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76-606: Founded in 1954 while Mozambique was still Portuguese East Africa , Niassa did not receive effective protection until the end of the Mozambican Civil War with the signing of the Rome General Peace Accords . Since then, the Mozambican government has set up management systems in order to protect the ecology of northern Mozambique. The relative isolation and lack of development that protects

152-525: A Portuguese colony, but the administration was left to the trading companies (like Mozambique Company and Niassa Company ) who had received long-term leases from Lisbon . By the mid-1920s, the Portuguese succeeded in creating a highly exploitative and coercive settler economy, in which African natives were forced to work on the fertile lands taken over by Portuguese settlers. Indigenous African peasants mainly produced cash crops designated for sale in

228-517: A charter by the Portuguese government to foster economic development and maintain Portuguese control in the territory's provinces, would lose their purpose when the territory was transferred to the control of the Portuguese colonial government between 1929 and 1942. Although slavery had been legally abolished in Mozambique by the Portuguese colonial authorities, at the end of the 19th century

304-454: A colonial administrator and divided into regedorias (subdivisions of circunscrições), headed by régules (tribal chieftains), the embodiment of traditional authorities. Provincial Portuguese Decree No. 5.639, of July 29, 1944, attributed to régulos and their assistants, the cabos de terra , the status of auxiliares da administração (administrative assistants). Gradually, these traditional titles lost some of their content, and

380-400: A further expansion of the complex, with the aim of increasing the height of the dam from 110 metres (360 ft) to 117 metres (384 ft), and installing crest spillway gates and a fuse plug. The dam is under the responsibility of the water directorate, Direcção Nacional de Águas (DNA). Maputo Province is divided into the 7 districts of: and the municipalities of: According to

456-535: A government minister. In the 20th century, the province was also subject to the authoritarian Estado Novo regime that ruled Portugal from 1933 to 1974, until the military coup in Lisbon, known as the Carnation Revolution . Most members of the government of Mozambique were from Portugal, but a few were Africans. Nearly all members of the bureaucracy were from Portugal, as most Africans did not have

532-615: A leftist military coup in Lisbon which replaced Portugal's Estado Novo regime in favour of a military junta (the Carnation Revolution of April 1974), FRELIMO took control of the territory. The talks that led to an agreement on Mozambique's independence, signed in Lusaka , were started. Within a year, almost the entire ethnic Portuguese population had left, many were killed or fleeing in fear of being killed (in mainland Portugal they were known as retornados ); others were expelled by

608-737: A majestic neo-classical building constructed in 1877 by the Portuguese, with a garden decorated with ponds and fountains, was for many years the biggest hospital south of the Sahara . By the early 20th century the Portuguese had shifted the administration of much of Mozambique to private chartered companies, including the Mozambique Company , the Zambezia Company and the Niassa Company , which established several railroad lines to neighbouring countries. The companies, granted

684-412: A period of Europeanisation or enculturation of African communities. The Estatuto established a distinction between the colonial citizens, subject to the Portuguese laws and entitled to all citizenship rights and duties effective in the metropole , and the indígenas (natives), subjected to colonial legislation and customary African laws. Between the two groups there was a third small group,

760-545: A railway linking Southern Rhodesia with the Mozambican port of Beira . However, the development's administration gradually started to pass directly from the trading companies to the Portuguese government itself. Because of their unsatisfactory performance and because of the shift, under the Estado Novo regime of Oliveira Salazar , towards a stronger Portuguese control of the Portuguese Empire 's economy,

836-817: A rigid chain of command. The authority of the government of Mozambique was residual, primarily limited to implementing policies already decided in Europe. In 1967, Mozambique also sent seven delegates to the National Assembly in Lisbon. The highest official in the province was the Governor-General, appointed by the Portuguese Council of Ministers on recommendation of the Overseas Minister. The Governor-General had both executive and legislative authority. A Government Council advised

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912-571: Is a province of Mozambique ; the province excludes the city of Maputo (which comprises a separate province). The province has an area of 22,693 km (8,762 sq mi) and a population of 1,968,906 (2017 census). Its capital is the city of Matola . Maputo Province is the southernmost province of Mozambique. It borders Gaza Province to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal to

