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'''Maputo''', formerly '''Lourenço Marques''', is the [[Capital (political)|capital]] and largest city of [[Mozambique]]. It is known as the ''City of Acacias'' in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the ''Pearl of the Indian Ocean''. |
'''Maputo''', formerly '''Lourenço Marques''', is the [[Capital (political)|capital]] and largest city of [[Mozambique]]. It is known as the ''City of Acacias'' in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the ''Pearl of the Indian Ocean''. It was [[Portugal]]'s pride and joy as an overseas province before [[1975]] and was famous for the inscription ''This is Portugal'' on the walkway of its municipal building. Today it is a port city on the [[Indian Ocean]], with its economy centered around the harbour. It has an official population of approximately 1,244,227 (2006).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ine.gov.mz/Ingles/o_pais/populacao_total_prov |title=Total Population By Provinces - 2006 |accessdate=2008-06-15 |work=[[Instituto Nacional de Estatística]] |date=}}</ref> [[Coal]], [[cotton]], [[sugar]], [[chromite]], [[sisal]], [[copra]], and hardwood are the chief exports. The city manufactures [[cement]], [[pottery]], [[furniture]], [[shoe]]s, and [[rubber]]. There is also a large [[aluminium]] [[smelting]] plant, Mozal. The city is surrounded by [[Maputo Province]], but is administered as its own province. |
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==Geography== |
==Geography== |
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Revision as of 21:54, 19 December 2010
Maputo | |
|---|---|
| Aerial view of Polana and the bay Aerial view of Polana and the bay | |
| Nickname: City of Acacias | |
| Country |  Mozambique |
| Government | |
| • Municipal Council President | David Simango |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 1,244,227 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
| Area Code & Prefix | (+258) 21-XX-XX-XX |
| ISO 3166 code | MZ |
Maputo, formerly Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was Portugal's pride and joy as an overseas province before 1975 and was famous for the inscription This is Portugal on the walkway of its municipal building. Today it is a port city on the Indian Ocean, with its economy centered around the harbour. It has an official population of approximately 1,244,227 (2006).[1] Coal, cotton, sugar, chromite, sisal, copra, and hardwood are the chief exports. The city manufactures cement, pottery, furniture, shoes, and rubber. There is also a large aluminium smelting plant, Mozal. The city is surrounded by Maputo Province, but is administered as its own province.
Geography
Maputo is located on the west side of Maputo Bay, near the Estuário do Espírito Santo where the rivers Tembe, Umbeluzi, Matola and Infulene drain. The bay is 95 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide. At the extreme east of the city and bay is the island of Inhaca. The total area covered by the municipality of Maputo is 346 km² and borders the city of Matola northeast and east, the districts of Marracuene to the north; Boane in the east and Matutuíne at the south all of which are part of Maputo Province. The city is 120 kilometers from the South African border at Ressano Garcia and 80 kilometers from the border with Swaziland near the town of Namaacha.
History
Portuguese rule
On the northern bank of Espírito Santo Estuary of Delagoa Bay, an inlet of the Indian Ocean, Lourenço Marques was named after the Portuguese navigator, who with a companion (António Caldeira) was sent in 1544 by the governor of Mozambique on a voyage of exploration. They explored the lower courses of the rivers emptying their waters into Delagoa Bay, notably the Espírito Santo. The various forts and trading stations which the Portuguese established, abandoned and reoccupied on the north bank of the river were all called Lourenço Marques. The existing town dates from about 1850, the previous settlement having been entirely destroyed by the natives. The town developed around a Portuguese fortress completed in 1787.
