UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Mozambique

UNESCO's Description

The fortified city of Mozambique is located on this island, a former Portuguese trading-post on the route to India. Its remarkable architectural unity is due to the consistent use, since the 16th century, of the same building techniques, building materials (stone or macuti ) and decorative principles.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

Pottery found on Mozambique Island indicates that the town was founded no later than the fourteenth century. According to tradition, the original Swahili population came from Kilwa. The town's rulers had links with the rulers of both Angoche and Quelimane by the fifteenth century. In 1514, Duarte Barbosa noted that the town had a Muslim population and that they spoke the same Swahili dialect as Angoche.

The name of the island (Portuguese: Moçambique, pronounced [musɐ̃ˈbiki]) is derived from Ali Musa Mbiki (Mussa Bin Bique), sultan of the island in the times of Vasco da Gama. This name was subsequently also used for the mainland country Mozambique, and Ilha de... (Island of...) was added to the island's name.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q331099 (CC0).

Visiting Island of Mozambique

Ilha de Mozambique (Mozambique Island) is an island in the Nampula Province in Northern Mozambique with a historical heritage that's among the best in Mozambique, and indeed in all of Africa. It was the capital of Mozambique for nearly four centuries under Portuguese colonization before the move to Lourenco Marques (now Maputo), and had been used as a major base for the Arab traders long before the arrival of the Portuguese. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The tiny, roughly 1 sq km island is connected by a concrete bridge with the mainland and is said to be crowded by 16000 inhabitants, most of them living in shacks with dismal sanitary conditions.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Ilha de Mozambique (CC BY-SA 4.0).

UNESCO's Description

This large and ecologically diverse transboundary property, located along the border of South Africa and Mozambique, includes a wide variety of ecosystems such as coral reefs, sandy beaches, coastal dunes, freshwater lakes, swamps, mangroves, seagrass beds, and savannahs. These environments are largely intact and support a high level of biodiversity. The property provides important habitats for many species, including nesting sea turtles, dolphins, migrating whales, whale sharks, and large populations of waterbirds such as pelicans, storks, and herons. The region’s dynamic natural processes, influenced by seasonal flooding and coastal storms, contribute to ongoing ecological change and high species diversity.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

Until 1895, the bay had been a home of the Tsonga people and their Tsonga fish kraal. This is the original and the natural home of the Tsonga people who lived here for more than 1000 years. Records from early Portuguese sailors correctly point out this area as well as areas further south to be occupied by the Tsonga people. The area was also known as Tembeland or Thongaland but the name fell into disuse around the early 1900s. The area was ruled by a Tsonga branch of the Vahlanganu (Tembe). The Swiss missionary, Reverend Henri-Alexandre Junod (known as HA Junod), conducted a scientific and ethnographic study of the Tsonga people during the early 1890s and produced a detailed map, showing the occupation of the bay by the Tsonga Tembe people.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q310719 (CC0).

Visiting iSimangaliso Wetland Park

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park, previously known as Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park, is one of the most diverse regions in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and very popular with tourists. In includes Mapelane Nature Reserve.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: ISimangaliso Wetland Park (CC BY-SA 4.0).