Zavora is a beach, north east of

Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the Capital city, capital, 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 popul ...

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 ...

, in the district of

Inharrime Inharrime is a small town in Inharrime District in southern Mozambique on the shores of some coastal lakes. Transport It was once served by an isolated narrow gauge railway from the port of Inhambane. It is now accessible by bus services f ...

, province of

Inhambane Inhambane, also known as Terra de Boa Gente (''Land of Good People''), is a city located in southern Mozambique, lying on Inhambane Bay, 470 km northeast of Maputo. It is the capital of the Inhambane Province and according to the 2017 census ...

. It is located 420 km north east of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, and 27 km east from the town of

. The capital of the province, the city of

, is approximately 2 hours drive away towards the North East. The correct Portuguese spelling is ''Závora'', and some maps refer to the area as "Ponta de Závora", Portuguese for "Tip of Zavora" or "Praia de Závora" meaning "Beach of Zavora". The origin of the name Zavora is not known. There is also a fish called Zavora-pypvis (

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

language), or translated Zavora-pipefish. The biological name is

Halicampus zavorensis The Zavora pipefish (''Halicampus zavorensis'') is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is only known from three specimens found in the Western Indian Ocean, one from Zavora, Mozambique and two from Sur, Oman. Little is known a ...

from the family Syngnathidae. According to one referenc

it is a fish found in Western Indian Ocean: known only from one specimen from Zavora, Mozambique and two from Sur, Oman. The word Zavora is also used as a surname in some languages and therefore the town's name could have originated from a person. Although the local people can speak Tsonga language, Shangaan and Portuguese, the local language is

Chopi Chopi may refer to: * Chopi people, an ethnic group of Mozambique * Chopi language, a Bantu language spoken along the southern coast of Mozambique * Chopi blackbird (''Gnorimopsar chopi''), a bird of family Icteridae * A spice made from ''Zanthoxylu ...

. English is limited to mostly businesses and lodges. Zavora is mostly known for its beautiful natural reef and one of few remaining lighthouses along this coast. The reef makes it a popular vacation location and attracts many visitors during holidays, especially,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. There remains some old buildings that still exist from after the Portuguese left Mozambique. These are currently used as accommodation by a local lodge. Most of the people make a living from fishing and farming of small crops. Zavora is also home to one of few remaining lighthouses in Mozambique. The tower of 53 feet was built in 1910 and is still operational with 10sec interval light flashes in aid to passing ships etc. The grounds are open to the public. It was at a position south-southwaet of the Cape Zavora lighthouse where the coastal tanker '' Africa Shell'' was intercepted and sunk by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Pocket Battleship '' Admiral Graff Spee'' on November 15, 1939, being the sixth victim of ''Graf Spee's'' commerce raiding

sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...

. According to some reference, a Dutch liner, the , struck a submerged reef, 5 miles from Cape Barra near Inhambane on 8 January 1953. In an SA news release this area where the ship sank was referred to as Cape Zavora (Portuguese East Africa) This newsalert doubted that it could have been a submerged reef and referred to it as a hidden 'obstacle'.

References

External links

* FishBase

* For projects in Zavora

* For images

* For images and demographics

{{coord, 24, 31, S, 35, 12, E, display=title, region:MZ_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Populated places in Inhambane Province