Bulawayo

This article is about the city in Zimbabwe. For the royal kraal of the Zulu empire, see Bulawayo (Zulu empire).

Bulawayo
City, province, district and central business district
View of Bulawayo's Central Business District (CBD) from Pioneer House.
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  'City of Kings', 'Skies', 'Bompton' or 'Bulliesberg'
Motto:  Si ye phambili (Northern Ndebele) "Let us go forward"
Bulawayo highlighted in red in Zimbabwe
Interactive map of Bulawayo
Coordinates: 20°10′12″S 28°34′48″E
Country	Zimbabwe
Province	Bulawayo
District	Bulawayo
Settled	1840
Incorporated (town)	1897
Incorporated (city)	1943
Divisions	4 districts, 29 wards, 156 suburbs
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Mayor	David Coltart (CCC)
• Council	Bulawayo City Council
Area
• Province	2,096 km2 (809 sq mi)
• Urban	95.13 km2 (36.73 sq mi)
• Metro	643 km2 (248 sq mi)
Elevation	1,358 m (4,455 ft)
Population  (2022 census)
• Province	665,952
• Density	317.7/km2 (822.9/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (CAT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (not observed)
Area code	029
ISO 3166 code	ZW-BU
HDI (2021)	0.693 medium · 1st of 10
Website	citybyo.co.zw

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Bulawayo (/bʊləˈwɑːjoʊ/, /-ˈweɪoʊ/; Northern Ndebele: Bulawayo) is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council claimed it to be about 1.2 million. Bulawayo covers an area of 546 square kilometres (211 square miles) in the western part of the country, along the Matsheumhlope River. Along with the capital Harare, Bulawayo is one of two cities in Zimbabwe that are also provinces.

Bulawayo was founded by a group led by Gundwane Ndiweni around 1840 as the kraal of Mzilikazi, the Ndebele king and was known as Gibixhegu. His son, Lobengula, succeeded him in the 1860s, and changed the name to koBulawayo and ruled from Bulawayo until 1893, when the settlement was captured by British South Africa Company soldiers during the First Matabele War. That year, the first white settlers arrived and rebuilt the town. The town was besieged by Ndebele warriors during the Second Matabele War. Bulawayo attained municipality status in 1897, and city status in 1943.

Historically, Bulawayo has been the principal industrial centre of Zimbabwe; its factories produce cars and car products, building materials, electronic products, textiles, furniture, and food products. Bulawayo is also the hub of Zimbabwe's rail network and the headquarters of the National Railways of Zimbabwe.

Bulawayo's central business district (CBD) covers 5.4 km² (2.1 sq mi) in the heart of the city and is surrounded by numerous suburbs. The majority of the city's population belongs to the Ndebele people, with minorities of Shona and other groups, including Coloured and White Zimbabweans. Bulawayo is home to over a dozen colleges and universities, most notably the National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo Polytechnic College, Zimbabwe School of Mines, Hillside Teachers College, and the United College of Education. The Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, formerly the National Museum, is located in Bulawayo. The city is close to tourist sites such as Matobo National Park and the Khami World Heritage Site.