The Balancing Rocks are geomorphological features

Geomorphology

Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them...

 of igneous rocks found in many parts of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe 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...

, and are particularly noteworthy in Matopos National Park and near the township of Epworth

Epworth, Zimbabwe

Epworth is a suburb in south-eastern Harare. It is home to some famous balancing rocks.- Background :The bustling suburb is located about twelve kilometers out of the Harare City Centre. It is a high density suburb populated by mainly poor residents of Harare. It is bisected by a stream into two...

 to the southeast of Harare

Harare

Harare 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...

. The formations are of natural occurrence in a perfectly balanced state without other support. Their popularity grew when the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is the central bank of Zimbabwe.-History:The bank traces its history to the Bank of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, founded in March 1956, which in turn was the successor to the Central Currency Board....

 featured the formations on certain issues of Zimbabwean banknotes, including the current series.

The Balancing Rocks have been used as a metaphorical theme to explain the importance of development coupled with preserving the fragile environment of Zimbabwe as similar to that of the Balancing Rocks found in Epworth, Matopos and in other areas.

Geography

The Balancing Rock formations are seen throughout Zimbabwe. They were created when ancient granite intrusions were exposed to weathering, as softer rocks around them eroded. Also known as Balancing Rock kopjes, they are seen in the form of huge angular blocks of granite "piled on top of and beside one another, forming pillars and stacks, like a child's building blocks." Two prominent formation are at Matapos and at Epsworth.

Matopos

The natural shelters formed by the rock formations in the Matopos Hills, which are part of the Matopos National Park in Central Zimbabwe, have been in existence since the Stone Age

Stone Age

The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...

. These have contributed to the development of rock art in Southern Africa

Southern Africa

Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...

, development of religious traditions of the people who inhabited the area and to the evolution of the Mwari religion; all of which have been, as one complex, recognized as of heritage importance with the area receiving UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, under well defined categories of (iii), (v) and (vi). The land forms here are examples of the granite formations, which dominate Zimbabwe's land form as "crenellated ridges, dwalas or hump-backed domes, and what look like randomly heaped boulders which have evolved in various forms over millions of years of weathering." The most impressive Balancing Rock formation in these granite ranges is of the Motabo Hills, which is the inselberg

Monadnock

A monadnock or inselberg is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain...

 of "Mother and Child Rock formation". The Balancing Rocks found here are described as the best granite outcrops in "Dali-esque compositions of lichen

Lichen

Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...

streaked balancing rocks."

Epsworth

The most famous balancing rocks formation is located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from southeast of Harare, off the Chiremba Road. These rocks achieved fame when they were featured prominently in the design of Zimbabwe's bank notes. These rocks were the first to be discovered.