988-544: Is formed by the Rovuma River , which also forms the border with Tanzania . Niassa Reserve is twice the size of Kruger National Park and comparable to the total area of Wales , Denmark or Massachusetts . Niassa is part of the Eastern miombo woodlands , which also encompasses parts of Tanzania and Malawi . The reserve is one of the largest miombo woodland preserves in the world, with miombo forest covering half of

1064-402: The assimilados , comprising native blacks, mulatos, Asians, and mixed-race people, who had at least some formal education and not subjected to paid forced labour. They were entitled to some citizenship rights, and held a special identification card, used to control the movements of forced labour. The indígenas were subject to the traditional authorities, who were gradually integrated into

1140-464: The régulos and cabos de terra came to be viewed as an effective part of the colonial state, remunerated for their participation in the collection of taxes, recruitment of the labour force, and agricultural production in the area under their control. Within the areas of their jurisdiction, the régulos and the cabos de terra also controlled the distribution of land and settled conflicts according to customary norms. To exercise their power,

1216-416: The régulos and cabos de terra had their own police force. The indigenato regime was abolished in 1960. From then on, all Africans were considered Portuguese citizens, and racial discrimination became a sociological rather than a legal feature of colonial society. In fact, the rule of traditional authorities became even more integrated than before in the colonial administration. Legally speaking, by

1292-689: The Carnation Revolution at Lisbon in April 1974 and the independence from Portugal in June 1975. During its history as a Portuguese colony , the present-day territory of Mozambique had the following formal designations: Until the 20th century, the land and peoples of Mozambique were barely affected by the Europeans who came to its shores and entered its major rivers. As the Muslim traders, mostly Swahili , were displaced from their coastal centres and routes to

1368-700: The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area , and contains the Reserva da Inhaca. The highest point of the island is Mount Inhaca at 104 metres (341 ft) on the north-eastern shoreline. In the northwest of the province, near the South African border is a major reservoir and dam complex, the Corumana Dam , which dams the Sabie River . In 2014 it was reported that hydro-mechanical specialists have been consulted to see

1444-997: The Machangulo Peninsula . The largest river of the province, the Maputo River , running from Amsterdam, Mpumalanga in South Africa near the Eswatini border, flows into Maputo Bay to the southeast of Maputo. Also flowing into the bay are the Umbeluzi River and the Incomati River . In the fall of 1999, the Maputo, Umbeluzi, Incompati and Limpopo rivers were affected by severe rainfall, 70 percent higher than normal which caused severe flooding. The Maputo and Incomati burst their banks on 12 January 2000, directly affecting some 40,000, and flooding along

1520-422: The Mozambique Company ( Companhia de Moçambique ), which had the concession of the lands corresponding to the present-day provinces of Manica and Sofala , and the Niassa Company ( Companhia do Niassa ), which had controlled the lands of the modern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Niassa . The Mozambique Company relinquished its territories back to Portuguese control in 1942, unifying Mozambique under control of

1596-650: The Ottoman Turks , Portugal hoped to use the sea route pioneered by da Gama to break the Venetian trading monopoly. Initially, Portuguese rule in East Africa focused mainly on a coastal strip centred in Mombasa. With voyages led by Vasco da Gama, Francisco de Almeida and Afonso de Albuquerque , the Portuguese dominated much of southeast Africa's coast, including Sofala and Kilwa , by 1515. Their main goal

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1672-708: The Treaty of Versailles transferred the Kionga Triangle , a 1,000 km (390 sq mi) territory south of the Rovuma River from German East Africa to Mozambique. During World War II , the Charter of the Mozambique Company expired, on 19 July 1942; its territory, known as Manica and Sofala, became a district of Mozambique. Mozambique was constituted as four districts on 1 January 1943 — Manica and Sofala, Niassa , Sul do Save (South of