In 1871 the town was described as a poor place, with narrow streets, fairly good flat-roofed houses, grass huts, decayed forts and rusty cannon, enclosed by a wall 6 ft. high then recently erected and protected by bastions at intervals. The growing importance of the Transvaal led, however, to greater interest being taken in Portugal in the port. A commission was sent by the Portuguese government in 1876 to drain the marshy land near the settlement, to plant the blue gum tree, and to build a hospital and a church. A city since 1887, it superseded the Island of Mozambique as the capital of Mozambique in 1898. In 1895, construction of a railroad to Pretoria, South Africa caused the city's population to grow. In the early 1900s, with a well equipped seaport, with piers, quays, landing sheds and electric cranes, enabling large vessels to discharge cargoes direct into the railway trucks, Lourenço Marques developed under Portuguese rule and achieved great importance as a lively cosmopolitan city. It was served by British, Portuguese and German liners, and the majority of its imported goods were shipped at Southampton, Lisbon and Hamburg.
With the continuous growth of the city's population and its expanding economy centered on the seaport, from the 1940s, Portugal's administration built a network of primary and secondary schools, industrial and commercial schools as well as the first university in the region - the University of Lourenço Marques opened in 1962. Portuguese, Islamic (including Ismailis), Indian (including from Portuguese India) and Chinese (including Macanese) communities managed to achieve great prosperity - but not the unskilled African majority - by developing the industrial and commercial sectors of the city. Prior to Mozambique's independence in 1975, thousands of tourists from South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) frequented the city and its scenic beaches, high-quality hotels, restaurants, casinos and brothels.[2][3]
The Mozambique Liberation Front, or FRELIMO, formed in Tanzania in 1962. Led by Eduardo Mondlane, FRELIMO fought for independence from Portuguese rule. The Mozambican War of Independence lasted over 10 years, ending only in 1974 when the Estado Novo regime was overthrown in Lisbon by a leftist military coup - the Carnation Revolution. The new government of Portugal granted independence to all Portuguese overseas territories.
After independence from Portugal
The People's Republic of Mozambique was proclaimed on 25 June 1975 in accordance with the Lusaka Accord signed in September 1974. A parade and a state banquet completed the independence festivities in the capital, which was expected to be renamed Can Phumo, or "Place of Phumo," after a Shangaan chief who lived in the area before the Portuguese navigator Lourenço Marques first visited the site in 1545 and gave his name to it.[4] However, after independence, the city's name was changed (in February 1976) to Maputo. Maputo's name reputedly has its origin in the Maputo River. The statues to Portuguese heroes were removed and most were stored at the fortress, and black soldiers carrying Russian rifles replaced Portuguese Army soldiers (both black and white) with western arms in city barracks and on the streets. Most city streets, named for Portuguese heroes or important dates in Portuguese history, had their names changed too.
After the Carnation Revolution in Lisbon, over 250,000 ethnic Portuguese pulled out virtually overnight,[5] leaving unmanageable Mozambique's economy and administration. With the exodus of trained Portuguese personnel, the newly-independent country had no time to allocate resources in order to maintain its well-developed infrastructure. In addition, authoritarian Marxist policies and failed central planning made the newly-independent country slip into an extremely precarious condition since the beginning, and so the economy plummeted. FRELIMO, now the governing party, turned to the communist governments of the Soviet Union and East Germany for help. By the early 1980s the country was bankrupt. Money was worthless and shops were empty. Starting shortly after independence, the country was plagued from 1977 to 1992 by a long and violent civil war opposing FRELIMO to RENAMO - the Mozambican Civil War.
Since the peace agreement was signed in 1992, the country has returned to its pre-independence levels of political stability. This level of stability is an encouraging sign that makes Mozambique a promising country for foreign investment.
Infrastructure
The central area of Maputo corresponds to a planned city with square blocks and wide avenues, with Portuguese traces and their typical architecture of the 1970s. Portuguese refugees fled in massive numbers at the end of the independence war in 1975, and the resultant lack of skills and capital, in the context of a fierce civil war and government mismanagement, contributed to its state of dereliction in the years following the declaration of peace. Nevertheless, the city itself was never damaged, since it was tacitly considered neutral ground during both the colonial and the civil war.
