Provinces of Zimbabwe in the context of "Harare Metropolitan Province"

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.

The Parliament of Zimbabwe is the bicameral legislature of Zimbabwe composed of the Senate and the National Assembly. The Senate is the upper house, and consists of 80 members, 60 of whom are elected by proportional representation from ten six-member constituencies corresponding to the country's provinces. Of the remaining 20 seats, 18 are reserved for chiefs, and two for people with disabilities. The National Assembly is the lower house, and consists of 280 members. Of these, 210 are elected from single-member constituencies. The remaining 70 seats are reserved women's and youth quotas: 60 for women; 10 for youth. These are elected by proportional representation from ten six-member and one-member constituencies respectively, corresponding to the country's provinces.

Formerly based at Parliament House, Harare, the parliament moved to the New Zimbabwe Parliament Building in October 2023. The new building has 650 seats, which will allow the parliament to expand.

Mashonaland Central is a province of Zimbabwe. It is divided into eight districts and has an area of 28,347 km and a population of 1,384,891 (2012 census), representing about 9.1% of the total Zimbabwe population. It is dominated by the Shona speaking locals.

Mashonaland East, informally Mash East, is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 32,230 km and a population of approximately 1.73 million (2022). Marondera is the capital of the province.

Mashonaland West is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 57,441 km² and a population of approximately 1.9 million (2022). Chinhoyi is the capital of the province.

Harare Metropolitan Province (/həˈrɑːreɪ/) is a province in northeastern Zimbabwe that comprises Harare, the country's capital and largest city, and three other municipalities, Chitungwiza, Epworth and Ruwa. At independence in 1980, it was originally part of Mashonaland Province which in 1983 was divided into three large provinces, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, and Mashonaland West - at this point, the city of Harare became part of Mashonaland East. In 1997, along with Bulawayo, it became a metropolitan province, along with the then two nearby urban settlements. Harare Metropolitan Province is divided into four local government areas - a city council, a municipality and two local boards.

Harare Province has an area of 872 square kilometres (337 mi), equal to 0.22% of the total area of Zimbabwe. It is the second-smallest in area of the country's provinces, after the city-province of Bulawayo. As of the 2022 census, the province has a population of 2,427,209, of whom 1,849,600 live in Harare proper, 371,244 in Chitungwiza, and the remaining 206,365 in Epworth. In total, Harare Province is home to 16.26% of Zimbabwe's population, making it the country's most populous province.