BP GEOGRAPHIC

Traces of the history of Mozambique. The name derived from the Arab trader Mussa Bin Bique who first visited the Island of Mozambique and later lived there. The voyage of Vasco da Gama in 1498 marked the arrival of the Portuguese. After four centuries of Portuguese rule the colony gained independence and became the People’s Republic of Mozambique. A civil war followed from 1977 till 1992. In 1994 the communist rule over Mozambique ended with the first elections.

The Jardim Tunduru is a park and garden in the centre of Maputo. It was designed in 1885 by the British gardener Thomas Honney.

At the cathedral of Maputo. The city was established in 1781 under the name Lourenço Marques on the northern bank of Espírito Santo Estuary of Delagoa Bay.

It was named after a Portuguese navigator who was sent in 1544 by the governor of Mozambique on a voyage of exploration.

In 1876 Lourenço Marques was elevated to the status of village and in 1887 it became a city. In 1898 it superseded the Island of Mozambique as capital.

Overlooking the Indian Ocean and the mouth of converging rivers there are several restaurants in southeastern Maputo, like the Dhow.