Misplaced Pages

#58941

59-759: Honde River pronounced Horn-de is a river in Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe which runs through the Honde Valley . It flows from Mount Inyangani on the western edges of Honde Valley where it is joined by several of its major tributaries: the rivers Mupenga, Buu, Mtarazi and Ngarura. It deposits its waters into the Pungwe River , already in Mozambique, which in turn empties in the Indian Ocean. Mtarazi Falls , Zimbabwe's highest at 762 metres (2,500 ft) flows into

118-462: A nature reserve Cecil Kopje and Tigers Kloof. The Mutare Boys' High Chapel was constructed in honour of former Old boys who perished in World War II, situated on a hilly knoll at Mutare Boys High (then Umtali Boys High). Mutare is served by rail with daily passenger and freight links to Nyazura, Rusape and Harare . There are three small aerodromes; the smallest is at Mutare Provincial Hospital,

177-598: A votive offering , as they were discovered near what appeared to be an altar. Mutare was founded in 1897 as a fort, about 8 km from the border with Mozambique , and is just 290 km from the Mozambican port of Beira , earning Mutare the title of "Zimbabwe's Gateway to the Sea". It is sometimes also called "Gateway to the Eastern Highlands". Many Zimbabwean locals refer to it as 'Kumakomoyo' (place of many mountains). There

236-578: A border crossing at Machipanda . The Beira–Bulawayo railway also crosses the highlands at Machipanda. The Bvumba Mountains are centrally situated south of Mutare . They lie mostly in Zimbabwe, but a northeastern spur, Monte Vumba, reaches into Mozambique. Agricultural Burma Valley lies south and east of the Bvumba Mountains. South of Burma Valley, the Tsetsera, Gweni, and Tandara plateaus lie along

295-520: A critical state. There is a main park in the city just before the cricket grounds that is also underutilised and not in good shape. A game park called the Cecil Kop is located in Tigers Kloof and also lacks proper management. Most of the buildings in the city are low-rise buildings with the tallest being 8 floors high. The city has a pleasant ambience. There are generally no sidewalks on all roads outside

354-406: A food processing plant and large plantations of pine and wattle forests. Further south along the road to Masvingo , beyond the city limits is the high-density town of Zimunya. Mutare's main industrial areas lie south of the railway and west of Sakubva , although there is some light industry just east of the southern part of the city centre at "Greenmarket" and surrounding areas. These are some of

413-469: A rapid increase from a population of 69,621 in 1982 and 131,367 in 1992. Mutare, like most cities in Zimbabwe, classifies residential suburbs according to population density: Low density, Medium density and High density. In the past, as was done across Southern Africa during the colonial period, people were segregated to suburbs according to their racial ethnicity. Whites inhabited the Eastern upmarket suburbs

472-416: A rich undergrowth. There are larger areas of dry forest at higher altitudes in places where the ground is well watered and on drier slopes patches of miombo woodland ( Brachystegia spiciformis , Brachystegia tamarindoides and Uapaca kirkiana ) and areas of heathland at higher elevations. There are patches of the tall, evergreen mobola plum Parinari curatellifolia near the town of Chipinge and on

531-427: A short distance outside the city. The National Railways of Zimbabwe serves Mutare with overnight train service from Harare three times a week, leaving Harare at 9:30PM on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving early the next morning at dawn. There are no cross-border rail services from Mozambique, which are limited to freight. The Mutare railway station is just southwest of the city centre. The main activities of

590-685: A vehicle assembly Quest which assembles Buses Trucks and other vehicles. There are also numerous retail outlets, stationery shops, fuel service stations, computer equipment sellers e.g. EMachines, Mutare Computers. There are a number of freight companies e.g. Tinmac, EMaster, Mantray, Augastalane Freight, Madziro, Tisu Anhu Acho among others Banks in Mutare include Stanbic Bank a member of Standard Bank group, CBZ, Nedbank, MBCA, Agribank, POSB, Cabs, Ecobank, BancABC, FBC, First Capital formerly Barclays. Standard Chartered has closed shop in Mutare Civic Center

