Harare

Why it's the capital

The Pioneer Column, a settler force organised by Cecil Rhodes, founded the city as a fort on 12 September 1890. It became the seat of the Southern Rhodesian government, was the capital of the Central African Federation from 1953 to 1963, and stayed the capital when Zimbabwe became independent in 1980.

Fun facts

1. Its first name was Fort Salisbury, after Lord Salisbury, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It was renamed Harare on 18 April 1982.
2. The name Harare comes from the village of the Shona chief Neharawa, whose nickname was 'he who does not sleep'.
3. Harare is nicknamed 'Sunshine City', and jacaranda and flamboyant trees, brought in during colonial times, add bright colours to its streets.