Mozambique tourist information with details about
travel to and around the country. Where to stay and what to see is made easier with
insider tips and hand-selected Mozambique links, by dedicated editors and visitors to
TravelNotes.org - The Online Guide to Travel.
Countries neighbouring Mozambique are: South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi
and Tanzania.
Weather in Mozambique
View a graphical weather forecast for the week ahead in Mozambique.
Maputo
Weather.
Although Mozambique's 2,800-km coastline has several good natural
harbours, the country's internal infrastructure needs enormous improving.
The rail system is really five separate networks connecting the
interior and neighbouring landlocked countries with the ports and coastal towns of Maputo,
Beira, Nacala, Inhambane, and Quelimane.
Many of Mozambique's dirt roads become a sludge in the wet season.
The Tete corridor, connecting Malawi with Zimbabwe through north-western Mozambique, was kept open during
the civil conflict.
In the Middle Ages, Arab traders visited the area; exporting gold
from the great Shona kingdom of Zimbabwe out of present-day Beira, then known as Sofala.
Vasco da Gama looked in on Mozambique in 1498, and set the way for
Portuguese expansion.
The Portuguese had little interest in the interior, and overpowered
the Arab coastal towns in an attempt to control the profitable trade in gold, ivory, and
eventually slaves.
This concentration on maritime trade by the Portuguese, and their lack
of thought for the outlying land area is the root of Mozambique's infrastructure problems
today -- civil war didn't help either.
Portugal failed with its colonisation incentives to whites, while
compelled labour and austere measures also eroded the indigenous economy and culture.
Frelimo launched a guerrilla campaign against the Portuguese, from
bases in Tanzania, during the 1960's and the country went from
bad to worse.
Renamo:
After Rhodesian independence, South Africa became Renamo's
backers.
Only with the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the ending of Apartheid
could Frelimo and Renamo get together to formally end the civil war in 1992.
A commonwealth of Portuguese-speaking countries was formed on July 17th, 1996, to
preserve the Portuguese language, co-ordinate diplomatic efforts, and improve co-operation
among its members: Angola, Brazil,
Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau,
Mozambique, Portugal, and São
Tomé and Príncipe.
Portuguese
for Travellers:
Teach yourself basic Portuguese before you travel to Mozambique.
The capital of Mozambique is easily reached from Swaziland.
Maputo, formerly called Lourenço Marques (after the Portuguese trader
who visited the region in 1544), was founded in the late 18th century.
The name Maputo was given after independence.
Things To See In Maputo
The Portuguese built a fortress here, in 1787, while Mousinho de
Albuquerque Square is a more modern landmark.
British
High Commission in Maputo:
Travel advice for Mozambique.
Embassy of
Italy in Mozambique:
Av. Kenneth Kaunda 387, Maputo, Mozambique.
Embassy of Mozambique in
Washington DC:
1990 M St, NW, Suite 570, Washington, DC 20036.
US Embassy in Maputo:
Avenida Kenneth Kaunda 193, Caixa Postal 783, Maputo.
Book Mozambique hotels online to save yourself time and money.
Hotels
in Mozambique:
Find hotels in Mozambique with special online rates.
Books
on Mozambique Travel:
Browse Amazon's best-selling list of books on travel in Mozambique.
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