Sofala is a
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
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 ...
. It has a population of 2,259,248 (2017 census).
Beira is the capital of the province, named for the ruined port of
Sofala
Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Mwenemutapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique. It was founded by Somali merchants. This name wa ...
which is to the south.
History
Portuguese landholder and imperialist
Joaquim Carlos Paiva de Andrada established a base at the river mouth at what is now Beira in 1884.
Sofala Province is one of the strongholds of the
RENAMO
RENAMO (from the Portuguese , ) is a Mozambican political party and militant group. The party was founded with the active sponsorship of the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) in May 1977 from anti-communist dissidents oppose ...
.
In late 1978 RENAMO guerrillas were "ranging into Sofala Province and launching attacks along the Beira–Chimoio road and rail line, the Dondo–Inhaminga corridor".
Some of the more scarcely populated areas of the province are affected by landmines; defensive rings around villages were still common in some rural areas according to mid 1990s reports by
Oxfam
Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International.
History
Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...
.
In March 2019, the province was severely affected by
Cyclone Idai
Intense Tropical Cyclone Idai () was one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect Africa and the Southern Hemisphere. The long-lived storm caused catastrophic damage, and a humanitarian crisis in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, lea ...
, with its capital city of Beira being largely destroyed.
The flooding resulting from this storm was widespread throughout the province and the rest of Central Mozambique.
Demographics
Geography
![Moçambique_Sofala](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Mo%C3%A7ambique_Sofala.gif)
Sofala Province, in central-eastern Mozambique, covers an area of . The province is bordered to the north by
Tete Province
Tete is a Provinces of Mozambique, province of Mozambique. It has an area of 98,417 km² and a population of 2,648,941 (2017 census).
Tete is the capital of the province. The Cahora Bassa Dam is situated in this province.
Districts
On ...
, to the northeast by
Zambezia Province
Zambezia ( pt, Zambézia) is the second most-populous province of Mozambique, located in the central coastal region south-west of Nampula Province and north-east of Sofala Province. It has a population of 5.11 million, according to the 2017 censu ...
, to the south by
Inhambane Province
Inhambane is a province of Mozambique located on the coast in the southern part of the country. It has an area of 68,615 km2 and a population of 1,488,676 (2017 census). The provincial capital is also called Inhambane.
The climate is trop ...
, and to the west by
Manica Province
Manica is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 62,272 km² and a population of 1,945,994 (2017 census). The province is surrounded by Zimbabwe in the west, Tete Province in the northwest, Sofala Province in the east, Save River in t ...
.
Rivers flowing through the province include the
Chiveve River, the
Buzi River, the
Save River, which flows along the Inhambane provincial border, and the
Púnguè River
Pungwe River ( pt, Rio Púngoè, links=no or ''Rio Púnguè'') is a long river in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It rises below Mount Nyangani in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and then flows southeasteastward through the Manica and Sofala provinces ...
, which flows into the sea at Beira. On the
Urema River
The Urema Valley, also known as the Urema Graben, is a lowland valley in Sofala Province of central Mozambique.
The Urema Valley extends from the Zambezi River south to Sofala Bay. It is a typical graben valley, with a flat bottom and escarpment ...
, a tributary of the Púnguè, the river forms the lagoon which are home to hundreds of hippopotamus.
The valleys of the province are subject to flooding; in late January 2012, unusually heavy rain caused widespread flooding along the banks of the Púnguè and the Save, and other major rivers in Africa such as the
Zambezi
The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...
and
Limpopo
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...
, leading over 100,000 people in total to be evacuated.
Gorongosa National Park
Gorongosa National Park is at the southern end of the Great African Rift Valley in the heart of central Mozambique, Southeast Africa. The more than park comprises the valley floor and parts of surrounding plateaus. Rivers originating on nearby M ...
, at the southern end of the
Great African Rift Valley
The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The EAR began developing around the onset of the Miocene, 22–25 million years ago. In the past it was considered to be part of ...