Recovery of the older infrastructure has been slow and most property developers in recent years have decided to invest in the construction of new properties rather than rehabilitating any of the existing ones. The rates for property in the city are high as investment increases, larger numbers of businesses are hoping to locate within easy reach of the airports, ports and schools. The infrastructure is expected to spread out across vacant areas of the city hopefully easing property prices within the next couple of years.
Building Projects
Despite its previous instability, Mozambique is experiencing one of the fastest growth rates for a developing country in the world.[6]. The projected growth rate for 2011 is expected to be around 7.5%, much of it centered around the construction of several capital intensive projects in Maputo. Some of the more notable developments are listed below.
Maputo Business Tower
The Maputo Business Tower is a 41 storey building that at its expected completion in 2012 will be considered the tallest building in the country.[7] The project is being developed by a United States of America company. The building has 5 floors available for parking roughly 600 vehicles. The ground floor will have space for retail establishments and the topmost floors will be reserved for luxury apartments.
Radisson Blu Hotel
The international hotel firm, Radisson Blu has begun construction of a 12 storey building with 152 rooms in one of the city's trendier spots. The new hotel is expected to open in early 2011 and will be competing with some of the best hotels in the city.[8]
Vodacom
This is a 15 storey building for the second largest telecommunication company in the country. It is projected to cost around $35 million and construction is to be completed by 2010. The building is designed to produce 30% of the energy it requires.[9]
Maputo Waterfront
It is an urban regeneration project that is being developed at site of the former annual industrial fair grounds (FACIM) site. When it is complete it will offer a number of facilities both for leisure and commerce. The estimated cost for the entire project is expected to be $1.2 billion.
Sports Facilities
Maputo has a number of stadiums designed for football, which can be modified for other purposes, such as the Estádio do Maxaquene and the Estádio do Costa do Sol which can seat 15,000 and 10,000 people respectively.
A newer stadium called the Estádio do Zimpeto which is located in the suburb of Zimpeto will be opened in 2011. The stadium will be built in time for the 2011 All Africa Games with a capacity for 42,000 spectators.
21st Century Vision
In the years directly after the independence of the country, city planning efforts were put on hold chiefly because of a lack of expertise in the area and the limited budget available for such renewal and regeneration projects. However with the speedy growth of the city as well as the increased interest for tourism now obvious, several foreign investment groups have been showcasing some of their plans. Gad Lopez has produced some computer based models for Maputo.
Transport
Public Transport
Airports
Maputo International Airport is the main international airport of Mozambique. The new terminal was opened in 2010 with a capacity for 900,000 passengers per year.
Buses
Maputo's transportation needs are mainly served by minibus taxis called "chapas", which are believed to transport the majority of the city's commuters. There is also a state-owned bus company serving the metropolitan area, but its fleet is clearly insufficient to satisfy the demand. There are three major bus terminals in the city: at Baixa (downtown), Museu (Museum), and at Junta (regional and national buses).
Ferries
Ferry boats departing from Maputo to the district of KaTembe are available during the week. A ferry can carry approximately 8 vehicles per trip.
Trams
Maputo was home to one of the first tram systems in the world commencing in 1904.[10] By comparison Britain had only begun its own limited tramway lines for the city of Blackpool in 1887. At first the lines ran from the Central Train Station (CFM) to the City Municipality building. It is said that the establishment of the tram system caused great social upheavals as certain classes were excluded from its use. Trams lost favor in the second half of the 20th century as cars and buses became more common. They have not been in use at all since 1975 although tracks can still be seen at the extremes of the city.
Other Means
A recent introduction and an alternative are three-wheelers commonly known as tuk-tuks in some Asian countries. The three-wheeled bikes are cheaper to own and run and have posed a serious threat to motor vehicle taxis.
Culture
Maputo is a melting pot of several cultures, with a strong South African influence. The Bantu and Portuguese cultures dominate, but the influence of Arab, Indian, and Chinese cultures is also felt. The cuisine is diverse, owing especially to the Portuguese and Muslim heritage, and seafood is also quite abundant.
