| Beira, Mozambique | |
  Beira, Mozambique
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country |  Mozambique |
| Provinces | Sofala Province |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 546,000 |
Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique (Moçambique or República de Moçambique, ʁɛ'publikɐ d musɐ̃'bik is a country in southeastern Africa |||} Mozambique is divided into 10 Provinces ( províncias) and 1 capital city ( cidade) with provincial status Cabo Delgado Province Sofala is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 68018 km² and a population of 1 Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique (Moçambique or República de Moçambique, ʁɛ'publikɐ d musɐ̃'bik is a country in southeastern Africa It lies in the central region of the country in Sofala Province, where the Pungue River meets the Indian Ocean. Sofala is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 68018 km² and a population of 1 Pungwe River (Rio Púnguè is a 400 km long river in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface It had a population of 412,588 in 1997 and an estimated 546,000 in 2006. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It holds the regionally-significant Port of Beira which acts as a gateway for both the central interior portion of the country as well as the land-locked nations of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. See also Great Zimbabwe National Monument. For information about the March and June 2008 presidential elections see Zimbabwean presidential election The Republic of Zambia (ˈzæmbɪə is a Landlocked country in Southern Africa. The Republic of Malawi (məˈlɑːwi or; formerly Nyasaland) is in southern Africa. Beira was originally developed by the Portuguese Mozambique Company in the 19th century, and directly developed by the Portuguese colonial government from 1947 to 1975, when Mozambique become independent from Portugal. The Mozambique Company, in Portuguese the Companhia de Moçambique, was a royal company in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique, that had the concession
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History
The city was established in 1890 by the Portuguese and soon supplanted Sofala as the main port in the Portuguese-administered region. Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. There is also Sofala New South Wales Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Monomotapa Before Mozambique's independence from Portugal, as a city of the Portuguese overseas province of Mozambique, Beira was noted for its tourism. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel A large English-speaking population was the result of being a favourite holiday destination for white Rhodesians. A small number of people of European ethnic origin ( Whites) first came as settlers to the African country now known as Zimbabwe during the late nineteenth century One reminder of this is the Grande Hotel, built by the Portuguese, near the shore of the Indian Ocean, which now lies in near-ruins, but is still occupied by around 1,000 poor Beirans. The Grande Hotel Beira was a luxury hotel in Beira Mozambique that was open from 1952 to 1963 The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface
In the year 2000, Beira, along with Maputo and most of Southern Mozambique was covered by flooding. Millions were left homeless and hundreds died. The 2000 Mozambique flood had a negative impact on the local economy. The 2000 Mozambique flood was a Natural disaster that occurred in February and March 2000
Attractions
Attractions in the city include its cathedral, lighthouse and Macuti Beach. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral A lighthouse is a Tower, building or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or in older times from a fire and used as an It is also home to an airport and lies at the end of a railway line to Harare. An airport is a location where Aircraft such as airplanes, Helicopters and blimps take off and land Harare (həˈrɑreɪ or /həˈrɑri/ formerly Salisbury) is the Capital of Zimbabwe. There are a few restaurants of note in the area that are up to par for tourists. Bique's (threatened by the sea waters) is a restaurant located on an attractive stretch of beach along the southeastern edge of the city some kilometers from the city center and serves several traditional African dishes as well as some South African cuisine. Another restaurant located within the heart of downtown is called Kanimambo and is owned by a native Macanese couple that serves authentic (and very good, even by Western standards) Chinese food. Both restaurants are easily located by asking directions.
The only notable hotel for tourists is called the Tivoli and is located downtown, near Kanimambo. The rooms are small but clean, and unless you know someone with a nice place in town you'll be hard pressed to find anything better. There are some good alternatives in the form of Macuti housing complex, another nice lodge by the Macuti Lighthouse, and a good simple pension on Eduardo Mondlane Avenue.
In the city itself there is very little to see in the way of tourist attractions. Beira does not cater for the mass-tourist, but can be very interesting to the photographer with many places of great human, architectural and nature value. If you are interested in a bit of history you might want to swing by the Grande Hotel Beira, which was built by the Portuguese to be an exquisite hotel but was abandoned before opening when Mozambique gained its independence of the colonial rulers and is now occupied by several hundred squatters. The Grande Hotel Beira was a luxury hotel in Beira Mozambique that was open from 1952 to 1963
If you make your way towards the east, away from the city, on the opposite side of the peninsula (bordered on the west by the a large ocean inlet/river and on the east by the Indian Ocean) on which the city is located you will find some very beautiful, pristine white-sand beaches and no one else in sight for miles. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface Here and there as you head north you will encounter small villages and if you time your visit right you will find fishermen coming home with their catches. Pay particular attention to their prawns (camarāo), which are delicious and which they will sell to you at a very low price if you know how to negotiate and if you're willing to prepare (de-shell) and cook them yourself. Prawns are Crustaceans belonging to the sub-order Dendrobranchiata Prawns can also be obtained right southwest of the downtown area, on the beach, usually early in the mornings. There is a large market in the area and it is hard to miss.
Two tourists were recently murdered at Macuti beach at night, so extra precaution should be taken in that area. Security is a serious issue in Beria, and if you walk around with money, cellphone or camera and look like a tourist, be it in city center or on isolated stretches of beach, you can get into trouble. General rule is to not take anything except for some hand money when going around. Carrying a handgun or knife for personal protection is recommended.
Heading north along the only highway that leaves the city you will soon come across the entrance to the old Gorongosa national park. Gorongosa National Park is at the southern end of the Great African Rift Valley in the heart of central Mozambique. Absolutely worth seeing if you have the time and willingness to rough it through the overgrown roads and paths and a relative lack of infrastructure. The government still stations a few rangers in the park and there is rapid work being done to restore the park to its former glory, but there is much left undone. Do not expect a comfy, hand-holding safari, but many will find the potential rewards of a trek through a virtually untouched game reserve worth the hassle and risks. SAFARI was an attempt by the French government under the presidency of Georges Pompidou, to create a centralized database of personal data
These days, nice places to visit include the Nautico's for food and sea, Biques and Pappas (best food but also expensive), eat some "pasteís" in the city center or visit the local markets.
Another highlight is Savane, which is a small camp with restaurant and beach outside Beira. The water is a bit more transparent, the food ok and the boat trip over the river a nice bit of fun. You will need a 4x4 to traverse the dirt road to Savane from Beira. It takes approximately 1 hour to drive 30 km on this road when it is in (relatively) good condition.
Rio Maria is also worth visiting, and is an estuary. There are no facilities. Main attractions are the natural beauty and people.
Town twinning
Bristol, UK (since 1990)
Amsterdam, NL
Padua, IT
Porto, PT (source: http://www.cm-porto.pt/gen.pl?sid=cmp.sections/521)
See also
References
External links
- Municipio da Beira an official site of the Municipality of Beira, with news and recent pictures
- Cidade da Beira a Portuguese language site with some old and new pictures
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