1748-696: The 1530s, small groups of Portuguese traders and prospectors penetrated the interior regions seeking gold , where they set up garrisons and trading posts at Sena and Tete on the Zambezi River and tried to gain exclusive control over the gold trade. The Portuguese finally entered into direct relations with the Mwenemutapa in the 1560s. They recorded a wealth of information about the Mutapa kingdom as well as its predecessor, Great Zimbabwe . According to Swahili traders whose accounts were recorded by

1824-534: The 1950s and 1960s, attracting thousands of Portuguese settlers to the country. It was around this time that the first nationalist guerrilla groups began to form in Tanzania and other African countries. The strong industrial and agricultural development that did occur throughout the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s was based on Portuguese development plans, and also included British and South African investment. Maputo Province Maputo Province [mɐˈputu]

1900-483: The 1960s and 1970s segregation in Mozambique was minimal compared to that in neighbouring South Africa. The largest coastal cities, the first founded or settled by Portuguese people since the 16th century, like the capital Lourenço Marques , Beira , Quelimane , Nacala and Inhambane , were modern cosmopolitan ports and a melting pot of several cultures, with a strong South African influence. The Southeast African and Portuguese cultures were dominant, but

1976-472: The 2017 census, the province had 1,931,298 inhabitants and an area of 22,693 square kilometres (8,762 sq mi), hence resulting in a population density of 85.11 inhabitants per km . 99.47% were Mozambicans, 0.27% were South Africans, and a small minority were from other nationalities. 33.94% were Pentecostal, 30.56% were Zionist, 14.57% were Catholic, 8.11% were without religion, 3.29% were Muslim, and 9.53% were another religion. Between 2007 and 2017,

2052-591: The Chartered companies enacted a forced labour policy and supplied cheap – often forced – African labour to the mines and plantations of other European colonies in Africa . The Zambezia Company, the most profitable chartered company, took over a number of smaller prazeiro holdings and requested Portuguese military outposts to protect its property. The chartered companies and the Portuguese administration built roads and ports to bring their goods to market including

2128-467: The Governor-General in the running of the province. The functional cabinet consisted of five secretaries appointed by the Overseas Minister on the advice of the Governor-General. A Legislative Council had limited powers and its main activity was approving the provincial budget. Finally, an Economic and Social Council had to be consulted on all draft legislation, and the Governor-General had to justify his decision to Lisbon if he ignored its advice. Mozambique

2204-520: The Incomati affected about 20,000 several days later. To the north of the peninsula is the Inhaca Island ( Ilha da Inhaca ), a 52-square-kilometre (20 sq mi) subtropical island, about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from north to south by 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from east to west which separates Maputo Bay to the west from the Indian Ocean off its eastern shores. It is protected under

2280-615: The Mazrui and Omani Arabs reclaimed much of the Indian Ocean trade, forcing the Portuguese to retreat south. Many prazos had declined by the mid-19th century, but several of them survived. During the 19th century, other European powers, particularly the British and the French , became increasingly involved in the trade and politics of the region. In the Island of Mozambique , the hospital,

2356-493: The Mozambican coast. Lourenço Marques explored the area that is now Maputo Bay in 1544. The Portuguese increased efforts for occupying the interior of the colony after the Scramble for Africa , and secured political control over most of its territory in 1918, facing the resistance of some Africans during the process. Some territories in Mozambique were handed over in the late 19th century for rule by chartered companies like

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2432-467: The Niassa wildebeest, Boehm's zebra, and Johnston's Impala. The reserve is home to Mecula Mountain , located at the center of the park with a height of 1,441 metres (4,728 ft). Portuguese East Africa Portuguese Mozambique ( Portuguese : Moçambique Portuguesa ) or Portuguese East Africa ( África Oriental Portuguesa ) were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during

2508-426: The Portuguese created a low opinion of Africans as a group among Europeans. The uneducated Portuguese immigrant peasants in urban areas were frequently in direct competition with Africans for jobs and demonstrated jealousies and racial prejudice. Between the urban and rural sectors of the society lied a steadily increasing group of Africans who were loosening their ties with rural villages and starting to participate in

2584-462: The Portuguese government. The region as a whole was long officially termed Portuguese East Africa , and was subdivided into a series of colonies extending from Lourenço Marques in the south to Niassa in the north. Cabo Delgado was initially merely a strip of territory along the Rovuma River, including Cape Delgado itself, which Portugal acquired out of German East Africa in 1919, but it

