Eastern Highlands
Eastern Highlands
The Eastern Highlands, or Manica Highlands, is a mountain range along the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border, extending about 300 kilometers (190 miles) through Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe and Manica Province in Mozambique. This area features the Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest-grassland mosaic ecoregion, primarily above 1,000 meters in elevation, and includes notable ranges like Inyangani, Bvumba, Chimanimani, Chipinge Uplands, and Mount Gorongosa. The climate is cooler and wetter than the surrounding lowlands, supporting diverse ecosystems, including various grasslands and forests.
Comprising the Nyanga, Bvumba, and Chimanimani mountains, the highlands are mostly sparsely populated, rich in grasslands and forests. The Nyanga Mountains contain Zimbabwe’s highest peak, Mount Nyangani (2,592 meters), and Mutarazi Falls. Mutare is the largest city in the region, situated near the Mutare Gap between the Nyanga and Bvumba mountains, with key transportation routes connecting it to Mozambique and Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.
The Bvumba Mountains lie south of Mutare, transitioning into the agricultural Burma Valley. Further south are the Tsetsera, Gweni, and Tandara plateaus, while the Chimanimani Mountains feature Monte Binga, the highest peak in Mozambique and second-highest in Zimbabwe. The Rusitu-Tanganda fault marks the southern boundary of the Chimanimani Mountains, with the region extending into Chipinge District. Overall, the Eastern Highlands is part of the East African Highlands, one of Africa’s four main physiographic divisions.
