Who lived in Zimbabwe before it was colonized?

The Mapungubwe people, a Bantu-speaking group of migrants from present-day South Africa, inhabited the Great Zimbabwe site from about AD 1000 – 1550, displacing earlier Khoisan people. From about 1100, the fortress took shape, reaching its peak by the fifteenth century.

What is the largest tribe in Zimbabwe?

The Shona tribe is Zimbabwe’s largest indigenous group whose tribal language is also called Shona (Bantu). Their population is around 9 million. They are the largest ethnic group in Zimbabwe. The Shona are found in Zimbabwe, Botswana and southern Mozambique.

What does Zimbabwe mean in history?

stone houses
Great Zimbabwe, extensive stone ruins of an African Iron Age city. The word zimbabwe, the country’s namesake, is a Shona (Bantu) word meaning “stone houses.”

What caused the decline of Great Zimbabwe?

Thus, exhaustion of soils and shortage of pastures against the rising human and animal population was on the forefront in the decline of Great Zimbabwe. Oral tradition has also pointed to drought as another cause of the collapse of Great Zimbabwe.

What is pre colonial Zimbabwe?

Pre-colonial era Pre-colonial Zimbabwe was a multi-ethnic society inhabited by the Shangani /Tsonga in the south-eastern parts of the Zimbabwe plateau, the Venda in the south, the Tonga in the north, the Kalanga and Ndebele in the south-west, the Karanga in the southern parts of the plateau,…

What was Zimbabwe called before?

Prior to its recognized independence as Zimbabwe in 1980, the nation had been known by several names: Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Zimbabwe Rhodesia . Stoneage paintings by the San located near Murewa, Zimbabwe. Prior to the arrival of Bantu speakers in present-day Zimbabwe the region was populated by ancestors of the San people.

What are the theories of Great Zimbabwe?

One theory is that the rulers of Great Zimbabwe did not have direct control over the gold mines, but rather managed the trade in it, buying up huge quantities in exchange for cattle. The evidence suggests that Great Zimbabwe was at the centre of an international commercial system, which on the continent of Africa,…