Architecture
Maputo had always been the center of attention during its formative years and this strong artistic spirit was responsible for attracting some of the world's most forward architects at the turn of the 20th century. The city is home to masterpieces of building work by Gustav Eiffel, Pancho Guedes, Herbert Baker and Thomas Honney amongst others. The earliest architectural efforts around the city focused on classical European designs such as the Central Train Station (CFM) designed by architects Alfredo Augusto Lisboa de Lima, Mario Veiga and Ferreira da Costa and built between 1913 and 1916 (sometimes mistaken with the work of Gustav Eiffel),[11] and the Hotel Polana designed by Herbert Baker.
As the 1960s and 1970s approached, Maputo was yet again at the center of a new wave of architectural influences made most popular by Pancho Guedes. The designs of the 60s and 70s were characterized by modernist movements of clean, straight and functional structures. However, prominent architects such as Pancho Guedes fused this with local art schemes giving the city's buildings a unique Mozambican theme. As a result most of the properties erected during the second construction boom take on these styling cues.
Associação Núcleo de Arte
An important cultural and artists' centre in Maputo is the Associação Núcleo de Arte. It is the oldest collective of artists in Mozambique. Seated in an old villa in the centre of Maputo the Núcleo has played a significant role in metropolitan cultural life for decades. Over one hundred painters, sculptors and ceramists are member of the Núcleo, which regularly stages exhibitions on its own premises and over the last few years has actively participated in exchanges with artists from abroad. The Núcleo became well known for their project transforming arms into tools and objects of art. It played an important role for reconciliation after the Mozambican Civil War. The exhibition of art objects such as the Chair of the African King and the Tree of Life was shown around the world, among others in the British Museum in 2006.[12]
Maputo is home to the Dockanema Documentary Film Festival, and international festival showcasing documentary films from around the world.
Tunduru Gardens, a public park designed by a British gardener in 1885, is located in the centre of town.
Maputo is the see city for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maputo.
Education
Maputo offers several options for education with pre-schools, primary, secondary schools and higher education institutions. The quality of the syllabus is said to differ greatly depending on whether an institution is private or public.
Higher Education
Mozambique's largest higher education institution is the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane which was established in 1968 as the Universidade de Lourenço Marques. Most of the universities faculties and departments are located in the city of Maputo with nearly 8,000 students attending 10 faculties. Some faculties also exist in Beira, Quelimane and Inhambane.
Since the 1990s there has also been a rapid growth of private education houses offering higher education such as Instituto Superior de Ciências e Tecnologias de Moçambique (ISCTEM) and Instituto Superior de Tecnologias e Gestão (ISTEG).
Secondary Education
In the secondary education market, there is again a strong divergence between private and public schooling. Maputo's private schools include the Maputo International School, American International School of Maputo amongst others. Some expatriates have chosen to enroll their children in schools such as Uplands, in White River, Nelspruit in South Africa and Waterford Kamhlaba in Mbabane, Swaziland.
Health Services
Maputo has several hospitals and clinics, including the city and country's largest hospital, the Hospital Central de Maputo (Maputo Central Hospital). Other hospitals include the public Hospital Geral José Macamo, and the private Clinica Sommerschield and the Clínica Cruz Azul in baixa.
The construction of Hospital Miguel Bombarda began in 1900. In 1976, Samora Machel renamed the hospital as Hospital Central de Maputo (HCM). The hospital has 1500 beds for in-patients and has an estimated staff number of 3000. It is made of a multi-block structure with 35 separate buildings spanning an area of 163,800 m2. The hospital has six departments: Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics. It also has divisions for Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and a morgue. The hospital provides services for an average 700 out-patients a day and over 1000 kilograms of washing is done daily. In the early 1990s, a section of the hospital was divided and turned into a private clinic offering higher quality services for those who could afford it called the Clínica Especial de Maputo.[13] The residence for the head of medicine is on the corner of Avenida Eduardo Mondlane and Avenida Salavador Allende. It is a historically valuable structure which was completed in 1908 and has since the 1990s been converted into a charming restaurant with colonial themes called Restaurante 1908. The upper floors are still used by the hospital as offices.
