Harare / Zimbabwe

Harare, a "City of Sunshine"

The Great Zimbabwe Ruins
Located approximately 300 kilometers south of Harare. There are the ruins of a castle of the Monomotapa Kingdom which had been prosperous for some hundreds of years from the 12th century. The country's name, Zimbabwe which means a "stone-built house," is originated from these ruins, which are designated as one of the world's heritages. (The Photo courtesy of Ministry of Information)

Republic of Zimbabwe is an inland country being surrounded by Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa. Although the country is located in the tropics, a quarter of its land including Harare, the metropolis, is highlands rising more than 1,000 meters above the sea and therefore, the humidity is low there and the climate is mild and comfortable. Blessed with long sunshine duration, Harare is called a "city of sunshine." For this reason, it is a "city of flowers" which is always colored with various kinds of flowers peculiar to the tropics all the year round.

Victoria Falls One of the 3 largest falls in the world. Many tourists from all over the world visit this falls which was discovered by David Livingstone. (The Photo courtesy of Ministry of Information)

The panorama of Harare City,
the country's capital The scene crowed with skyscrapers suits this city with a population close to 1,000,000.

Vast wild life preservation area (The Photo courtesy of Ministry of Information)

Harare is the city of the flowers which show various colors throughout year.The purple of the Jakaranda is the most beautiful in autumn. (The Photo courtesy of Ministry of Information)

Flamboyant flowers which show a blazing red color in midsummer (The Photo courtesy of Ministry of Information)

Balancing Rocks
A miracle of nature ! They have been naturally weathered. Stones of several tons or some tens of tons are in strange balance with one another. They can be seen in various districts of the country. Some types of them are used for the design of paper money. (The Photo courtesy of Ministry of Information)

The statue of David Livingstone (The Photo courtesy of Ministry of Information)

Zimbabwe is a country with an area of about 370,000 square kilometers, nearly the same as Japan, but its population is as small as 11,000,000. The Shona tribe and the Ndebele tribe occupy about 90% of the population. Zimbabwe means a "stone-built house" and the name, Harare, is said to be originated from the name of a headman of the Shona tribe and means a "man who does not sleep."

Zimbabwe was discovered by David Livingstone (British explorer) in 1850. The country used to be called South Rhodesia until it became independent from the United Kingdom in 1980 and its capital was called Salisbury after the then British prime minister.

After gaining its independence, Zimbabwe has been remarkably developed by virtue of its mining industry based on abundant mineral resources such as coal, gold, copper, chrome, nickel, platinum, etc. and its plantation agriculture of tobacco, cotton, etc. At the same time, the country is attracting public attention worldwide as a tourist resort for its various charms such as the sociable nature of its people, unique music and dances performed in tune with a traditional musical instrument called "Mbira"and wonderful natural landscapes represented by Victoria Falls, one of the 3 largest falls of the world.

The number of Japanese residents in Zimbabwe is about 200 at the present. They are members of 20 Japanese organizations including the Embassy of Japan, governmental organizations and private enterprises. In addition, about 90 members of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers are actively working in various local areas.

[Harare Business Office]

This business office was established as the representative's office in Harare in May, 1981 after Zimbabwe's independence from the United Kingdom in 1980. In 1998, it was positioned as a business office under the control of the Johannesburg Branch with the Branch Manager concurrently holding the post of its manager. Currently, it is managed by 3 members consisting of 2 Japanese and 1 native driver.

Its operational activities cover 2 different areas. One is the area related to the ODA provided by the Japanese government and the other is the area related to transactions with local private enterprises. The former includes activities related to gratuitous aids such as the Nyakomba irrigation project, provision of foodstuffs and assistance for increasing food production as well as activities for developing new projects concerning telecommunications, education, health and hygiene and medical treatment. As for the latter, all members are united in striving to expand business in the areas of chemicals, textiles and mineral resources.

The tobacco industry is one of mainstay export industries
.(The Photo courtesy of Ministry of Information)