, covers several thousand square kilometres, including the valley floor and parts of surrounding forested
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...
s,
which contain
miombo
The Miombo woodland is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome (in the World Wide Fund for Nature scheme) located primarily in Central Africa. It includes four woodland savanna ecoregions (listed below) characterized b ...
and
montane forest
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...
s. The park contains the
Mount Gorongosa
Mount Gorongosa is an inselberg in Sofala Province of central Mozambique. Its highest peak, Gogogo, reaches an elevation of 1,863 meters (6,112 feet). It was created by Karoo Volcanism.
The upper zone of the mountain (above 700 meters) was mad ...
, a mountain which is considered sacred to the people of the country.
On the eastern slope of the mountain is a number of vegetation zones according to elevation, and there are numerous limestone caves in the vicinity.
Districts
Sofala
Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Mwenemutapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique. It was founded by Somali merchants. This name wa ...
Province is divided into the 13 districts of:
*
Beira District
*
Buzi District
Buzi District is a Districts of Mozambique, district of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The principal town is
Búzi. The district is located in the southeast of the province, and borders with Nhamatanda District in the north, Dondo District in the ...
*
Caia District
Caia District is a district of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The principal town is
Caia. The district is located in the north of the province, and borders with Chemba District in the north, Marromeu District in the southeast, Cheringoma Distric ...
*
Chemba District
*
Cheringoma District
Cheringoma District is a district of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The principal town is
Inhaminga. The district is located in the northeast of the province, and borders with Caia District in the north, Marromeu District in the northeast, Muanz ...
*
Chibabava District
*
Dondo District
Dondo District is a district of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The principal town is
Dondo. The district is located in the center of the province, and borders with Muanza District in the north, the city of Beira and Buzi District in the south, a ...
*
Gorongosa District
Gorongosa District is a district of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The principal town is Gorongosa. The district is located in the northwest of the province, and borders with Maringué District in the north, Cheringoma District in the east, Muanz ...
*
Marromeu District
Marromeu District is a district of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The principal town is
Marromeu. The district is located in the northeast of the province, and borders with Chinde and Mopeia Districts of Zambezia Province in the north, Cheringoma ...
*
Machanga District
*
Maringué District
Maringué District is a Districts of Mozambique, district of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The principal town is
Maringué. The district is located in the north of the province, and borders with Chemba District in the north, Caia District in the ...
*
Muanza District
Muanza District is a district of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The principal town is Muanza. The district is located in the center of the province, and borders with Cheringoma District in the north, Dondo District in the south, Nhamatanda Distr ...
*
Nhamatanda District
Nhamatanda District is a Districts of Mozambique, district of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The principal town is
Nhamatanda. The district is located in the center of the province, and borders with Gorongosa District in the north, Muanza District ...
Economy
![TT CMZ-AF-GT E 2-1 4 87 - Nova Muralha](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/TT_CMZ-AF-GT_E_2-1_4_87_-_Nova_Muralha._Amassadouros.jpg)
The city of
Beira, the provincial capital and Mozambique's second-largest city and the busiest port in the country, plays a key role in the local economy. Principal exports include ores, tobacco, food products, cotton, hides and skins, with the chief imports including fertilizers, equipment and textiles, liquid fuels and wheat.
The Mozambique Company had their headquarters in Beira, during the building of the railway across the country.
Many buildings remain from the colonial period, it is "as famed for its seafood as for its tawdry nightlife".
The
Makuti Lighthouse of Beira was built in 1904.
The oil trade has been important to the regional economy, with Beira connected by pipeline to Zimbabwe in 1960. The port of Beira is crucial for the trade in oil involving Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Congo.
In the 21st century, agricultural productivity in the province has shown significant improvement, reducing poverty.
The Austrian Development Cooperation has played a major role in investment in the province.
References
External links
*
Province of Sofala official site
{{Authority control
Provinces of Mozambique