Mutare District is a district in

Manicaland Province Manicaland is a Provinces of Zimbabwe, province in eastern Zimbabwe. After Harare Province, it is the country's second-most populous province, with a population of 2.037 million, as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census. Making it the third mo ...

of eastern

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

. The district headquarters is the city of

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 the 2012 census, with an urban area, urban population of 224,802 ...

Geography

The district has a rural area of 5,523 km², and an urban area of 191 km². It is bounded on the east by

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, on the northeast by

Mutasa District Mutasa District is one of seven districts in Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe. Mutasa District is located 30 km northeast of Mutare and stretches up to the Honde Valley, which is about 100 km northeast of Mutare along a tarred road that b ...

, on the northwest by

Makoni District Makoni District is a district in Manicaland Province of northeastern Zimbabwe. The district's main town, Rusape, with an estimated population of 37,906 in 2022, is located approximately , by road, southeast of Harare, the capital and largest ...

, on the southwest by

Buhera District Buhera District is a Districts of Zimbabwe, district in Manicaland Province, in eastern Zimbabwe. Geography The district is located in Manicaland Province, in southeastern Zimbabwe. It is bordered by Chikomba District and Wedza District to the nor ...

, and on the southeast by

Chimanimani District Chimanimani, originally known as Melsetter, is a mountainous district in Manicaland Province of eastern Zimbabwe. The district headquarters is the town of Chimanimani. Geography The district has an area of 3,450.14 km2. It is bounded to the ...

. The city of

is located in the northeastern corner of the district, near the border with Mozambique. Mutare is the largest city in the district, and the fourth-largest city in Zimbabwe. Other towns include Chiadzwa and Odzi. The

Eastern Highlands :''"Eastern Highlands" also refers to Eastern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea, and part of the Great Dividing Range, Australia.'' The Eastern Highlands, also known as the Manica Highlands, is a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe ...

extend north and south through the eastern portion of the district, along the border with Mozambique. The

Bvumba Mountains The Bvumba Mountains or Vumba Mountains straddle the Zimbabwe–Mozambique border, and lie some 10 km southeast of the city of Mutare. The Bvumba rise to Castle Beacon at 1,911 metres, and are, together with the Chimanimani Mountains to the ...

form a part of the highlands, and rise southeast of Mutare city. The highest peak is Castle Beacon at 1,911 metres. The

Bunga Forest Botanical Reserve The Bunga Forest Botanical Reserve conserves mist-forest along the southern slopes of the Bvumba Mountains in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. It is the largest conserved area in the Bvumba highlands, and can be accessed from various points alon ...

conserves the mountains' high-elevation mist forest. Banti Forest Reserve (22.2 km²) is located south of the Bvumba Range, in the mountains along the Mozambican border. Most of the district lies in the basin of the Save River, which also forms its southwestern boundary. The

Odzi River The Odzi River is a tributary of the Save River in Zimbabwe. It joins the Save at Nyanyadzi. It is dammed at Osborne Dam. The Odzani River is a westward-flowing tributary of the Odzi, rising near Penhalonga north of the city of Mutare M ...

, a tributary of the Save, drains the center of the district, flowing southwards to join the Save at the district's southernmost point. The Burma Valley, an area along the southeastern border with Mozambique on the eastern slope of the Bvumba mountains, drains eastwards into the Revué River, a tributary of the Buzi River.

People

The 2022 census recorded a population of 306,760 in the rural portion of the district. Mutare urban had a population of 224,802.

Administration

The rural portion of the district is divided into 36 administrative wards. Mutare has an elected City Council, with 19 councillors, each representing one of the city's 19 wards. The city of Mutare is the district's administrative headquarters, and also serves as the administrative headquarters of Manicaland Province. The district is divided into six Assembly

parliamentary constituencies An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provid ...

. Dangamvura, Chikanga

Mutare Central Mutare Central is a constituency represented in the National Assembly of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, located in Mutare in Manicaland Province. Its current MP since the 2023 general election is Brian James of the Citizens Coalition for Change, th ...

Mutare North 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 the 2012 census, with an urban population of 224,802 and appr ...

Mutare South Mutare South is a constituency represented in the National Assembly of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, located in Manicaland Province Manicaland is a Provinces of Zimbabwe, province in eastern Zimbabwe. After Harare Province, it is the country's sec ...

, and

Mutare West Mutare West is a constituency represented in the National Assembly of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, located in Manicaland Province Manicaland is a Provinces of Zimbabwe, province in eastern Zimbabwe. After Harare Province, it is the country's seco ...

constituencies are entirely within the district, and a portion of Mutare municipality is in

Mutasa South Mutasa South is a constituency represented in the National Assembly of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, located in Manicaland Province. Its current MP since a 2022 by-election is Misheck Mugadza of ZANU–PF. The seat was previous represented by Reg ...

constituency. The district is divided between two

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

constituencies; Mutare constituency includes Dangamvura-Chikanga, Mutare Central, and Mutare North, while Mutare West and Mutare South are in Chimanimani constituency."Electoral Boundaries – Maps". Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. Accessed 17 April 2020.

Transport

The main east-west road from

Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...

to the Mozambican port of Beira ( R5, or A3 in the older numbering system) runs through Mutare district, crossing the international border just east of Mutare city. The

Beira–Bulawayo railway Beira-Bulawayo railway, also called Machipanda railway, Beira-Harare-Bulawayo railway and Beira railway, is a railway that connects the city of Beira, Mozambique, Beira, Mozambique, to the city of Bulawayo, in Zimbabwe. It is 850 km long, in a 3 ...

also passes through Mutare, which has a railway station. Airports in the district include

Mutare Airport Mutare Airport is an airport serving Mutare, the fourth largest city in Zimbabwe and the capital of Manicaland province. The Mutare non-directional beacon (Ident: MU) is located on a ridgeline northeast of the field. See also *Transport in Z ...

, located close to the city, and Grand Reef Airport, located 20 km west of Mutare Airport.

References

{{Geography of Zimbabwe Districts of Manicaland Province