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Maputo () is the Capital city and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed over a land area of . The Maputo metropolitan area includes the neighbouring city of Matola, and has a total population of 2,717,437. Maputo is a port city, with an economy centered on commerce. It is noted for its vibrant cultural scene and distinctive, eclectic architecture. Maputo was formerly named Lourenço Marques (; until 1976).
Maputo is situated on Maputo Bay on the Indian Ocean, near where the rivers Tembe, Mbuluzi, Matola and Infulene converge. The city consists of seven administrative divisions, which are each subdivided into quarters or bairros. The city is surrounded by Maputo Province, but is administered as a self-contained, separate province since 1998. Maputo City is the geographically smallest and most densely populated province in Mozambique. Maputo is a city, with Xitsonga, Portuguese, and, to a lesser extent, Arabic, Indian, and Chinese language languages and cultures present. Almost 50% of Maputo speaks Portuguese as a native language as of 2017.
The area on which Maputo stands was first settled as a fishing village by ancient Tsonga people. It was soon named Lourenço Marques, after the navigator of the same name who explored the area in 1544. The modern city traces its origins to a Portugal fort established on the site in 1781. A town grew around the fort starting around 1850, and in 1877 it was elevated to city status. In 1898, the colony of Portuguese Mozambique relocated its capital there. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lourenço Marques grew both in population and economic development as a port city. Upon Mozambican independence in 1975, the city became the national capital and was renamed Maputo. During the Mozambican Civil War, the city's economy was devastated. When the war ended, the FRELIMO government launched a program to revive the city's economy, and to clean up the city by forcibly removing criminals, squatters, and undocumented residents.
Maputo has a number of landmarks, including Independence Square, City Hall, Maputo Fortress, the central market, Tunduru Gardens, and Maputo Railway Station. Maputo is known as an aesthetically attractive, if dilapidated, city. With wide avenues lined by jacaranda and acacia trees, it has earned the nicknames City of Acacias and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. The city is known for its distinct, eclectic architecture, with Portuguese colonial Neoclassical and Manueline styles alongside modern art deco, bauhaus, tropical modernism and Brutalist buildings. The historic Baixa de Maputo district is the downtown area. Maputo has a vibrant cultural scene, with many restaurants, music and performance venues, and local film industry. Maputo's economy is centred around its port, through which much of Mozambique's imports and exports are shipped. The chief exports include cotton, sugar, chromite, sisal, copra, and hardwood. In addition to trade, the city has robust manufacturing and service sectors. Several colleges and universities are located in Maputo, including Pedagogical University, São Tomás University, Catholic University of Mozambique, and Eduardo Mondlane University, the oldest in the country.
In 1871, the town was described as a poor place, with narrow streets, fairly good flat-roofed houses, grass huts, decayed forts, and a rusty cannon, enclosed by a recently erected wall high and protected by bastions at intervals. The growing importance of the Transvaal led, however, to greater interest being taken back in Portugal in the development of a 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, the opening of the NZASM railroad to Pretoria, South Africa, caused the city's population to grow. The Witwatersrand Gold Rush, which began in 1886, also increased the economic development of the city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as Lourenço Marques served as the closest seaport for the export of gold from South Africa.
On 9 December 1876, Lourenço Marques was elevated to the status of town ("vila" in Portuguese), and on 10 November 1887 it became a city.
The Luso-British conflict for the possession of Lourenço Marques ended on 24 July 1875 with Patrice de MacMahon, the French President, ruling in favour of Portugal.
In the early 20th century, with a well-equipped seaport, with piers, quays, landing sheds and electric cranes which enabled 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 to Southampton, Lisbon, and Hamburg.
With the continuous growth of the city's population due to its expanding economy centred 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 was opened in 1962. Portuguese, Islamic (including ), Indian (including from Portuguese India) and Chinese (including Macanese people) communities — but not the unskilled African majority — achieved great prosperity by developing the industrial and commercial sectors of the city. Urban areas of Mozambique grew quickly in this period due to the lack of restriction on the internal migration of indigenous Mozambicans, a situation that differed from the apartheid policies of neighbouring South Africa.
Before 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.
The Mozambique Liberation Front, or FRELIMO, formed in Tanzania in 1962 and led by Eduardo Mondlane, 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 almost all Portuguese overseas territories (except for Portuguese Timor and Macau).
The words "Aqui é Portugal" ( Here is Portugal) were once inscribed on the walkway of its municipal building.
