Mozambique

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

the principal province of Portuguese East Africa. It lies between former German East Africa on the N. and British East Africa on the S. and extends from Cape Delgado to Kose Bay, a point just below Delagoa Bay, a distance of 1,300 miles. The N. boundary is formed principally by the Rovuma river; the S. in part by the Maputa; and the W. frontiers by Lake Nyasa, the British protectorate Nyasaland, Rhodesia, and the provinces of the Transvaal and of Natal of the Union of South Africa. This demarcation includes the dependencies of Lourenço Marquez, Zambesia, Inhambane and Gaza, the whole being known as Portuguese East Africa. The limits of this territory were defined by an agreement made between Great Britain and Portugal, in 1891, and Germany and Portugal in 1886 and 1890; the included area is about 300,000 square miles. The forests yield valuable ornamental woods. The soil is naturally fertile, producing maize, rice, manioc, cotton, sesame, cocoanut, india-rubber and medicinal plants. The country is rich in minerals, coal, iron, silver, gold and copper being found there; and mines of the two last named are worked to some extent. The imports consist of cotton goods, hardware, arms and gunpowder, coal, beer, wine and provisions; the exports of ivory, ground nuts, oil seeds, honey, india-rubber, gums, ivory, tortoise-shell, amber and gold dust. The shipping is mostly in the hands of British firms. The chief towns are Mozambique, Chinde, Quilimane and Lourenço Marquez (pop. about 13,000). The population of the colony is about 3,120,000. The administration is in the hands of a Governor- General, who is located at Lourenço Marquez. The town of Mozambique, the capital of the province, stands on a small coral island, separated from the mainland by the narrowest part of the Mozambique Channel.