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        Name Great Zimbabwe National Monument

        IUCN Management Category III (Natural Monument)

        Biogeographical Province 3.08.04 (South African Woodland/savanna)

        Geographical Location Near Kyle Recreational Park, south-west of Lake Kyle. 29km from Nyanda in Masvingo Province. 20°15'S, 31°00'E.

        Date and History of Establishment Established as Zimbabwe National Park

        Area 746ha

        Land Tenure Central Government

        Altitude 1,140m

        Physical Features The area is in a rugged kopje-strewn valley.

        Climate No information

        Vegetation The bushveld includes Senecio spp. and Albizia adianthifolia.

        Fauna Mammals include: greater kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros, bushbuck T. scriptus, duiker Cephalophus sp., steenbuck Raphicerus campestris, klipspringer Oreotragus oreotragus, leopard Panthera pardus (T), and baboon Papio sp.. The rich birdlife includes hornbills (Bucerotidae), greenpigeon Treron australis, freckled nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma, and purple-crested heron Ardea purpurea.

        Cultural Heritage Great Zimbabwe was first occupied in the 8th century AD but most of the 'dzimba dzemabwe', or houses of stone, were built by the Karanga, ancestors of the present Shona people between the 11th and 15th centuries. Then, it was the royal capital of a state that dominated the central plateau and the gold trade to the coast. A solid stone conical tower forms the centrepiece of a huge elliptical building, wall and hut complex. The outer wall is 249m in circumference and in parts over 10m high and 5m thick. Excavations have yielded articles from China, India and Asia, but the most spectacular find was the soapstone zimbabwe birds adopted as the symbol of Zimbabwe.

        Local Human Population No information

        Visitors and Visitor Facilities It is a major tourist attraction and there is a site museum, 4ha of aloe gardens and a hotel nearby.

        Scientific Research and Facilities No information

        No information

        Conservation Value No information

        Conservation Management No information

        None

        Management Constraints No information

        Staff No information

        Budget No information

        Local Addresses

        Administered with Lake Kyle Recreation Park. Regional Director, P. Bag 9158, Nyanda.

        References

        Ross-McDonald, M. (1972). World Wildlife Guide. Viking, New York.

        Date 1983

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        Revision date: 11-December-2000 | Current date: 14-December-2000
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