Maputo

"Lourenço Marques" redirects here. For the 16th-century Portuguese explorer, see Lourenço Marques (explorer).
Maputo
Lourenço Marques[a]
City and province
Clockwise, from top: Maputo skyline, Maputo City Hall, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Maputo Railway Station, Port of Maputo, Avenida 24 de Julho, and the Samora Machel Statue in Independence Square
Clockwise, from top: Maputo skyline, Maputo City Hall, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Maputo Railway Station, Port of Maputo, Avenida 24 de Julho, and the Samora Machel Statue in Independence Square
Flag of Maputo
Flag
Coat of arms of Maputo
Coat of arms
Location in Mozambique
Location in Mozambique
Maputo is located in Mozambique
Maputo
Maputo
Coordinates: 25°58′S 32°35′E / 25.967°S 32.583°E / -25.967; 32.583
Country Mozambique
Founded1781
Established (town)9 December 1876
Elevated (city)10 November 1887
Elevated (capital)1898
Government
 • Municipal Council PresidentEneas Comiche
 • GovernorIolanda Cintura
Area
 • City and province
347.69 km2 (134.24 sq mi)
Elevation
47 m (154 ft)
Population
 (2017 census)
 • City and province
1,088,449
 • Estimate 
(2020)
1,124,988[1]
 • Density3,100/km2 (8,100/sq mi)
 • Metro
1,766,823
Time zoneUTC+2 (CAT)
Postal code
0101-XX, 0102-XX, 0103-XX, 0104-XX, 0105-XX, 0106-XX, 0107-XX
Area Code & Prefix(+258) 21-XX-XX-XX
ISO 3166 codeMZ
HDI (2021)0.610[2]
medium · 1st
Websitewww.cmmaputo.gov.mz

Maputo (Portuguese pronunciation: [mɐˈputu]) is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within 120 kilometres (75 miles) of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017[3]) distributed over a land area of 347.69 km2 (134.24 sq mi). The Maputo metropolitan area includes the neighbouring city of Matola, and has a total population of 2,717,437. Maputo is a port city, with an economy centered on commerce. It is noted for its vibrant cultural scene and distinctive, eclectic architecture.[4][5][6] Maputo was formerly named Lourenço Marques (until 1976).

Maputo is situated on a large natural bay on the Indian Ocean, near where the rivers Tembe, Mbuluzi, Matola and Infulene converge. The city consists of seven administrative divisions, which are each subdivided into quarters or bairros. The city is surrounded by Maputo Province, but is administered as a self-contained, separate province since 1998. Maputo City is the geographically smallest and most densely populated province in Mozambique.[5] Maputo is a cosmopolitan city, with Bantu, Portuguese, and, to a lesser extent, Arabic, Indian, and Chinese languages and cultures present.[citation needed] Almost 50% of Maputo speaks Portuguese as a native language as of 2017. [7]

The area on which Maputo stands was first settled as a fishing village by ancient Tsonga people.[6] It was soon named Lourenço Marques, after the navigator of the same name who explored the area in 1544. The modern city traces its origins to a Portuguese fort established on the site in 1781. A town grew around the fort starting around 1850, and in 1877 it was elevated to city status. In 1898, the colony of Portuguese Mozambique relocated its capital there. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lourenço Marques grew both in population and economic development as a port city. Upon Mozambican independence in 1975, the city became the national capital and was renamed Maputo. During the Mozambican Civil War, the city's economy was devastated. When the war ended, the FRELIMO government launched a program to revive the city's economy, and to clean up the city by forcibly removing criminals, squatters, and undocumented residents.

Maputo has a number of landmarks, including Independence Square, City Hall, Maputo Fortress, the central market, Tunduru Gardens, and Maputo Railway Station. Maputo is known as an aesthetically attractive, if dilapidated, city. With wide avenues lined by jacaranda and acacia trees, it has earned the nicknames City of Acacias[8] and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.[9] The city is known for its distinct, eclectic architecture, with Portuguese colonial Neoclassical and Manueline styles alongside modern art deco, bauhaus, tropical modernism and Brutalist buildings.[5][10][11] The historic Baixa de Maputo district is the downtown area. Maputo has a vibrant cultural scene, with many restaurants, music and performance venues, and local film industry.[12] Maputo's economy is centred around its port, through which much of Mozambique's imports and exports are shipped. The chief exports include cotton, sugar, chromite, sisal, copra, and hardwood. In addition to trade, the city has robust manufacturing and service sectors. Several colleges and universities are located in Maputo, including Pedagogical University, São Tomás University, Catholic University of Mozambique, and Eduardo Mondlane University, the oldest in the country.


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  1. ^ National Institute of Statistics. "Population Projections for Maputo". Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  3. ^ "DIVULGAÇÃO OS DADOS DEFINITIVOS IV RGPH 2017". Instituto Nacional de Estatística. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  4. ^ Kugel, Seth (2014-03-04). "In Search of the 'Real Africa' in Mozambique". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  5. ^ a b c Briggs, Philip (2017-08-14). Mozambique. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 87. ISBN 9781784770556.
  6. ^ a b King, David C. (2007). Mozambique. Marshall Cavendish. p. 74. ISBN 9780761423317.
  7. ^ Reite, Torun (Feb 2020). "Language and spatiality in urban Mozambique: Ex-colonial language spread "from below"". ResearchGate. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  8. ^ "Discovering Africa: Maputo, The 'City Of Acacias' - Ventures Africa". Ventures Africa. 2014-07-06. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  9. ^ "A Guide to Mozambique's Best-Kept Secret Beaches". Vogue. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  10. ^ Buitendach, Sarah (2017-10-09). "Be sultry in a city that lives life intensely". BusinessDay. Archived from the original on 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  11. ^ Farago, Jason (2017-03-16). "'Architecture of Independence' in Africa's Fast-Growing Cities". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  12. ^ "Maputo, capital of Mozambique, is on the rise". CNN Travel. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2017-12-21.