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The Island That Gave Mozambique Its Name
Nampula: History & Culture
Swahili settlers founded Ilha de Moçambique by no later than the 14th century, and Portugal built a fortified trading post here from 1507, making it the colonial capital until 1898. The 1522 Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte on the island is widely cited as the oldest European building still standing in the Southern Hemisphere. Under colonial rule the whole surrounding region was itself called Moçambique; independent Mozambique later took that name for the country, and the province was renamed for its own capital, Nampula city. UNESCO listed the island as a World Heritage Site in 1991.
Ilha de Moçambique (Island of Mozambique), Fort São Sebastião, Nacala Beach, Mount Inago
Heritage & Landmarks
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991; the former colonial capital
Built 1522; widely cited as the oldest European building in the Southern Hemisphere
16th-century Portuguese fortress on Ilha de Moçambique
A 1,804 m granite inselberg, among Mozambique's highest peaks
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