649-691: A very small light aircraft strip for emergency evacuation (now defunct), a light plane aerodrome in Sakubva near Mutare Teachers College, and the Grand Reef Airport just outside the city at Irene. There is yet a fourth airport which was constructed in Chiadzwa to carry diamonds for processing in Harare. Despite its subtropical location, the city has a humid subtropical climate , of the highland variety moderated by its altitude. Mutare experience drizzle almost throughout

SECTION 10

#1732858578059

708-418: Is 818 mm. Rain falls mostly in the months December to February although heavy showers are possible before and after this period. The wettest month on record was January 1926 which received 580 mm while January 1991 received only 24 mm. The city's climate is also influenced by its proximity to the ocean, compared to other Zimbabwean cities. This leads to warm to hot summers and mild winters. Winter

767-548: Is Westlea (the majority all streets in Westlea are named after Australasian cities, (e.g. Canberra , Auckland , Sydney , Perth and Christchurch ) and Florida (the streets in Florida have English Kings' names, e.g. Henry , Alfred , Richard , George ), as well as the high-density suburb of Chikanga, which was constructed in phases, beginning in the late eighties. Further west of Chikanga lies Garikai, Bernwin and Hobhouse. South of

826-399: Is Zimbabwes gateway to the sea. The rail system however requires revamping and also including flyovers tunnels and or underpasses to avoid interaction with road traffic. Mutare has numerous hotels including Holiday Inn, Golden Peacock, Mountview, Eastgate and numerous lodges. There are a number of new manufacturing companies such as Willowton which manufactures edible oils, margari Mutare has

885-468: Is a border railway station on the railway line from Bulawayo to Beira with a railways mechanical workshop. 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 originates from the word 'Utare' meaning iron (or possibly meaning gold). The name

944-616: Is home to the new state university , the Manicaland College of Applied Sciences. To the south east, in the mountains from the Prince of Wales viewpoint (with views of Mozambique below), lies the scenic Vumba Mountain range, an area of immense great natural beauty and temperate climate, and home to an indigenous afromontane forests, exotic trees, such as pine and oak and the upscale, Leopard Rock Hotel, as well as resort areas for horse riding , kayaking , mountain climbing mountain trails,

1003-494: Is ideal for planting tea, coffee and hardwoods. However, much of the original vegetation remains, especially at higher altitudes, which are not suitable for farming. Large areas of the highlands are protected, including Nyanga National Park in the Nyanga Mountains, Bunga Forest Botanical Reserve in the Bvumba Mountains, and Zimbabwe's 171 km Chimanimani National Park and Mozambique's Chimanimani National Reserve in

1062-537: Is made of the many smaller tributaries feeding into the river in this portion of the Honde Valley. The Honde River forms part of the Mozambique -Zimbabwe border before flowing into Pungwe river which finally empties into the Indian Ocean at Beira . This article related to a river in Zimbabwe is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Eastern Highlands The Eastern Highlands , also known as

1121-497: Is not particularly frosty with cool mornings often followed by mild sunny weather. Spring can feature "four seasons in a day" weather, but from March to June it is generally settled and mild. Temperatures during summer can reach 30 °C (86 °F). Due to its maritime influence, Mutare's temperate climate stands out considering its latitude. Prevailing winds in the city are mainly a cool, moist southeasterly and during late spring and winter alternating with subtropical winds from

1180-464: Is the Mutare city council headquarters. It issues licenses e.g. shop licences, parking licenses, dog licensing, housing, industry planning certification online and other local authority by law certifications. Mutare has a small aerodrome that services small aircraft, helicopters. The city is in dire need of a proper airport for meaningful tourism to occur. There is also need for improved road networks, shopping mall/s and improved social amenities. Mutare

