Great Zimbabwe
The stone city of the Shona kings.
Terra Explorer Ancient wonders
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Make this model
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.
- Region
- Zimbabwe
- Position
- -20.2674, 30.9338
- Area
- 5 × 5 km
- Real elevation
- 1,008 to 1,244 m (236 m of relief)
- Printed size
- 150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:33,300
- Heights
- 3× exaggeration
- Elevation data
- Open satellite data (SRTM and others), about 30 m per point
- Suggested color
- Natural
- Group
- Ancient wonders
About Great Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe was a city in the south-eastern hills of the modern country of Zimbabwe, near Masvingo. It was settled from around 1000 AD, and served as the capital of the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe from the 13th century. It is the largest stone structure in precolonial Southern Africa. Major construction on the city began in the 11th century and continued until the 15th century. The city was abandoned in the 16th or 17th century. The edifices were erected by ancestors of the Shona people, who live in Zimbabwe and nearby countries.
From Wikipedia: Great Zimbabwe, text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. The article’s history lists its authors.
Questions about Great Zimbabwe
Where is Great Zimbabwe?
Great Zimbabwe is in Zimbabwe at -20.2674, 30.9338. The model covers a 5 by 5 kilometer square around that point.
How high is the terrain in the Great Zimbabwe model?
The land in this model runs from 1,008 to 1,244 m (236 m of relief). These are the measured heights, printed 3 times taller so the shape is easy to see.
Can I 3D print Great Zimbabwe?
Yes. Download the free Standard resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 26.3 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:33,300. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.
How accurate is the Great Zimbabwe model?
It is built from real elevation measurements, not an artist's guess: open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.
Is the Great Zimbabwe model free?
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.
What is a Great Zimbabwe terrain model good for?
People use it as a desk piece for history lovers, a classroom model or a gift for someone who has been there.
About this terrain model
Embossify Terra builds Great Zimbabwe from real measured elevation, not an artist's guess. Outside the United States the heights come from open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point.
The model covers a 5 by 5 kilometer square centered on -20.2674, 30.9338. It prints 150 mm (5.9 in) wide on a solid base, a scale of about 1:33,300. The heights are exaggerated 3× so the shape is easy to see and feel; you can change that when you customize the model. The sea is flattened to zero, so land stands on a clean base.
New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works. The shaded picture on this page is made by Embossify from the same elevation data.
