Manathea

Province of Manathea Purovhinzi eManathea
Province
File:Parunoguma.png
Country	Rwizikuru
Capital	Rutendo
Government
• Governor	Takwanda Ngonidzashe
Area
• Land	9,282.56 km2 (3,584.02 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	17,303,477
• Rank	1st in Rwizikuru
Time zone	Rwizikuran Standard Time
• Summer (DST)	not observed

Manathea is a province in Rwizikuru, which as of the 2011 census is the most populous province in the country, with 17.3 million inhabitants living in the province. It is home to the largest city of Rwizikuru, Port Fitzhubert, and the third largest city, Port Graham. However, Rutendo serves as the provincial capital. It is bordered to the west by Mabifia, to the northwest by Randaland, to the north by the Midlands, to the northeast by South Balisaland, and to the south by the Maccan Sea.

Etymology

The name Manathea derives from the Ziba word mhanajia, which means near the sun. The name was originally applied to what is today the city of Rutendo, which under the Aguda Empire was known as Mavidazuva naimhe ngi mhanajia mhauniomhau ju, or city of the markets under the sun near the mouth of the Mavirazuva River.

The name was adapted into Estmerish by Estmerish Captain Reynold Graham in 1638, who transcribed the Ziba word mhanajia into Manathea to describe the coastal region west of the Rwizikuru River. Although it would no longer be a formal administrative division during the rule of Saint Geoffrey's Company, Manathea became a commonly used term to describe the area, and in 1884 when the colonial government established provinces, Manathea became one of the two provinces established, alongside Balisaland to its east.