Gweru
From Free net encyclopedia
Gweru (spelled Gwelo until 1982) is a city near the centre of Zimbabwe at Template:Coor dm. It has a population of about 137,000 (2002), making it the fourth largest city in the nation. The city was founded in 1894 by Dr. Leander Starr Jameson.
It is also home to Thornhill Air Base, an army garrison, the Zimbabwe Military Museum and the Antelope Game Park. THe Nalatale and Danangombe enclosures lie nearby, the first known for its patterned brickwork, the second for its Portuguese remains.
Industries include Zimbabwe Alloys, a chrome smelting plant, and Bata Shoe Company. Both are leading employers in Gweru. Gweru is situated in one of Zimbabwe's finest cattle rearing areas and surrounding agricultural activity revolves around the cattle industry (both beef and dairy). Bata have their own tanning plant for cattle hides and the Cold Storage Commission CSC have an abattoir in Gweru. Flowers are also grown in the area for the export market and Zimbabwe's largest distiller, Afdis, have extensive vineyards in Gweru for the production of wine. Mining is also prevalent, mainly chrome ore from rich deposits along the Great Dyke to the East of Gweru.
The National Railways of Zimbabwe have the country's largest marshalling yard, Dabuka, on the South side of Gweru. Dabuka plays a pivotal role in rail movement in the country as it is the central hub of the rail links to Mozambique in the East, South Africa in the South and Botswana and Namibia in the South West, lying on the Bulawayo - Harare Line.
Former Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith was born in the city.