Bulawayo, << `boo` luh WAH yoh >> (pop. 700,000), is the second largest city and a major industrial center of Zimbabwe. Only Harare, the capital, is larger. Bulawayo lies on the Matsheumhlope River, in southwestern Zimbabwe.
Bulawayo has many parks and modern buildings and is the home of several colleges. The Zimbabwe Museum of Natural History is in the city. Bulawayo’s industries manufacture building materials, radios, textiles, tires, and other products.
During the mid-1800’s, an African people called the Ndebele settled near the site of present-day Bulawayo. In 1893, forces hired by the British South Africa Company drove the Ndebele from the area and established a town there. Bulawayo became a city in 1943.
