The
Island of Mozambique lies off northern
MozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498...
, between the
Mozambique ChannelThe Mozambique Channel is a portion of the Indian Ocean located between the island of Madagascar and southeast Africa, primarily the country of Mozambique. It was a World War II clashpoint during the Battle of Madagascar...
and Mossuril Bay. It has a population of around 14,000 people and is part of
Nampula ProvinceNampula is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 81,606 km² and a population of 3.767.114 . Nampula is the capital of the province...
.
The island was a major
ArabArab people or Arabs are an ethnic group whose members identify along linguistic, cultural or genealogical grounds...
port||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-|}A port is a facility for receiving ships and/or transferring cargo. It is usually found at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake. The best ports have deep water in channels or berths, and protection from the wind and waves...
and
boat buildingBoat building, one of the oldest branches of engineering, is concerned with constructing the hulls of boats and, for sailboats, the masts, spars and rigging.-Parts:* Bow - the front and generally sharp end of the hull...
centre long before
Vasco da GamaDom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the European Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
visited in 1498. The name of the island
(Portuguese: Moçambique, pronounced musɐ̃ˈbiki) is derived from Musa Al Big, an Arab trader who first visited the island and later lived there.
The
Island of Mozambique lies off northern
MozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498...
, between the
Mozambique ChannelThe Mozambique Channel is a portion of the Indian Ocean located between the island of Madagascar and southeast Africa, primarily the country of Mozambique. It was a World War II clashpoint during the Battle of Madagascar...
and Mossuril Bay. It has a population of around 14,000 people and is part of
Nampula ProvinceNampula is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 81,606 km² and a population of 3.767.114 . Nampula is the capital of the province...
.
History
The island was a major
ArabArab people or Arabs are an ethnic group whose members identify along linguistic, cultural or genealogical grounds...
port||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-|}A port is a facility for receiving ships and/or transferring cargo. It is usually found at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake. The best ports have deep water in channels or berths, and protection from the wind and waves...
and
boat buildingBoat building, one of the oldest branches of engineering, is concerned with constructing the hulls of boats and, for sailboats, the masts, spars and rigging.-Parts:* Bow - the front and generally sharp end of the hull...
centre long before
Vasco da GamaDom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the European Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
visited in 1498. The name of the island
(Portuguese: Moçambique, pronounced musɐ̃ˈbiki) is derived from Musa Al Big, an Arab trader who first visited the island and later lived there. This name was subsequently taken to the mainland country which is modern day
MozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498...
, and the island was renamed
Ilha de Moçambique (Island of Mozambique). The
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
established a port and naval base in 1507, and built the
Chapel of Nossa Senhora de BaluarteThe Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte is located on the most eastern tip of the Island of Mozambique which sits of the coast of Mozambique in Africa. The Chapel is situated outside the Fort São Sebastião from which it can be reached through a gate....
, in 1522, now considered the oldest European building in the
southern hemisphereThe Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is south of the equator—the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball'...
.
During the sixteenth century, the Fort São Sebastião was built, and the Portuguese settlement (now known as
Stone Town) became the
capitalCapital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of
Portuguese East AfricaPortuguese East Africa is the common name by which the Portuguese Empire's territorial expansion in East Africa was known across different periods of time...
. The island also became an important
missionaryA missionary is a member of a religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith; someone who proselytizes. The word "mission" is derived from the Latin missioninimus A missionary is a member of a religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith;...
centre and is now a
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
. It withstood Dutch attacks in 1607 and 1608 and remained a major post for the Portuguese on their trips to
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
. It saw the trading of slaves,
spicesThe spice trade is a commercial activity of ancient origin which involves the merchandising of spices, incense, herbs, drugs and opium. Civilizations of Asia were involved in spice trade from the ancient times, and the Greco-Roman world soon followed by trading along the Incense route and the...
and
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
.
Apart from the ancient fortifications, only half of the town is stone-built. The hospital, a majestic neo-classical building constructed in 1877 by the Portuguese, with a garden decorated with ponds and fountains, was repainted white after the
Mozambican Civil WarThe Mozambican Civil War began in 1977, two years after the end of the war of independence. The ruling party, Front for Liberation of Mozambique , was violently opposed from 1977 by the Rhodesian- and South African-funded Mozambique Resistance Movement...
. For many years it was the biggest hospital south of the Sahara.
With the opening of the
Suez canalThe Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened on November 1869, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigating around Africa...
, the island's fortunes waned. In 1898, the capital was relocated to
Lourenço MarquesLourenço Marques was a 16th century Portuguese trader and explorer.-Biography:He explored the area that is now Maputo Bay in 1544. He settled permanently in present-day Mozambique, where he spent most of his life with his black wife and mixed-race children.By order of King John III the bay was...
(now
MaputoMaputo, formerly Lourenço Marques/Lourenzo Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. A port on the Indian Ocean, its economy is centered around the harbour. It has an official population of approximately 1,244,227 , but the actual population is estimated to be much higher because of...
) on the mainland. By the middle of the twentieth century, the new harbour of
NacalaNacala on the northern coast of Mozambique is the deepest natural port on the east coast of Africa. It serves as the terminal for the Nacala Railway, a rail link to the landlocked Malawi...
took most of the remaining business.
Attractions
Other notable buildings on the island include the Palace and Chapel of São Paulo, built in 1610 as a Jesuit College and subsequently used as the Governor's Residence, now a
museumA museum is a building or institution which houses a collection of artifacts.Museums collect and care for objects of scientific, artistic, or historical importance and make them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary...
; the Museum of Sacred Art, housed in the Church of the Miseriacorda run by the House of Mercy, displaying an excellent
MakondeThe Makonde are an ethnic group in southeast Tanzania and northern Mozambique. The Makonde developed their culture on the Mueda Plateau in Mozambique. At present they live throughout Tanzania and Mozambique and have a small presence in Kenya...
crucifixA crucifix is a cross with a representation of Jesus' body, or corpus. It is a principal symbol of the Christian religion...
; the Church of Santo António; the Church of the Misericórdia; and the
Chapel of Nossa Senhora de BaluarteThe Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte is located on the most eastern tip of the Island of Mozambique which sits of the coast of Mozambique in Africa. The Chapel is situated outside the Fort São Sebastião from which it can be reached through a gate....
. The island, now entirely urbanised, is also home to several mosques and a
Hindu templeA Hindu temple or Mandir is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism. It can be a separate structure or a part of a building. A picture of most temples is the presence of murtis of the Hindu deity to whom the temple is dedicated. They are usually dedicated to one primary deity, called the...
. A 3km
bridgeA bridge is a structure built to span a valley, road, body of water, or other physical obstacle, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle. Designs of bridges vary depending on the function of the bridge and the nature of the terrain where the bridge is constructed.-History:The first...
was erected in the 1960s to connect it to the mainland.
The island in itself is not very big, about 3 km long and between 200 and 500 metre wide. Most historical buildings are at the island's northern end. The majority of the residents live in reed houses in
Makuti Town at the southern end of the island.
The island is also close to two tourist highlights
Chocas MarChocas Mar is a long pristine beach in Nampula Province in Mozambique. It is about 40km north of the Island of Mozambique across the Mossuril Bay. There are a couple of accommodation options in the area, including Complexo Namarralo...
, a long beach about 40km north of Ilha de Moçambique across the Mossuril Bay, and Cabaceiras.
External links