2660-705: The Portuguese historian João de Barros , Great Zimbabwe was an ancient capital city built of stones of marvellous size without the use of mortar. And while the site was not within Mutapa's borders, the Mwenemutapa kept noblemen and some of his wives there. The Portuguese attempted to legitimate and consolidate their trade and settlement positions through the creation of prazos (land grants) tied to Portuguese settlement and administration. While prazos were originally developed to be held by Portuguese, through intermarriage they became African Portuguese or African Indian centres defended by large African slave armies known as Chikunda . Historically, within Mozambique, there

2736-937: The Portuguese through the post administrator, who was required to visit each village in his domain at least once a year. The lowest level of administration was the regedoria , settlements inhabited by Africans living according to customary law. Each regedoria was run by a regulo , an African or Portuguese official chosen on the recommendation of local residents. Under the regulos , each village had its own African headman. Each level of government could also have an advisory board or council. They were established in municipalities with more than 500 electors, in smaller municipalities or circumscriptions with more than 300 electors, and in posts with more than 20 electors. Each district also had its own board as well. Two legal systems were in force — Portuguese civil law and African customary law. Until 1961, Africans were considered to be Natives ( indígenas ), rather than citizens. After 1961,

2812-528: The Portuguese to trade with the Far East directly by sea, thus challenging older trading networks of mixed land and sea routes, such as the spice trade routes that used the Persian Gulf , Red Sea and caravans to reach the eastern Mediterranean. The Republic of Venice had gained control over much of the trade routes between Europe and Asia. After traditional land routes to India had been closed by

2888-641: The Save River), and Zambézia . On 20 October 1954, administrative reorganization caused Cabo Delgado and Mozambique districts to be split from Niassa . At the same time, the Sul do Save district was divided into Gaza, Inhambane and Lourenço Marques , while the Tete district was split from Manica and Sofala. By the early 1970s, Mozambique was bordering the Mozambique Channel, bordering

2964-481: The area, the building of an infrastructure was begun, and agreements regarding the transit trade of Mozambique's land-locked neighbours to the west, such as Southern Rhodesia , Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland , were made. Colonial legislation discriminated against Africans on cultural grounds. Colonial legislation submitted Africans to forced labour , to pass laws and to segregation in schools. That most Africans were perceived to engage in "uncivilised behaviour" by

3040-720: The city's buildings a unique Mozambican theme. As a result, most of the properties erected during the second construction boom take on these styling cues. Since the 15th century, Portugal founded settlements, trading posts, forts, and ports on the Sub-Saharan Africa 's coast. Cities, towns, and villages were founded all over East African territories by the Portuguese, especially since the 19th century, like Lourenço Marques , Beira , Vila Pery , Vila Junqueiro , Vila Cabral and Porto Amélia . Others were expanded and developed greatly under Portuguese rule, like Quelimane , Nampula and Sofala . By this time, Mozambique had become

3116-514: The coastal trade from Arabs between 1500 and 1700, but, with the Arab seizure of Portugal's key foothold at Fort Jesus on Mombasa Island (now in Kenya ) in 1698, the pendulum began to swing in the other direction. As a result, investment lagged while Lisbon devoted itself to the more lucrative trade with India and the Far East and to the colonisation of Brazil . During the 18th and 19th centuries,

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3192-474: The colonial administration and charged with solving disputes, managing the access to land, and guaranteeing the flows of workforce and the payment of taxes. As several authors have pointed out, the Indigenato regime was the political system that subordinated the immense majority of Africans to local authorities entrusted with governing, in collaboration with the lowest echelon of the colonial administration,

3268-478: The companies' concessions were not renewed when they ran out. This was what happened in 1942 with the Mozambique Company, which, however, continued to operate in the agricultural and commercial sectors as a corporation, and had already happened in 1929 with the termination of the Niassa Company's concession. In the 1950s, the Portuguese overseas colony was rebranded an overseas province of Portugal, and by