Climate
Maputo features a tropical savanna climate that borders on a humid subtropical climate. Maputo is a relatively dry city, averaging 761 mm of precipitation per year. The city has relatively short rainy season lasting from November through March. Maputo also features noticeably warmer and cooler seasons, with its warmest month (January) on average about 8 °C warmer than its coolest month (July).
| Climate data for Maputo | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 43 (109) |
39 (102) |
40 (104) |
39 (102) |
38 (100) |
34 (93) |
36 (97) |
38 (100) |
46 (115) |
45 (113) |
44 (111) |
44 (111) |
46 (115) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30 (86) |
31 (88) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
27 (81) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
26 (79) |
27 (81) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22 (72) |
22 (72) |
21 (70) |
19 (66) |
16 (61) |
13 (55) |
13 (55) |
14 (57) |
16 (61) |
18 (64) |
19 (66) |
21 (70) |
18 (64) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 16 (61) |
17 (63) |
16 (61) |
11 (52) |
8 (46) |
8 (46) |
7 (45) |
7 (45) |
9 (48) |
12 (54) |
11 (52) |
15 (59) |
7 (45) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 130 (5.1) |
125 (4.9) |
125 (4.9) |
53 (2.1) |
28 (1.1) |
20 (0.8) |
13 (0.5) |
13 (0.5) |
28 (1.1) |
48 (1.9) |
81 (3.2) |
97 (3.8) |
761 (30.0) |
| Source: BBC Weather [14] | |||||||||||||
Notable Previous & Current Residents
- Eusébio, footballer
- Carlos Cardoso, journalist
- Teresa Heinz
- Mariza, fado singer
- Neyma, singer
- Mia Couto, writer
- Maria Mutola, runner
- Al Bowlly, singer
- Pancho Guedes, architect
- Kok Nam, photojournalist
- Jose Craveirinha, poet
- Ricardo Rangel, photojournalist
Sister cities
See also
References
- ^ "Total Population By Provinces - 2006". Instituto Nacional de Estatística. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
- ^ Lourenço Marques "A cidade feitiço", a film of Lourenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique in 1970.
- ^ Lourenco Marques, a film of Lourenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique.
- ^ Dismantling the Portuguese Empire, Time Magazine (Monday, Jul. 07, 1975)
- ^ Dismantling the Portuguese Empire, Time Magazine (Monday, July 07, 1975).
- ^ http://siteresources.worldbank.org/IDA/Resources/IDA-Mozambique.pdf
- ^ http://www.maputo-tower.com
- ^ http://www.radissonblu.com/hotel-maputo
- ^ http://www.skyscrapercity.com/archive/index.php/t-986764.html
- ^ http://ehgarde.planetaclix.pt/mocambique/eletricos/tramlm.htm
- ^ Morais, João Sousa. Maputo, Património da Estrutura e Forma Urbana, Topologia do Lugar. Livros Horizonte, 2001, p. 110.(in Portuguese)
- ^ Spring, Chris; et al. "Farewell to Arms". TES. Times Educational Supplement. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
{{cite web}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|last=(help) - ^ http://www.misau.gov.mz/pt/provincias/cidade_de_maputo/hospital_central_de_maputo
- ^ "Average Conditions Maputo, Mozambique". BBC Weather. Retrieved August 18, 2009.
External links
- Photos and Map of Maputo
- All about Maputo
- Maputo Port Development Company
- Maputo International School
- American International School of Mozambique
- Template:Wikitravel
- Article about the 'Arms for Arts' project of the Núcleo de Arte
- Website of the Núcleo de Arte
- Mozambique Business and Information Portal
Provincial capitals of Mozambique | ||
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