Moreover, Maputo is particularly vulnerable to impacts such as and flooding caused by sea level rise. Poverty and inequality, which are concentrated in the overpopulated , further exacerbate climate change vulnerabilities in the city. A local vision of climate adaptation: Participatory urban planning in Mozambique, Vanesa Castán Broto, Emily Boyd, Jonathan Ensor, Domingos Augusto Macucule and Charlotte Allen, the Climate & Development Knowledge Network, 2014 According to the 2022 IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, Maputo is one of 12 major African cities (Abidjan, Alexandria, Algiers, Cape Town, Casablanca, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Durban, Lagos, Lomé, Luanda and Maputo) which would be the most severely affected by future sea level rise. It estimates that they would collectively sustain cumulative damages of US$65 billion under RCP 4.5 and US$86.5 billion for the high-emission scenario RCP 8.5 by the year 2050. Additionally, RCP 8.5 combined with the hypothetical impact from marine ice sheet instability at high levels of warming would involve up to US$137.5 billion in damages, while the additional accounting for the "low-probability, high-damage events" may increase aggregate risks to US$187 billion for the "moderate" RCP4.5, US$206 billion for RCP8.5 and US$397 billion under the high-end ice sheet instability scenario.Trisos, C.H., I.O. Adelekan, E. Totin, A. Ayanlade, J. Efitre, A. Gemeda, K. Kalaba, C. Lennard, C. Masao, Y. Mgaya, G. Ngaruiya, D. Olago, N.P. Simpson, and S. Zakieldeen 2022: Chapter 9: Africa. In Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability H.-O.. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 2043–2121 Since sea level rise would continue for about 10,000 years under every scenario of climate change, future costs of sea level rise would only increase, especially without adaptation measures.
| Central A/B/C – Alto Maé A/B – Malhangalene A/B – Polana Cimento A/B – Coop – Sommerschield |
| Aeroporto A/B – Xipamanine – Minkadjuíne – Unidade 7 – Chamanculo A/B/C/D – Malanga – Munhuana |
| Mafalala – Maxaquene A/B/C/D – Polana Caniço A/B – Urbanização |
| Mavalane A/B – FPLM – Hulene A/B – Ferroviário – Laulane – 3 de Fevereiro – Mahotas – Albazine – Costa do Sol |
| Bagamoyo – George Dimitrov (Benfica) – Inhagoia A/B – Jardim – Luís Cabral – Magoanine – Malhazine – Nsalene – 25 de Junho A/B(Choupal) – Zimpeto |
| Gwachene – Chale – Inguice – Ncassene – Xamissava |
| Ingwane – Ribjene – Nhaquene |
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, banks and other facilities.
Maputo faces many challenges, such as poor transport and drainage infrastructure, which have profound implications on people's livelihoods, particularly in informal settlements. Inadequate planning regulation and law enforcement, as well as perceived corruption in government processes, lack of communication across government departments and lack of concern or government coordination with respect to building codes are major impediments to progressing the development of Maputo's infrastructure, according to the Climate & Development Knowledge Network. Future Climate for Africa . Climate & Development Knowledge Network, accessed 2015-04-16
As a coastal city, Maputo is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise, and population growth is putting increasing pressure on the coastal areas. Using climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in coastal Ghana and Mozambique. Climate & Development Knowledge Network, accessed 2015-04-16
In 2011, PROMAPUTO2, the second phase of the project began. This phase was to last until 2015 and a total of US$105 million was spent. The plan called for an IT systems, Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) together with Geographic Information System (GIS). These systems would supposedly help the municipality control its budgets and manage tenders, while the GIS would allow for precise information about land location and titling to be kept. Several roads should have been expanded and improved and the Avenida Julius Nyerere finally completed. Financial sustainability for the project was to be guaranteed through the improved collection of property tax (IPRA). The project also coincided with the recent overhaul of the Road Safety and Traffic Regulations (final completion 2020) which was an antiquated system that had not seen changes since the 1950s. Amongst the new regulations, heavy penalties and fines would now apply to many detrimental actions done by automobiles, such as pollution, loud noises, and illegal maneuvers.
Maputo has a number of stadiums designed for football, which can be modified for other purposes, such as the new Estádio do Zimpeto, Estádio do Maxaquene and the Estádio do Costa do Sol which can seat 32,000, 15,000 and 10,000 people respectively. The largest stadium in the Metropolitan Area is, however, the Estádio da Machava (opened as Estádio Salazar), located in neighbouring Matola municipality. It opened in 1968, in Machava and was at the time the most advanced in the country conforming to standards set by FIFA and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The cycling track could be adjusted to allow for 20,000 more seats. It was the site where Portugal officially handed over the country to Samora Machel and FRELIMO on 25 June 1975. In 2005, the Birmingham based reggae group UB40 held a one-night-only concert in the stadium filled to maximum capacity. 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. A smaller football stadium, Estádio Mahafil, holds 4,000 people.
