Harare is often referred to as Zimbabwe's garden or sunshine city for its abundant parks and outdoor amenities. There is an abundance of parks and gardens  across town, many close to the CBD with a variety of common and rare plant species amid landscaped vistas, pedestrian pathways and tree-lined avenues. Harare's parks are often considered the best public parks in all of Zimbabwe's major cities. There are also many parks in the surrounding suburbs, particularly the affluent Northern suburbs of Borrowdale, Mount Pleasant and Glen Lorne, north east of the central business district. Several national parks have been designated around the urban area, including the Ewanrigg Botanical Gardens, Domboshava National Park, and Lake Chivero among others. The extensive area covered by Harare is formally divided into hundreds of suburbs, along with independent municipalities such as Epworth, Mount Hampden, Norton and Chitungwiza within the greater metropolitan area.