3344-405: The concept of Lusotropicalismo , Mozambique was claimed as an integral part of the " pluricontinental and multiracial nation" of Portugal, as was done in all of its colonies to Europeanise the local population and assimilate them into Portuguese culture . This policy was largely unsuccessful, however, and African opposition to colonisation led to a ten-year independence war that culminated in

3420-600: The countries of Malawi , Rhodesia , South Africa , Swaziland , Tanzania , and Zambia . Covering a total area of 801,590 km (309,500 square miles, slightly less than twice the size of California). With a tropical to subtropical climate, the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country. Its coastline had 2,470 km (1,530 miles), with 4,571 km (2,840 miles) of land boundaries, its highest point at Monte Binga (2,436 metres, 7,992 ft). The Gorongosa National Park , founded in 1920,

3496-460: The development of a multiethnic society in its African colonies. The establishment of a dual, racialised civil society was formally recognised in Estatuto do Indigenato (The Statute of Indigenous Populations) adopted in 1929, which was based on the subjective concept of civilization versus tribalism . In the administration's view, the goal of civilising mission would only be achieved after

3572-542: The early 1970s). The capital of Portuguese Mozambique, Lourenço Marques ( Maputo ), had a population of 355,000 in 1970 with around 100,000 Europeans. Beira had around 115,000 inhabitants at the time with around 30,000 Europeans. Most of the other cities ranged from 10 to 15% in the number of Europeans, win contrast with Portuguese Angola , where cities had European majorities ranging from 50% to 60%. Starting in 1926, Portugal's colonial authorities abandoned conceptions of an innate inferiority of Africans, and set as their goal

3648-561: The early 1970s, it was officially upgraded to the status of Portuguese non-sovereign state, by which it would remain a Portuguese territory but with a wider administrative autonomy. The Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), initiated a guerrilla campaign against Portuguese rule in September 1964. This conflict, along with the two others already initiated in the other Portuguese colonies of Angola and Guinea , became part of

3724-418: The influence of Arab , Indian , and Chinese cultures were also felt. The cuisine was diverse, owing especially to the Portuguese cuisine and Muslim heritage, and seafood was also quite abundant. Lourenço Marques had always been a point of interest for artistic and architectural development since the first days of its urban expansion and this strong artistic spirit was responsible for attracting some of

3800-589: The interior by the Portuguese, migrations of Bantu peoples continued and tribal federations formed and reformed as the relative power of local chiefs changed. For four centuries the Portuguese presence was meagre. Coastal and river trading posts were built, abandoned, and built again. Governors sought personal profits to take back to Portugal, and colonists were not attracted to the distant area with its relatively unattractive climate; those who stayed were traders who married local women and successfully maintained relations with local chiefs. In Portugal, however, Mozambique

3876-589: The largest ethnic group in the north. The Sena and Shona (mostly Ndau ) were prominent in the Zambezi valley, and the Shangaan (Tsonga) dominated in the south. In addition, several other minority groups lived a tribal lifestyle across the territory. Mozambique had around 250,000 Europeans in 1974 that made up around 3% of the population. Mozambique was cosmopolitan as it had Indian, Chinese, Greek and Anglophone communities (over 25,000 Indians and 5,000 Chinese by

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3952-410: The last decade of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century, integration of Mozambique into the structure of the Portuguese nation was begun. After all of the area of the present province had been recognised by other European powers as belonging to Portugal, administrators waged wars against African polities to assert control over the territory. Civil administration was established throughout

4028-516: The markets of the colonial metropole (the centre, i.e. Portugal). Major cash crops included cotton , cashews , tea and rice . This arrangement ended in 1932 after the takeover in Portugal by the new António de Oliveira Salazar 's government — the Estado Novo . Thereafter, Mozambique, along with other Portuguese colonies, was put under the direct control of Lisbon. In 1951, it became an overseas province . The economy expanded rapidly during

4104-567: The native communities described as tribes and assumed to have a common ancestry, language, and culture. The colonial use of traditional law and structures of power was thus an integral part of the process of colonial domination. In the 1940s, the integration of traditional authorities into the colonial administration was deepened. The Portuguese colony was divided into concelhos (municipalities), in urban areas, governed by colonial and metropolitan legislation, and circunscrições (localities), in rural areas. The circunscrições were led by

