Inhambane

Inhambane is a town located in southern Mozambique, lying on Inhambane Bay, 470 km northeast of Maputo. It is the capital of the Inhambane Province and has according to the 2007 census has a population of 63,837, growing from the 1997 census of 54,157. It is a sleepy historic town known for its rusting colonial architecture and has been popular with tourists in recent years. The settlement owes its existence to a deep inlet into which the small r... more

Inhambane is a town located in southern Mozambique, lying on Inhambane Bay, 470 km northeast of Maputo. It is the capital of the Inhambane Province and has according to the 2007 census has a population of 63,837, growing from the 1997 census of 54,157. It is a sleepy historic town known for its rusting colonial architecture and has been popular with tourists in recent years. The settlement owes its existence to a deep inlet into which the small river the Matamba flows. Two protective sandy headlands protect the harbor and form a sandbank. The town of Maxixe is located across the bay. Inhambane is one of the oldest settlements on the East Coast of Mozambique. Dhows traded at the place as early as the 11th century. Muslim and Persian traders traded pearls and ambergris and also traded at Chibuene in the south. The area became well known for its local cotton spinning and production by the Tonga tribe. Sometime before the Portuguese discovered the town, the Karanga had invaded Inhambane... less