Matopo Hills

Matopo Hills, mass of granite hills, southeast of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, formed by river erosion and weathered into fantastic shapes and deep valleys. The hills are associated with folklore and tradition, some being venerated as dwelling places of the spirits of departed Ndebele chiefs. The hills contain gigantic caves (notably Bambata, Nswatugi, and Silozwane) with Khoekhoe paintings, and there are Stone and Iron Age archaeological sites. The name may have originated from matombe or madombe, meaning “the rocks,” or from matobo, “bald heads.”

The hills have an average height of 5,000 feet (1,500 meters), and together they cover an area of about 1,200 square miles (3,100 square km) and extend (east to west) 50 miles (80 km). They are well watered by the Limpopo River’s tributaries, which are dammed for irrigation, recreation, and water supply. Vegetation ranges from the lichens of the desertlike hilltops to the luxuriant growth of valley swamps. Animal life includes a wide variety of insects and birds, lizards, monkeys and baboons, antelopes, and leopards.

The Rhodes Matopos National Park was founded in 1902 as an estate with pastoral and arable land leased to private farmers or the government, an extensive experimental farm, and a game park. Accessible by road from Bulawayo, 5.5 miles (8.8 km) north, the national park occupies 106,750 acres (43,200 hectares) and includes the scenic View of the World Hill, or Malindidzimu (4,700 feet [1,400 meters]), where Cecil Rhodes and others are buried.

In 2003 the Matopo Hills were made a World Heritage site.