plants in woodland habitats such as the [[msasa]], [[miombo]], or less commonly the Cape [[fynbos]].
* The Royal Harare Golf Course, an 18-hole championship course set in msasa woodland that hosts the [[Zimbabwe Open]] each year as part of the [[Sunshine Tour]].
* Cleveland Dam Recreational Park, which overlooks its namesake dam and is located in msasa woodland along the highway to [[Mutare]].
* [[Mukuvisi Woodlands]], which comprises 263 hectares of indigenous [[msasa]] and miombo woodland and is home to zebras, giraffes, eland, wildebeest, ostriches, impalas, and birdlife and indigenous flora.<ref name="auto18">{{cite web|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/zimbabwe/harare/activities/discover-the-rich-zimbabwean-culture-in-its-capital/a/pa-act/v-108185P3/355726|title=Discover The Rich Zimbabwean Culture In Its Capital &#124; Harare, Zimbabwe Activities|website=Lonely Planet}}{{Dead link|date=January 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
Other sites near the City of Harare include [[Lake Chivero]] Dam and [[Lake Chivero Recreational Park|Recreational Park]], Epworth's [[Balancing rocks of Zimbabwe|balancing rocks]], Ewanrigg Botanical Gardens, [[Domboshava]] National Monument, Lion and Cheetah Park, and Vaughn Animal Sanctuary.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

== Places of worship ==
Most [[places of worship]] in Harare are [[Christianity|Christian]] churches and temples.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} Some of the denominations active in Harare, and their associated places of worship, include: Kingdom Prosperity Ministries,[[Assemblies of God]], [[Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe]] ([[Baptist World Alliance]]), [[Reformed Church in Zimbabwe]] ([[World Communion of Reformed Churches]]), [[Church of the Province of Central Africa]] ([[Anglican Communion]]), [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Harare]] ([[Catholic Church]]).<ref>Britannica,
[https://www.britannica.com/place/Zimbabwe Zimbabwe – Places]. ''britannica.com''. Retrieved 7 July 2019.</ref>

==Sister cities==
Harare has co-operation agreements, partnerships, or [[sister city]] agreements with the following towns:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hararecity.co.zw/index.php/twinning-arrangements|title=City of Harare – Twinning Arrangements|last=Dhedheya|first=Itai|website=City of Harare|access-date=10 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415001831/http://hararecity.co.zw/index.php/twinning-arrangements|archive-date=15 April 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Cincinnati]], United States<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/102016971/|title=Harare newest link: Cincinnati adds sister city in Africa|last1=Pennick|first1=Faith|date=1990-08-05|work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]|access-date=2018-05-21|last2=Calhoun|first2=Jim}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|PRC}} [[Guangzhou]], China<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.herald.co.zw/harare-twins-guangzhou/|title=Harare twins Guangzhou|date=2015-09-22|work=The Herald|access-date=2018-05-23|language=en-GB}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Kazan]], Russia
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Lago, Calabria|Lago]], Italy
* {{flagicon|MOZ}} [[Maputo]], Mozambique<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TmhADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT29|title=The Beloved Country|last=Kalayil|first=Sheena|date=2015-04-02|publisher=Grosvenor House Publishing|isbn=9781781484647|page=29|language=en}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Munich]], Germany
* {{flagdeco|THA}} [[Nakhon Ratchasima]], Thailand
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Nottingham]], United Kingdom
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Prato]], Italy
* {{flagicon|NAM}} [[Windhoek]], Namibia
{{colend}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="135">
File:Harare secondst.jpg|[[Sam Nujoma Street]], looking south
File:Harare anglicanchurch.JPG|[[Cathedral of St Mary and All Saints, Harare|Anglican Cathedral of St Mary and All Saints]]
File:Harare Downtown.jpg|Downtown Harare, facing the Reserve Bank
File:First Street, Harare, Zimbabwe.jpg|First Street
File:Harare Downtown1.jpg|Side view of the [[Parliament House, Harare|Parliament Buildings]]
File:Eastgate Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe.jpg|[[Eastgate Centre, Harare|Eastgate Centre]]
File:Monument in Harare Gardens.jpg|[[Southern Rhodesia in World War I|First World War]] cenotaph in the Harare Gardens
File:Heroes Acre, Harare, Zimbabwe (1).jpg|[[National Heroes' Acre (Zimbabwe)|National Heroes' Acre]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Africa}}
* [[Districts of Zimbabwe]]
* [[Place names in Zimbabwe]]
* [[Provinces of Zimbabwe]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Harare#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Harare}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage}}
* {{commons category-inline|Harare}}

{{Suburbs of Harare}}
{{List of African capitals}}
{{All-Africa Games Host Cities}}
{{ZW provinces}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Harare| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:1890 establishments in Africa]]
[[Category:1890 establishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1890]]
[[Category:Populated places in Harare Province]]
[[Category:Capitals in Africa]]