Harare, with a population of over 1.6 million, is the capital and heart of the nation in nearly every respect. The city was bequeathed a distinctly European flavour by its colonisers, and it continues as Zimbabwe's showpiece city and centre of commerce, with high-rise buildings, traffic and all their attendant bustle.

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe is the final word on African art and material culture. Its displays range from earthy African art to colonial and post-colonial painting and sculpture. Harare Gardens, the city's largest park, has music at the bandstand on weekends, and an island-like stand of rainforest which contains a miniature model of Victoria Falls and the Zambezi Gorges.