Nacala, also known as Cidade de Nacala or Nacala-Porto is a city on the northern coast of

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. Located in the southwestern indentation of inner

Fernao Veloso Bay Fernao Veloso Bay ( pt, Baía de Fernão Veloso) is a bay in Mozambique. It is located in Nampula Province, south of Memba Bay on the northern coast of Mozambique. Currently the bay is a popular tourist area, having some fine beaches and diving s ...

, it is the deepest natural

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

on the east coast of Africa. Nacala serves as the terminal for the

Nacala railway Nacala railway, also known as Northern Corridor railway and Nacala Corridor railway, is a railway line that operates in northern Mozambique on a lineGarcia, Ana.; Kato, Karina.Politicas Públicas e Interesses Privadas: uma análise a partir do Cor ...

, a rail line to the landlocked

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

. South of Nacala is

Mozambique Island The Island of Mozambique ( pt, Ilha de Moçambique) lies off northern Mozambique, between the Mozambique Channel and Mossuril Bay, and is part of Nampula Province. Prior to 1898, it was the capital of colonial Portuguese East Africa. With its ric ...

, at one time the capital of Mozambique and now a

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

site.

History

Nacala was founded as a little town and developed as a deep waters port and an industrial, agricultural and exporting centre during the last period of the Portuguese rule of the territory which ended in the mid-1970s. Among its major industries were

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

sisal Sisal (, ) (''Agave sisalana'') is a species of flowering plant native to southern Mexico, but widely cultivated and naturalized in many other countries. It yields a stiff fibre used in making rope and various other products. The term sisal ma ...

and

cashew The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus ''Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf cult ...

. Other important employers were the seaport, its small modern hospital, and services (banking, insurance and administration).

Industry

Nacala is site of one of three

cement works A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

Transport

Nacala is the terminal of the

that connects to the Central East African Railway (CEAR) of

. The railway system was managed by the

Railroad Development Corporation The Railroad Development Corporation is an American railroad holding company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It operates several short line railroads outside the United States and acts as an investor, with management and institutional investor ...

until September 2008 when it was sold to a group of Mozambican investors.RDC management
/ref> It is the location of the deep water port of

Port of Nacala The Port of Nacala, also called the Nacala port complex, is a Mozambican port located in the cities of Nacala and Nacala-a-Velha. Is the deepest port in Southern Africa. The natural deep harbour serves landlocked Malawi with a railway. The inf ...

. A coal terminal, operated by the Port of Nacala, is located in the town of

Nacala-a-Velha Nacala-a-Velha, is a town on the northern coast of Mozambique. It is located on the western shore of inner Fernao Veloso Bay, opposite the city of Nacala. Nacala-a-Velha is the site of a large marine coal terminal which opened in January 2016. Th ...

on the opposite side of the bay from Nacala.

Nacala Airport Nacala Airport is an airport near Nacala, in Nampula Province in Mozambique. Formerly a military airport, it underwent a major redevelopment to convert it to commercial use. The redeveloped airport opened in 2014, but for the last three years h ...

is a former airbase that has been converted into an international airport.

Demographics

Climate

Miscellaneous

The town is also known for its

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

es and scuba diving.

Namesake

There is another town in Mozambique called Nacala, the port city being called Cidade de Nacala.

References

{{coord, 14, 32, 34, S, 40, 40, 22, E, display=title

External links

Port of Nacala information

Nacala development corridor

Accommodation and Scuba Diving on the east side of the bay
Populated places in Nampula Province