Beginning in the 1950s, motorsport was introduced to the city. At first race cars would compete in areas around the city, Polana and along the marginal but as funding and interest increased, a dedicated race track was built in the Costa Do Sol area along and behind the marginal with the ocean to the east with a length of . The initial surface of the new track, named Autódromo de Lourenço Marques did not provide enough grip and a crash in the late 1960s killed eight people and injured many more. Therefore, in 1970, the track was renovated and the surface changed to meet the safety requirements that were needed at large events with many spectators. The length then increased to . The city became host to several international and local events beginning with the inauguration on 26 November 1970. "Autódromo Lourenço Marques" (8 January 2009) AutoSport The track was abandoned after 1975 and events only occurred sporadically such as in 1981 when the government allowed the sport again. Since 2000, interest has been rekindled by the Automovel & Touring Club de Moçambique (ATCM) and several events including go-carting, drag racing and motocross are planned.
The city's main basketball arena is the Pavilhão do Maxaquene which holds up to 3,500 people. It is home to Ferroviário de Maputo which competes in the Basketball Africa League and the Mozambican Basketball League.
| Avenida 18 de Maio | Avenida Mártires de Inhaminga |
| Avenida 31 de Janeiro | Avenida Agostinho Neto |
| Avenida 5 de Outubro | Avenida Josina Machel |
| Praça 7 de Março | Praça 25 de Junho |
| Avenida Afonso de Albuquerque | Avenida Ahmed Sekou Touré |
| Rua Aires de Ornelas | Rua de Kassuende |
| Rua Alexandre Herculano | Rua Timor Leste |
| Avenida Almirante Canto e Castro | Avenida da Tanzania |
| Avenida Álvares Cabral | Avenida Zedequias Manganhela |
| Museu Álvaro de Castro | Museu de História Natural |
| Avenida Alves Correia | Avenida da Zambia |
| Casa Amarela | Museu Nacional da Moeda |
| Avenida Anchieta | Avenida Olof Palme |
| Avenida Andrade Corvo | Avenida Ho Chi Min |
| Escola Andrade Corvo | Escola Primária do 1º e 2º Graus 16 de Junho |
| Avenida de António Enes | Avenida Julius Nyerere |
| Liceu António Enes | Escola Secundária Francisco Manyanga |
| Rua António de Oliveira Salazar | Rua da Mesquita |
| Cabaret Aquário | Escola Nacional de Dança |
| Rua Major Araújo | Rua Bagamoyo |
| Edifício do Atneu Grego | Palácio dos Casamentos |
| Avenida Augusto de Castilho | Avenida Vladimir Lenine |
| Rua dos Aviadores | Rua da Argélia |
| Edifício do Banco Nacional Ultramarino | Banco de Moçambique |
| Bartolomeu Dias, Rua | Avenida Mártires de Mueda |
| Belegard da Silva, Avenida | Avenida Francisco O. Magumbwé |
| Caldas Xavier, Avenida | Avenida Marian N'gouabi |
| Câmara Municipal, Edifício da | Conselho Executivo |
| Consiglieri Pedroso, Rua | Rua Revolução de Outubro |
| Couceiro da Costa, Avenida | Avenida Armando Tivane |
| Desportivo de Lourenço Marques, Grupo | Grupo Desportivo de Maputo |
| Dicca, Cinema, Estudio 222 | Matchedje Cine-Estúdio 222 |
| Diogo Cão, Avenida | Avenida Lucas Luali |
| Direcção Geral das Alfândegas, Edifício da | Reitoria da Universidade Eduardo Mondlane |
| Doutor Serrão, Avenida do | Avenida Emília Daússe |
| Dr. Brito Camacho, Rua do | Avenida Patrice Lumumba |
| Dom João de Castro, Avenida | Rua Dom João de Castro |
| Dom Luiz 1º, Avenida | Avenida Samora Machel |
| Dom Manuel I, Avenida | Avenida da Marginal |
| Duques de Connaught, Avenida dos | Avenida Friedrich Engels |
| Eduardo Costa, Rua | Rua de Mukumbura |
| Estâncias, Estrada das | Rua das Estâncias |
| Fazenda, Edifício da | Conselho de Ministros |
| Fernandes Tomaz, Avenida | Avenida Mártires da Machava |
| Fonte Luminosa, Praça da | Praça Robert Mugabe |
| Funchal, Prédio | Hotel Rovuma |
| Gago Coutinho, Aeroporto | Aeroporto de Mavalane |
| General Bettencourt, Avenida do | Rua da Base Ntchinga |
| General Botha, Rua do | Avenida Tomás Nduda |
| General Craveiro Lopes, Avenida | Avenida dos Accordos de Lusaka |
| General Machado, Avenida do | Avenida Guerra Popular |
| General Machado, Escola | Universidade Pedagógica |
| General Rosado, Rua do | Avenida Kim Il Sung |
| Gomes Freire, Avenida | Avenida Paulo Samuel Kankhomba |
| Governador Simas, Rua do | Rua Mateus Sansão Muthemba |
