"The most European city of Africa" Maputo by ntm2322

I was 3 years old when I went to Lourenco Marques (today's Maputo) with my parents, older sister and younger brother.

I lived there for 10 years and unfortunately right after the independance we had to return to Portugal.

I miss Maputo very, very much. I lost all my friends but I still keep the city in my heart and remember the places I used to go.

Next year I am thinking to go back for a visit. I left Maputo as a teenager and I will go back already married and with a child.

If you would like to see beautiful images of Maputo press here

Facts about the city

Maputo is a port situated on the Indian Ocean and is the capital of Mozambique.

Maputo produces cement, pottery, furniture, shoes and rubber and exports coal, cotton, sugar, chrome, sisal, copra, and hardwood.

Official language: Portuguese

The capital’s first name was Lourenço Marques and the city was founded in the late 18th century.

Lourenço Marques was a Portuguese trader and the first European to explore the area in 1544. In 1898 Lourenço Marques became the capital of Mozambique.

After Mozambique’s independence in 1976, the name of the capital changed to Maputo.

I still remember before 1976 people from South Africa saying that Maputo (Lourenço Marques) was the most European city of Africa and it is quite true. Maputo is a city with square blocks and wide avenues and its architecture looks like the Portuguese typical architecture of the 70’s.

Although the colonial and the civil war lasted for many years, Maputo was not damaged, it was considered a neutral place.

Some people who have been there recently in holidays told me that Maputo’s economy is slowly rising (the civil war ended in 1992) and the tourism is flourishing again.

The cuisine in Maputo has a great influence from the Portuguese and the Muslim, so I am sure you will eat very well, don’t worry.

For your information Maputo is a center of several cultures and the Portuguese and Bantu are the most importants. There is also a significant influence from Arab, East Indian and Chinese cultures, and of course from South Africa.

If you are planning a trip to Maputo and would like to obtain some useful information in English, press here and have a wonderful time down there.