4180-542: The necessary qualifications to obtain positions. The Government of Mozambique, like the Portuguese Government itself, was highly centralised. Power was concentrated in the executive branch, and all elections, where they occurred, were carried out using indirect methods. From the Prime Minister's office in Lisbon, authority extended down to the remotest posts and regedorias of Mozambique through

4256-541: The new route to the east. The voyage of Vasco da Gama around the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean in 1498 marked the Portuguese entry into trade, politics, and society in the Indian Ocean world. The Portuguese gained control of the Island of Mozambique and the port city of Sofala in the early 16th century. Vasco da Gama having visited Mombasa in 1498 was then successful in reaching India thereby permitting

4332-402: The park also hurts its potential for tourism. Mozambican officials admit constraints to development of the park's appeal include "remoteness and difficult access ... lack of any established tourism infrastructure and the logistical hardship associated with starting an enterprise under these conditions." Since 2005, the protected area is considered a Lion Conservation Unit. The northern border

4408-474: The period in which it was a Portuguese overseas province . Portuguese Mozambique originally constituted a string of Portuguese possessions along the south-east African coast, and later became a unified province, which now forms the Republic of Mozambique . Portuguese trading settlements—and later, territories—were formed along the coast and into the Zambezi basin from 1498 when Vasco da Gama first reached

4484-608: The preserve. The remainder is mostly open savannah, with some wetlands and isolated patches of forest. 95% of the preserve's biomass is vegetation, which includes 21 types of plant matter and 191 species of trees and shrubs. Niassa Preserve boasts an African wild dog population of over 350, significant for an endangered mammal with a global population estimated at 8000. The park boasts a sable antelope population of over 12000, an elephant population of 16000, over 400 bird species, and large populations of Cape buffalo, impala, wildebeest, zebra and leopards. The area has three endemic species -

4560-408: The previous native laws were repealed and Africans gained de facto Portuguese citizenship. Portuguese East Africa was located in south-eastern Africa . It was a long coastal strip with Portuguese strongholds, from current day Tanzania and Kenya , to the south of current-day Mozambique . In 1900, the part of modern Mozambique northwest of the Zambezi and Shire Rivers was called Moçambique ;

4636-654: The province of Mozambique has always been the Governor-General , who reported directly to the Government in Lisbon, usually through the Minister of the Overseas . During some periods in the late 19th and the early 20th century, the governors-general of Mozambique received the status of royal commissioners or of high commissioners, which gave them extended executive and legislative powers, equivalent to those of

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4712-434: The rest of it was Lourenço Marques . Various districts existed, and even issued stamps, during the first part of the century, including Inhambane, Lourenço Marques , Mozambique Colony, Mozambique Company , Nyassa Company , Quelimane, Tete, and Zambésia . The Nyassa Company territory is now Cabo Delgado and Niassa . In the early- and mid-20th century, a number of changes occurred. Firstly, on 28 June 1919,

4788-416: The ruling power of the newly independent territory. Mozambique became independent from Portugal on 25 June 1975. At least since the early 19th century, the legal status of Mozambique always considered it as much a part of Portugal as Lisbon, but as a província ultramarina ( overseas province ) enjoyed special derogations to account for its distance from Europe. From 1837, the highest government official in

4864-405: The so-called Portuguese Colonial War (1961–74). From a military standpoint, the Portuguese regular army held the upper hand during all of the conflicts against the independentist guerrilla forces, which created favourable conditions for social development and economic growth until the end of the conflict in 1974. After ten years of sporadic warfare and after Portugal's return to democracy through

4940-652: The south, Eswatini to the southwest, and the Mpumalanga province of South Africa to the west and northwest. The Maputo Bay area to the southeast of Maputo is an important conservation area with many reefs and lakes. Of particular note is the Maputo Elephant Game Reserve , which has lakes such as Lagoa Chingute and Lagoa Piti in the vicinity, and the Machangulo Private Nature Reserve further north of this in