| Guerra Junqueiro, Rua | Rua José Mateus |
| Heróis de Marracuene, Rua dos | Rua da Resistência |
| Hotel Clube | Centro Cultural Franco-Moçambicano |
| Infante, Cinema | Cinema Charlot |
| João Albasini, Largo | Praça 21 de Outubro |
| João Belo, Escola Primária | Escola Primária 7 de Setembro |
| João das Regras, Rua | Rua de Nachingwea |
| João de Deus, Avenida | Avenida Romão Fernandes Farinha |
| José Cabral, Parque | Parque dos Continuadores |
| Joaquim de Araújo, Escola | Escola Secundária Estrela Vermelha |
| Lapa, Rua | Rua Joaquim Lapa |
| Lar Moderno, Edifício do | Centro de Estudos Brasileiro |
| Latino Coelho, Avenida | Avenida Maguiguana |
| Lidemburgo, Rua de | Avenida Rio Tembe |
| Lisboa, Miradouro de | Miradouro |
| Lisboa, Rua de | Avenida Milagre Mabote |
| Luciano Cordeiro, Avenida | Avenida Albert Luthuli |
| Mac Mahon, Praça | Praça dos Trabalhadores |
| Manuel de Arriaga, Avenida | Avenida Karl Marx |
| Manuel Rodrigues, Cinema | Cine Teatro África |
| Massano de Amorim, Avenida | Avenida Mao Tsé Tung |
| Mendonça Barreto, Avenida | Avenida do Rio Limpopo |
| Mouzinho de Albuquerque, Praça | Praça da Independência |
| Nevala, Rua de | Avenida Nkwam Nkruma |
| Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Avenida | Avenida Kenneth Kaunda |
| Oliveira Salazar, Estádio | Estádio da Machava |
| Paiva de Andrada, Avenida | Avenida Mahomed Siad Barre |
| Paiva Manso, Avenida | Avenida Filipe Samuel Magaia |
| Pero da Covilhã, Rua | Rua Belmiro O. Muianga |
| Pero de Alenquer, Rua | Avenida Amílcar Cabral |
| Pesca Desportiva, Clube de | Escola Náutica de Moçambique |
| Pinheiro Chagas, Avenida | Avenida Eduardo Mondlane |
| Porto, Rua do | Rua Malhangalene |
| Princesa Patrícia, Rua da | Avenida Salvador Allende |
| Rebelo da Silva, Escola Primária | Escola Primária 3 de Fevereiro |
| República, Avenida da | Avenida 25 de Setembro |
| Sagres, Rua de | Avenida 10 de Novembro |
| Salazar, Liceu | Escola Secundária Josina Machel |
| Sporting Clube de Lourenço Marques | Clube de Desportos Maxaquene |
| Turismo, Hotel | Hotel Ibis |
| Vasco da Gama, Jardim | Jardim Tunduro |
| Vasco da Gama, Mercado | Mercado Municipal (Bazar da Baixa) |
A new terminal for vehicles was developed, which allowed for over 50,000 vehicles to be moved per year (Phase 1) with a peak 250,000 under an agreement with Höegh Autoliners as a potential trans-shipment route between the Middle East and Europe. Coal will also be exported from the Matola side at a rate of 10 million tons per year. It is envisaged that by 2020, the port will generate about US$160 million per year. By 2030, the port will be able to handle up to 25 trains a day and 1,500 trucks for a total of 50 million tons of cargo per year. The total investment will exceed US$500 million.
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 1960s and 1970s were characterized by modernist and brutalist 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.Abdel, Hana (9 July 2021). Retrieved 24 December 2023.
https://www.archdaily.com/964247/pancho-guedes-1925-2015-sculpting-a-new-africa
Additionally, many acacia trees that once lined the footpaths and gave the city its distinct identity have also been removed for unclear reasons. The process gains momentum usually in the winter months between June and August under the guise of pruning overgrown trees. Without proper supervision the pruning work is excessive and destructive leading to the eventual loss of the tree.
For much of the late 1970s and 1980s, the local film industry was geared towards creating "home-made" productions depicting Socialist ideologies which placed great influence on the family unit, the non-commercialized production of agriculture and political autonomy. Maputo has been the setting for many Hollywood blockbuster movies such as The Interpreter, Blood Diamond and Ali.
The city's notable landmarks include:
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), Instituto Superior de Tecnologias e Gestão (ISTEG) and Instituto Superior de Transportes e Comunicações (ISUTC).
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 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. 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.
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