Mutare

Mutare is the third largest city in Zimbabwe, with a population of approximately 200,000. Founded in 1897 it is situated near the border of landlocked Zimbabwe and neighboring Mozambique, and is just 290 km. from the port of Mozambican Beira, earning Mutare the title of "Zimbabwe's Gateway to the Sea." The population is predominantly Shona. Over the past few years the city has suffered tremendously as a result of the AIDS epidemic and a high poverty rate.