5016-565: The territory. However, the vast majority of the population belonged to local tribal groups which included the Makua – Lomwe , the Shona and the Tsonga . Other ethnic minorities included British, Greeks, Chinese and Indians. Most inhabitants were black indigenous Africans with a diversity of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, ranging from Shangaan and Makonde to Yao or Shona peoples . The Makua were

5092-482: The urban economy, to settle in suburbs, and to adopt European customs. Members of this group would later become active participants in the independence movement. When Portuguese explorers reached East Africa in 1498, Swahili commercial settlements had existed along the Swahili Coast and outlying islands for several centuries. From about 1500, Portuguese trading posts and forts became regular ports of call on

5168-522: The work of Gustav Eiffel ), and the Hotel Polana designed by Herbert Baker . Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Lourenço Marques was yet again at the centre of a new wave of architectural influences made most popular by Pancho Guedes. The designs of the 1960s and 1970s were characterised by modernist movements of clean, straight and functional structures. However, prominent architects such as Pancho Guedes fused this with local art schemes giving

5244-555: The world's most forward-thinking architects at the turn of the 20th century. The city was home to masterpieces of building work by, Pancho Guedes , Herbert Baker and Thomas Honney amongst others. The earliest architectural efforts around the city focused on classical European designs such as the Central Train Station (CFM) designed by architects Alfredo Augusto Lisboa de Lima , Mario Veiga and Ferreira da Costa and built between 1913 and 1916 (sometimes mistaken with

5320-466: Was also the seat of the Governor-General of Portuguese East Africa until the late 1890s, when that official was officially moved to the city of Lourenço Marques . Also in the south was the colony of Inhambane , which lay north-east of Lourenço Marques. Once these colonies were merged, the region as a whole became known as Moçambique . According to the official policy of the Salazar regime , inspired on

5396-471: Was considered to be a vital part of a world empire. Periodic recognition of the relative insignificance of the revenues it could produce was tempered by the mystique which developed regarding the mission of the Portuguese to bring their civilisation to the African territory. It was believed that through missionary activity and other direct contact between Africans and Europeans, the Africans could be taught to appreciate and participate in Portuguese culture . In

5472-415: Was divided into nine districts, which were further subdivided into 61 municipalities ( concelhos ) and 33 circumscriptions ( circunscrições ). Each subdivision was then made up of three or four individual posts, 166 in all with an average of 40,000 Africans in each. Each district, except Lourenço Marques which was run by the Governor-General, was overseen by a governor. Most Africans only had contact with

5548-490: Was enlarged southward to the Lurio River to form what is now Cabo Delgado Province . In the Zambezi basin were the colonies of Quelimane (now Zambezia Province ) and Tete (in the panhandle between Northern Rhodesia , now Zambia , and Southern Rhodesia , now Zimbabwe ), which were for a time merged as Zambezia. The colony of Moçambique (now Nampula Province ) had the Island of Mozambique as its capital. The island

5624-443: Was slavery. Human beings were bought and sold by African tribal chiefs, Arab traders, and the Portuguese. Many Mozambican slaves were supplied by tribal chiefs who raided warring tribes and sold their captives to the prazeiros . Although Portuguese influence gradually expanded, its power was limited and exercised through individual settlers and officials who were granted extensive autonomy. The Portuguese were able to wrest much of

5700-532: Was the main natural park in the territory. The districts with their respective capitals were: Other important urban centres included Sofala , Nacala , António Enes , Island of Mozambique and Vila Junqueiro . By 1970, the Portuguese Overseas Province of Mozambique had about 8,168,933 inhabitants. Nearly 300,000 were white ethnic Portuguese . There was a number of mulattoes , from both European and African ancestry, living across

5776-585: Was to dominate trade with India. As the Portuguese settled along the coast, they made their way into the hinterland as sertanejos (backwoodsmen). These sertanejos lived alongside Swahili traders and even took up service among Shona kings as interpreters and political advisors. One such sertanejo managed to travel through almost all the Shona kingdoms, including the Mutapa Empire 's (Mwenemutapa) metropolitan district, between 1512 and 1516. By

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