Hwange

History

The town is named after the chieftain of Whange, who is now called Chief Hwange. The town was known as Wankie until 1982. In June 1972, the deadliest mining disaster in the country's history took place when an underground explosion occurred in Wankie No.2 Colliery. Four hundred and twenty-seven miners lost their lives; three hundred and ninety-one Africans and thirty-six Europeans. Apart from the one hundred and seventy-six Rhodesians who died, there were ninety-one Zambians, fifty-two from Mozambique, thirty-seven from Malawi, thirty Tanzanians, thirteen from South West Africa, and one from Botswana.

Most-observed species

• White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

  Plocepasser mahali A.Smith, 1836 · Aves
  36
• Meves's Starling

  Lamprotornis mevesii (Wahlberg, 1856) · Aves
  27
• Fork-tailed Drongo

  Dicrurus adsimilis (Bechstein, 1794) · Aves
  27
• Ring-necked Dove

  Streptopelia capicola (Sundevall, 1857) · Aves
  27
• Southern Cordonbleu

  Uraeginthus angolensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  26
• Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove

  Turtur chalcospilos (Wagler, 1827) · Aves
  26
• Southern Gray-headed Sparrow

  Passer diffusus (A.Smith, 1836) · Aves
  22
• Blacksmith Lapwing

  Vanellus armatus (Burchell, 1822) · Aves
  21