Chinhoyi is a large provincial town and is the capital of
Mashonaland WestMashonaland West is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 57,441 km² and a population of approximately 1.2 million . Chinhoyi is the capital of the province.Mashonaland West is divided into 6 districts:* Chegutu* Hurungwe* Kadoma* Kariba...
province in
ZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. Sinoia was established in 1906 as a group settlement scheme by a wealthy
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
called
LieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Margherito Guidotti who encouraged 10 Italian families to settle there.
Overview
Chinhoyi is located approximately 120 km north-west of
HarareHarare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
along the main road from Harare to
KaribaKariba is a town in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe, located close to the Kariba Dam at the northwestern end of Lake Kariba, near the Zambian border. According to the 1992 Population Census, the town had a population of 20,736....
and
ChirunduChirundu is a village and border post in Zimbabwe on the border with Zambia, in Mashonaland West province. It is located on the banks of the Zambezi river, and as a result it lies in the hot Zambezi Valley. It is the site of the Chirundu Bridges, two of only five road or rail bridges across the...
. The main river in Chinhoyi is the Hunyani river. Chinhoyi is also the principal town in the Makonde district (formerly Lomagundi district).
Chinhoyi is situated in a farming area. The population of Chinhoyi in the 2002 census was 56,794. Chinhoyi was called Sinoia during the colonial era. The Chinhoyi caves are limestone caves about 8 km north of Chinhoyi town on the road to
KaroiKaroi is both a town and a district in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe. Karoi town is located approximately 200 km North West of Harare along the main road from Harare to Kariba and Chirundu. Karoi town is situated in a farming area. The population of Karoi town in the 1992 census was 14,763...
and these were first described by Frederick Courtney Selous in 1888.
The principal secondary schools in Chinhoyi are
Chinhoyi High SchoolChinhoyi High School is a Government high school located in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe. The school is located 2 km north of Chinhoyi town centre on the road to Karoi and Kariba...
(Government),
Nemakonde High SchoolNemakonde High School is a Government high school located in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe. The school is located in Chikonohono Township on the southern part of the town....
(Government), and
Lomagundi CollegeLomagundi College is an international co-educational boarding for both Junior and Senior school in Zimbabwe which is situated about 110 km northwest of the capital Harare along the Harare-Chirundu highway on the outskirts of Chinhoyi the provincial capital of Mashonaland West.- History...
(private). The town has 2 universities namely;
Chinhoyi University of TechnologyChinhoyi University of Technology also known as CUT was established by an Act by the Parliament of Zimbabwe on 10 December 2001. The town of Chinhoyi is in Mashonaland West about 120 km from Harare towards Lake Kariba and the Zambian border....
(CUT) and
Zimbabwe Open UniversityThe Zimbabwe Open University is a distance education university in Zimbabwe. Established in 1999, it is the only distance education university in the country. Student enrollment at ZOU has been growing steadily from the time of its formation and in terms of enrollment it is the largest university...
(ZOU). Chinhoyi houses the biggest and modern referral hospital in
Mashonaland WestMashonaland West is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 57,441 km² and a population of approximately 1.2 million . Chinhoyi is the capital of the province.Mashonaland West is divided into 6 districts:* Chegutu* Hurungwe* Kadoma* Kariba...
Province. There are two hotels in Chinhoyi. The Orange Grove Motel, about 1 km from the town centre on the Karoi road, and the Caves Motel, located 8 km from the town beside the Chinhoyi caves. Chinhoyi Hotel in the town centre was destroyed in a fire. It has been rebuilt and was taken over by Mark and Shari Flury .
There are a number of small towns which are close to Chinhoyi.
BanketBanket is a town in the province of Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe. It is located about 95 km north-west of Harare on the main Harare-Chinhoyi road. According to the 1982 Population Census, the town had a population of 5,698...
20 km south-east of Chinhoyi towards Harare,
Alaska, ZimbabweAlaska is a village in the province of Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe. It is located about 15 km west of Chinhoyi. According to the 1982 Population Census, the village had a population of 3,854. The village grew up around the old Alaska Mine which started mining copper in 1959...
about 15 km north-west, and Lion's Den about 24 km north-west of Harare towards
KaroiKaroi is both a town and a district in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe. Karoi town is located approximately 200 km North West of Harare along the main road from Harare to Kariba and Chirundu. Karoi town is situated in a farming area. The population of Karoi town in the 1992 census was 14,763...
.
Transport
Transport to and from Chinhoyi is mainly by road. Bus services connect Chinhoyi with Harare, Karoi, Kariba, Mhangura, Bulawayo, and smaller villages in the district. There is a small aerodrome (for private planes) called Chinhoyi Aerodrome located about 10 km outside the town. The aerodrome needs some attention though. Chinhoyi is on a rail branch from
HarareHarare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, which ends at Lions Den. There are no scheduled passenger trains. Taxis operate within the town area. There is also a local bus service.