Mwene Mutapa

The Kingdom of Mwene Mutapa, also known as Monomotapa, existed in southern Africa between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers for over one hundred years. Mwene Mutapa flourished under its kings through structured government systems and trade across the Indian Ocean. It is believed that the people of Mwene Mutapa discovered all the gold in present-day Zimbabwe and developed effective mining techniques. Mwene Mutapa began to fall for many reasons, including conflict caused by different groups claiming rights to the throne, intrusion from Portuguese traders, and threats from a new, growing state to the southwest of Mwene Mutapa. The history of Mutapa is important because it is an example of a wealthy and organized state in southern Africa that existed before the advent of European traders.