Maputo

Maputo is the <a href="/facts/Capital_city/aRTzKRH0">capital</a> and largest city of <a href="/facts/Mozambique/mMWQ80JT">Mozambique</a>. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within 120 kilometres (75 miles) of the borders with <a href="/facts/Eswatini/Mfz58p4W">Eswatini</a> and <a href="/facts/South_Africa/vvXQpLgq">South Africa</a>. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed over a land area of 347.69 km2 (134.24 sq mi). The <a href="/facts/Metropolitan_Maputo/2PFPYIGt">Maputo metropolitan area</a> includes the neighbouring city of <a href="/facts/Matola/fqxWI5RF">Matola</a>, and has a total population of 2,717,437. Maputo is a <a href="/facts/Port_city/8gMBbCNH">port city</a>, with an economy centered on commerce. It is noted for its vibrant cultural scene and distinctive, eclectic architecture. Maputo was formerly named Lourenço Marques (Portuguese: [lo(w)ˈɾẽsu ˈmaɾkɨʃ]; until 1976).
Maputo is situated on <a href="/facts/Maputo_Bay/TzQyTcmz">a large natural bay</a> on the <a href="/facts/Indian_Ocean/Kv0crwKG">Indian Ocean</a>, near where the rivers Tembe, Mbuluzi, Matola and Infulene converge. The city consists of seven administrative divisions, which are each subdivided into <a href="/facts/Quarter_(urban_subdivision)/I0LbVxKm">quarters</a> or bairros. The city is surrounded by <a href="/facts/Maputo_Province/VmhsvpGY">Maputo Province</a>, but is administered as a self-contained, separate <a href="/facts/Provinces_of_Mozambique/eKazBybC">province</a> since 1998. Maputo City is the geographically smallest and most densely populated province in Mozambique. Maputo is a cosmopolitan city, with <a href="/facts/Xitsonga/VRVNFCnU">Xitsonga</a>, <a href="/facts/Portuguese_language/vr3Fwzw3">Portuguese</a>, and, to a lesser extent, <a href="/facts/Arabic/A1e66hVV">Arabic</a>, <a href="/facts/Gujarati_language/kGKRRbwe">Indian</a>, and <a href="/facts/Chinese_language/771ruUY1">Chinese</a> languages and cultures present. Almost 50% of Maputo speaks Portuguese as a native language as of 2017.
The area on which Maputo stands was first settled as a <a href="/facts/Fishing_village/1uJwxM86">fishing village</a> by ancient <a href="/facts/Tsonga_people/DESH3D9r">Tsonga people</a>. It was soon named Lourenço Marques, after <a href="/facts/Louren%25C3%25A7o_Marques_(explorer)/r2pmcv0h">the navigator of the same name</a> who explored the area in 1544. The modern city traces its origins to a <a href="/facts/Portugal/lYzwDQ63">Portuguese</a> 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 <a href="/facts/Portuguese_Mozambique/UsoFPUBu">Portuguese Mozambique</a> 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 <a href="/facts/Mozambican_War_of_Independence/K7rpLCPo">Mozambican independence</a> in 1975, the city became the national capital and was renamed Maputo. During the <a href="/facts/Mozambican_Civil_War/G3USTjqS">Mozambican Civil War</a>, the city's economy was devastated. When the war ended, the <a href="/facts/FRELIMO/TFRXlsda">FRELIMO</a> 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 <a href="/facts/Pra%25C3%25A7a_da_Independ%25C3%25AAncia/ReqLaMaA">Independence Square</a>, <a href="/facts/Maputo_City_Hall/y7WIX3oK">City Hall</a>, <a href="/facts/Fort_Nossa_Senhora_da_Concei%25C3%25A7%25C3%25A3o_de_Louren%25C3%25A7o_Marques/aKpsacjf">Maputo Fortress</a>, the <a href="/facts/Maputo_central_market/pwf3cQEd">central market</a>, <a href="/facts/Tunduru_Gardens/3WSmJ9Lj">Tunduru Gardens</a>, and <a href="/facts/Maputo_Railway_Station/ARJFN6GI">Maputo Railway Station</a>. Maputo is known as an aesthetically attractive, if dilapidated, city. With wide avenues lined by <a href="/facts/Jacaranda_mimosifolia/kBdxzsIN">jacaranda</a> and <a href="/facts/Acacia/Lw9T7Hy6">acacia</a> trees, it has earned the nicknames City of Acacias and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. The city is known for its distinct, eclectic architecture, with <a href="/facts/Portuguese_colonial_architecture/upEHPe6V">Portuguese colonial</a> <a href="/facts/Neoclassical_architecture/tKdIuJwx">Neoclassical</a> and <a href="/facts/Manueline/FYkNe5Fd">Manueline</a> styles alongside <a href="/facts/Modern_architecture/T3F1gFrv">modern</a> <a href="/facts/Art_deco/y1xFeh9t">art deco</a>, <a href="/facts/Bauhaus/v2sWtxcj">bauhaus</a>, tropical modernism and <a href="/facts/Brutalist_architecture/uHvb5Ujd">Brutalist</a> buildings. The historic Baixa de Maputo district is the <a href="/facts/Downtown/WvmTHvTE">downtown</a> area. Maputo has a vibrant cultural scene, with many restaurants, music and performance venues, and local film industry. Maputo's economy is centred around its <a href="/facts/Port_of_Maputo/B38WV9tA">port</a>, through which much of Mozambique's imports and exports are shipped. The chief exports include <a href="/facts/Cotton/efXRcjbn">cotton</a>, <a href="/facts/Sugar/jb5KXRHT">sugar</a>, <a href="/facts/Chromite/DAWzm44Y">chromite</a>, <a href="/facts/Sisal/hBcrjhFM">sisal</a>, <a href="/facts/Copra/mcGKbQ0R">copra</a>, and <a href="/facts/Hardwood/KQT6MN8W">hardwood</a>. In addition to trade, the city has robust <a href="/facts/Manufacturing/3qW7bcdy">manufacturing</a> and <a href="/facts/Tertiary_sector_of_the_economy/IbtKqotL">service</a> sectors. Several colleges and universities are located in Maputo, including <a href="/facts/Pedagogical_University/K2b2SpeE">Pedagogical University</a>, São Tomás University, Catholic University of Mozambique, and <a href="/facts/Eduardo_Mondlane_University/KVX3fS5W">Eduardo Mondlane University</a>, the oldest in the country.

Maputo open-in-new

Maputo