1239-508: The Zambezi River , while the southern portion is drained by tributaries of the Save River . The eastern slope is drained by Mozambique's Buzi and Pungwe rivers. Much of the small area consists of rolling hills covered with grassland, which are renewed annually following the fires that occur at the end of the dry season. At lower elevations, Themeda triandra is the predominant grass on

SECTION 20

#1732858578059

1298-479: The Chirinda apalis ( Apalis chirindensis ) and Roberts's warbler ( Oreophilais robertsi ), are endemic to the Eastern Highlands. The Chirinda apalis lives deep in the evergreen forests, while Roberts's warbler inhabits the forest edge. The forests are also full of butterflies, most notably swallowtails such as the emperor swallowtail ( Papilio ophidicephalus ) and the citrus swallowtail ( Papilio demodocus ) and

1357-556: The Manica Highlands , is a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique . The Eastern Highlands extend north and south for about 300 kilometres (190 mi) through Zimbabwe's Manicaland Province and Mozambique's Manica Province . The Highlands are home to the Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest-grassland mosaic ecoregion . The ecoregion includes the portion of the highlands above 1000 meters elevation, including

1416-471: The port of Beira (in Beira, Mozambique ). Mutare is hub for trade with railway links, pipeline transport and highways linking the coast with Harare and Zimbabwe's interior. Other traditional industries include timber , papermaking, commerce, food processing, telecommunications, and transportation. In addition the city serves as a gateway to the scenic Eastern Highlands , nearby Gorongosa National Park , and

1475-408: The 2012 census, with an urban population of 224,802 and approximately 260,567 in the surrounding districts, Mutare adds to the wider metropolitan area a total population of over 500,000 people. Mutare is also the capital of Manicaland Province and the largest city in eastern Zimbabwe. Located near the border with Mozambique , Mutare has long been a centre of trade and a key terminus en route to

1534-470: The A9 turns southward into the southern Eastern Highlands and Chimanimani . To the east is EN9 which connects Mutare to Chimoio and with the coastal city of Beira . Traffic is often heavy since this is one of Zimbabwe's main routes to the sea. There is also a lot of cross-border traffic with people visiting the nearby cities of Manica and Chimoio. Commuter buses are a popular way of travelling for traffic across

1593-651: The Chimanimani Mountains. The Chimanimani park and reserve together form the core of the Chimanimani Transfrontier Conservation Area. 18°43′23″S 32°50′31″E  /  18.723°S 32.842°E  / -18.723; 32.842 Mutare Mutare , formerly known as Umtali until 1982, is the capital and largest city in the province of Manicaland . It is the third most populated in Zimbabwe . Having surpassed Gweru in

1652-532: The East African Highlands share many common plant and animal species and communities, known as Afromontane flora and fauna. The Highlands have a more equable climate than Zimbabwe's central plateau, with higher rainfall, low cloud and heavy mists and dew as moisture moves inland from the Indian Ocean . Many streams and rivers originate in these mountains. The northern portion is drained by tributaries of

1711-557: The Honde south of Pungwe Gorge at the Honde River valley just outside Nyanga National Park . Parts of the Honde in the southern Nyanga support lush vegetation, the closest Zimbabwe has to Jungle. Further south, the Honde provides water for communal irrigation in an otherwise dry area. The 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi) of the Honde Valley in Zimbabwe are extensively cultivated, often with gravity fed irrigation channels. Extensive use

1770-670: The Inyangani Mountains, Bvumba Mountains, Chimanimani Mountains , Chipinge Uplands, and the isolated Mount Gorongosa further east in Mozambique. The Southern miombo woodlands ecoregion lies at lower elevations east and west of the highlands. The highlands have a cooler, moister climate than the surrounding lowlands, which support distinct communities of plants and animals. The ecoregion is home to several plant communities: submontane and montane grasslands, moist evergreen forest, dry montane forest, miombo woodlands, and heathlands . The highlands consist of three main mountain groups –

