Mutare
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mutare (known as Umtali until 1982) is the fourth largest city in Zimbabwe, with a population of approximately 189,000, located at . Founded in 1897 as a fort, it is located in the province of Manicaland 8 km from the border with Mozambique, and is just 290 kilometres from the port of Mozambican Beira, earning Mutare the title of "Zimbabwe's Gateway to the Sea".
Sometimes also called "Gateway to the Eastern Highlands".
An border railway station on the railway line from Harare to Beira (Mozambique) with a railways mechanical work shops.
The view from the top Christmas Pass down onto Mutari is breath taking.
The town lies north of the Bvumba Mountains and south of the Imbeza Valley. It is home to the Mutare Museum, the Utopia House Museum dedicated to Kingsford Fairbridge, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Mutare, Murahwa Hill, known for its rock paintings and Iron Age village, Cross Kopje with a memorial to Zimbabweans and Mozambiquans killed in World War I and to a nature reserve. It is also home to the University of Africa, a pan-African university of about 1,200 students.
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[edit] History
The area was the site of Chief Mutasa's kraal. In 1890 A.R. Coquhoun was given concessionary rights and Fort Umtali (the fort later became Mutare) was established between the Tsambe and Mutare Rivers. The word mutare means "a piece of metal". The name was probably given to the river as a result of gold being discovered in the Penhalonga valley through which the Mutare River runs. In 1891 the location was moved to a site now known as Old Mutare, about 14km north of the city centre. In 1896 the construction of the railway between Beira and Bulawayo led to the town being moved a third time so that it was closer to the railway line - compensation was paid by the British South Africa Company to the townspeople for the cost of moving. The town was proclaimed a municipality in 1914 and in 1971 it was granted city status. The name was officially changed from Umtali to Mutare in 1982.
[edit] Population and economy
The population is predominantly Shona. The main activities of the area are citrus farming, mining, agriculture and cattle ranching. Two of the largest food producers in Zimbabwe, Cairns Foods and Tanganda Tea, have their headquarters in Mutare. Mutare is served by rail with daily passenger and freight links to the towns of Nyazura, Rusape and Harare. According to the 1982 Population Census, the city had a population of 69,621.
Over the past few years the city has suffered tremendously as a result of the AIDS epidemic and a high poverty rate.
