Portuguese Mozambique - Geography

Geography

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; 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.

A number of changes occurred after the World War I, namely:

1919-06-28: Kiongo Triangle (over 1,000 km2., south of the Rovuma River) transferred from German East Africa to Mozambique by the Versailles Treaty.

1942-07-19: Charter of the Mozambique Company expired; its territory, known as Manica and Sofala, became a district of Mozambique.

1943-01-01: Mozambique constituted as four districts: Manica and Sofala, Niassa, Sul do Save (South of the Save River), and Zambézia.

1954-10-20: Cabo Delgado and Mozambique districts split from Niassa. Sul do Save district divided into Gaza, Inhambane, and Lourenço Marques. Tete district split from Manica and Sofala.

By the early 1970s, Mozambique was bordering the Mozambique Channel, bordering the countries of Malawi, Rhodesia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zambia. Covering a total area of 801,590 km² (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, with 4,571 km of land boundaries, its highest point at Monte Binga (2,436 m). The Gorongosa National Park, founded in 1920, was the main natural park in the territory.

The districts with its respective capitals were: Lourenço Marques - Lourenço Marques; Gaza - João Belo; Inhambane - Inhambane; Beira - Beira; Vila Pery - Vila Pery; Tete - Tete; Zambézia - Quelimane; Moçambique - Nampula; Cabo Delgado - Porto Amélia; Niassa - Vila Cabral. Other important urban centres included Sofala, Nacala, António Enes, Island of Mozambique and Vila Junqueiro.