1829-447: The Mozambique coast. Although the city was founded in the late nineteenth century, the region has a long history of trading caravans passing through on the way to the Indian Ocean , from ports such as Sofala , to inland settlements, such as Great Zimbabwe . Zimbabwe is also renowned for its soapstone carvings and figurines which are evidence of these trade routes, dating as far back as the late African Iron Age (c. 900 AD) right up to

Honde River - Misplaced Pages Continue

1888-608: The Nyanga range, and leads into Mozambique. Mutare is the largest city in the highlands. It is located on the Zimbabwean side of the Mutare Gap, a saddle between the Nyanga and Bvumba mountains. The main east-west road through the highlands is the A3 (Zimbabwe) - N6 (Mozambique), which connects the port of Beira in Mozambique to Zimbabwe's capital Harare via Chimoio , Manica , and Mutare, with

1947-531: The Nyanga, Bvumba, and Chimanimani mountains – and several smaller ranges. The mountains are mostly sparsely populated, covered in rich grasslands, shrublands, woodlands and forests. The Nyanga Mountains in the north contain Zimbabwe's highest mountain Mount Nyangani (2,592 m), and Mutarazi Falls , Africa's second-longest waterfall. The Choa Mountains rise northeast of the Nyanga mountains in Mozambique. Zimbabwe's agricultural Honde Valley lies southeast of

2006-674: The Railway station up to the (then Umtali Club) now Mutare Club. The Tramway was at the centre of Main Street where the palm trees now stand. There were plans to set up a Stock Exchange in Umtali. The main post office was at the site where CABS centre now stands. The town lies north of the Bvumba Mountains and south of the Imbeza Valley. Christmas Pass is a mountain pass that leads into the city from

2065-523: The area are farming farming- forestry, dairy, horticulture, mining, manufacturing, services - the city's name Mutare is derived from "metal" Utare possibly gold which used to be smelted by the indigenous population for centuries - and forestry. Two of the largest food producers in Zimbabwe, Cairns Foods and Tanganda Tea , operate in Mutare. Mining includes gold at Redwing Mine, Penhalonga and some smaller mines, diamonds in Marange and gravel quarries around

2124-501: The border and from outlying villages. Higher quality intercity buses are also available to both Harare and Beira, Mozambique . Mutare is served by a small airport that is largely geared toward small aircraft and chartered flights. The nearest international gateway is in, Harare some 214 km (133 mi) west.there is the Aerodrome close to sakubva and the Grand Reef Airport in Irene just

2183-523: The border, separated by east-west river valleys lying in fault rifts. The Chimanimani Mountains lie south of the Mussapa Pequeno River, which divides them from the Tandara plateau. The Chimanimani range consists of a high plateau with several ridges running north and south. Monte Binga on the border is the highest peak in Mozambique and the second-highest in Zimbabwe. Mussapa Gap is a pass through

2242-466: The city and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and moved elsewhere. South of the city, hidden from view from the rest of the city by a series of hills, is the high-density suburb of Dangamvura. The affluent areas of Weirmouth (Plots) and Fern Valley are also on the southern outskirts of the city; in these areas, residential lots exceed an acre, and market gardening is an economic activity. Nearby Fern Valley,

2301-622: The city centre and the downtown area seems more dilapidated and neglected. The post-independent city council does not seem to have strict building codes for new office and commercial buildings in the city centre which would allow for the expansion of high and modern architecture for a growing city that aims to match global standards. Mutareans, like most of Zimbabweans, prefer to live in houses made of brick, usually brick under tile or asbestos. There are no shanty towns, shacks or squatter camps in Mutare as they are illegal and residents could face penalties or demolition for not building houses to code. As

2360-406: The city expands and develops, the town planners have not considered playgrounds for children, street naming, pedestrian pavements, cycle tracks, proper drainage and flora (tree-lined streets) in their planning of new suburbs generally resulting in unpleasant-looking narrow neighbourhood streets. There have been problems with wastewater treatment , meaning that at times untreated wastewater runs into

2419-418: The city. There are a number of forestry companies including The Wattle Company, Allied Timbers, formerly FCZ, Border Timbers and Timcon Investments. The main timber products include rough sawn timber, wattle bark, charcoal, various doors and frames and mouldings. The major timber produced is pine , sydney blue gum , black wattle , and some hardwoods on a smaller scale. The railway is linked to Mocambique and

Honde River - Misplaced Pages Continue

2478-520: The colonial period. A large hoard of soapstone carvings, jewellery, weapons, sherds and other objects were found in the vicinity of Mutare by the British archaeologist E M Andrews at the beginning of the twentieth century - they were later donated by the trustees of Cecil Rhodes to the British Museum in 1905. The soapstone figures, which are both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic , might have been part of

2537-644: The fault into Chipinge District , and the highest point is Mount Selinda at 1230 meters. The Eastern Highlands are part of the East African Highlands , one of four distinct physiographic divisions on the African continent. The East African Highlands physiographic division consists of the East African Rift and Abyssinian physiographic provinces, part of the long chain of mountains that runs down East Africa . The mountains and mountain ranges that make up

2596-495: The forest undergrowth in particular shelters a variety of reptiles including skinks , geckos , lizards , frogs , toads , and snakes . Numerous streams have their headwaters in the Eastern Highlands. Over time streams have deeply dissected the highlands, forming deep ravines and gorges. Some eastward-flowing streams form high waterfalls as they descend the escarpment into Mozambique. The highlands' cool, high-altitude, rapidly-flowing streams create aquatic habitats distinct from

2655-464: The low-density suburbs, with Coloured people (mixed race) living in suburbs like Florida and black Africans being segregated to the townships of Sakubva and Dangamvura. The most upscale suburbs (low-density suburbs) such as Murambi, Fairbridge Park, Morningside, Tiger's Kloof and the Avenues are located on the north and east ends of the city. The suburb of Avenues is found just east of the city centre on

2714-486: The major suburbs of Mutare. . The city has one of the most important railway stations on the Beira–Bulawayo railway . Mutare is generally a clean town with the city council collecting rubbish daily. Most of the roads in the older parts of the city are paved (or were paved before), however, due to years of neglect and mismanagement and corruption, public infrastructure is in a shambles with roads and street lighting in

2773-409: The more fertile red soils, and Loudetia simplex is common on less-fertile white sandy soils. At higher elevations are montane grasslands made up mostly of short, tufted grasses, including Loudetia simplex , Trachypogon spicatus , Exotheca abyssinica , and Monocymbium ceresiiforme . Some valleys and east-facing slopes contain areas of subtropical rainforest, with a high canopy, lianas , and

2832-421: The mountains that follows the eastward-flowing Mussapa Grande River and westward-flowing Nyanyadzi River. Mussapa Gap was an important trade and migration route through the highlands for centuries. The Rusitu-Tanganda fault, an east-west rift that carries the eastward-flowing Rusitu River and the westward flowing Tanganda River, marks the southern end of the Chimanimani Mountains. A hilly upland extends south from

2891-480: The north in summer. Mutare racial makeup, 1965 In 1965, Mutare had a population of 46,000. The racial makeup was split between 36,100 black Africans, 560 Asians , 340 Coloureds , and 9,100 whites . The population is predominantly Shona , the majority of them speaking the Manyika dialect. Manyika people are locally known as Samanyika. According to the 2012 census data, Mutare has a population of 260,567. This marks

2950-906: The proteaceous heathlands. A number of indigenous monocot lilies with small distribution ranges occur in the highlands. Cryptostephanotis vansonii , Cyrtanthus rhodesianus , and Scadoxus pole-evansi are popular with rare plant collectors. This variety of different types of habitat results in a richness of animal life too. Animals found in the highlands include Sykes' monkey ( Cercopithecus albogularis ), East African little collared fruit bat ( Myonycteris relicta ) and Marshall's pygmy chameleon ( Rhampholeon marshalli ). Many of its animals are found throughout East Africa. The highlands are also rich in birdlife including trumpeter hornbill ( Bycanistes bucinator ), Livingstone's turaco ( Tauraco livingstonii ), purple-crested turaco ( Tauraco porphyreolophus ), crested guineafowl ( Guttera pucherani ) and crowned eagle ( Stephanoaetus coronatus ). Two species,

3009-407: The railway tracks, is the working class suburb of Sakubva, which contains nearly half of the city's population despite an area of less than four square miles. Sakubva is considered to be the poorest of Mutare's suburbs, and its economy is centred around a large outdoor food and flea market and the "Musika weHuku" (The Chicken Market). The market has been recently razed in the recent exercise to clean up

SECTION 50

#1732858578059

3068-538: The river in Sakubva township. There are clinics in all suburbs as well as a main general hospital and infectious diseases hospital. Maternity hospitals are also available in the city. The city generally has very good infrastructure that may need a bit of working on. Mutare is well-connected by several roads which are asphalted and decent, but potholes are increasingly common. The A3 motorway leads inland towards Harare and also passes through Rusape and Marondera , while

3127-454: The surrounding lowlands, and the highlands are home to several endemic species. Four species of fish – Labeo baldasseronii , Amarginops hildae , Varicorhinus pungweensis , and Parakneria mossambica – are endemic to the highlands. The mountain forests are vulnerable to logging and the grasslands susceptible to fire and the rainforests, which by definition grow on well-watered fertile land, to clearance for agriculture. The moist climate

3186-576: The way to Tiger's Kloof and Murambi, bordering Morningside. East of the CBD is the suburbs of Palmerstone, Darlington, Greenside and Bordervale, which are all near the border with Mozambique. In the west are the medium-density (i.e. middle class) suburbs, the largest and most famous being Yeovil - (the majority of street names in Yeovil are named after English counties e.g. Sussex Gardens, Hampshire , Devonshire , Somerset ). Then more recently developed after Yeovil

3245-680: The west. The pass was so named by some of the colonial pioneers who camped at the foot of the pass on Christmas Day 1890. Mutare is home to several tourist attractions such as, the Mutare Museum , the Utopia House Museum dedicated to Kingsley Fairbridge , the National Gallery of Zimbabwe , Murahwa Hill, known for its rock paintings and Iron Age village, Cross Kopje with a memorial to Zimbabweans and Mozambicans killed in World War I and

3304-559: The western slopes of the Nyanga Highlands. In the Chimanimani Mountains and Mount Gorongosa , heathlands are found on poor, acidic sandy soils derived from quartzite . The heathlands are of two types, ericaceous and proteaceous . The ericaceous heathlands are dominated by Philippia pallidiflora, P. hexandra, Phylica ericoides, Passerina montana, Erica eylesii, E. pleiotricha, E. gazensis, and E. johnstoniana. Protea gazensis, P. welwitschii , and Leucospermum saxosum are common in

3363-473: The year. The average annual temperature is 19 °C, surprisingly low for its moderate altitude (about the same as Harare which is 360 metres higher.) This is due to its sheltered position against the mountain ridge of Cecil Kop which encourages cool breezes from lower altitude to the east and south. The coldest month is July (minimum 6 °C and maximum 20 °C) and the hottest month is October (minimum 16 °C and maximum 32 °C). The annual rainfall

3422-551: Was paid by the British South Africa Company to the townspeople for the cost of moving. The town was proclaimed a municipality on 11 June 1914 and in 1971 it was granted city status. The name was officially changed from Umtali to Mutare in 1982. The white population in Umtali dropped from 9,950 in 1969 to 8,600 in June 1978. The city had a tramway from January 26, 1897, to May 23, 1921, which transported passengers from

3481-521: 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 14 km 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

#58941