Inhaca Island ( Portuguese: ''Ilha da Inhaca'') is a subtropical island 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 ...

off the

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historica ...

n coast. The main village is Inhaca, situated just over a kilometer from

Inhaca Airport Inhaca Airport is an airport near Inhaca, a town on Inhaca Island, in the Maputo Province in Mozambique. It is located across Maputo Bay from the country's capital city of Maputo. Facilities The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea ...

. Various tourist lodges are situated along the northwestern coastline. The island is flanked by protected areas along the western and eastern coastlines, while the majority of the population lives in the interior. The island separates

Maputo Bay Maputo Bay ( pt, Baía de Maputo), formerly also known as Delagoa Bay from ''Baía da Lagoa'' in Portuguese, is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Mozambique, between 25° 40' and 26° 20' S, with a length from north to south of over 90&n ...

(''Baía de Maputo'') to the west from the Indian Ocean off its eastern shores. The island's irregular coastline approaches the mainland

Machangulo The southern perimeter of Maputo Bay from space: Machangulo peninsula and Inhaca Island are at right and top right respectively. The Machangulo peninsula is situated in the southernmost part of Mozambique adjacent to Inhaca and Portuguese Isla ...

peninsula at Ponta Torres where a

tidal race Tidal race or tidal rapid is a natural occurrence whereby a fast-moving tide passes through a constriction, resulting in the formation of waves, eddies and hazardous currents. The constriction can be a passage where the sides narrow, for example ...

separates the two headlands. In administrative terms Inhaca is a municipal district of the municipality of

Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the 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 population of 1,0 ...

, while the Machangulo peninsula is included under the

Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area was born out of the Peace park, Peace Park Foundation’s vision to establish a network of transfrontier conservation biology, conservation areas in southern Africa. It straddles the border between Sout ...

and is part of the district of Matutuíne,

Maputo Province Maputo Province is a province of Mozambique; the province excludes the city of Maputo (which comprises a separate province). The province has an area of and a population of 1,968,906 (2017 census). Its capital is the city of Matola. Geograp ...

Geographical features

The island's dimensions are approximately 12 km (n-s) by 7 km (e-w). The highest point above sea level is the Mount Inhaca on the north-eastern shoreline. The south-western peninsula is known as Ponta Punduine while Ponta Torres to the south-east approaches the mainland. Two inland swamps occur at the northerly airstrip and southern Nhaquene respectively. Besides Inhaca settlement on the western shore there are five smaller villages including Inguane, Nhaquene, Ridjeni and Tobia.

History

Despite being a part of the

Portuguese Mozambique Portuguese Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique) or Portuguese East Africa (''África Oriental Portuguesa'') were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese colony. Portuguese Mozambique originally ...

until 1975, the island of Inhaca, so close to the harbour of

, was occupied by the British from 1823 until the MacMahon Treaty of 24 July 1875. The British used the island (amongst many others all around Africa) to patrol and control the slave traffic in the region.

Ecology

Flora

The island is a regular destination for ecotourists and ecological researchers. The central land area consists of cultivated fields, while grassy plains are found to the north, flanked by protected

usnea ''Usnea'' is a genus of mostly pale grayish-green fruticose lichens that grow like leafless mini-shrubs or tassels anchored on bark or twigs.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, The genus is in the f ...

-covered dune forests along the eastern and western shores. Extensive exposed

mudflat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal f ...

s fringe the western and southern shores at low tide.

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

s cover large sections of the northern shores and southern

Saco Bay Saco Bay is a small curved embayment of the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic coast of Maine in the United States. The name derives "from a map of the coastline made in 1525 by the Spanish explorer Esteban Gómez. He named the bay ''Bahio de Saco'' ...

. The sub-tropical evergreen forest on the island includes the following tree species: ''

Sideroxylon inerme ''Sideroxylon inerme'' (aMasethole or white milkwood, af, wit-melkhout, xh, Ximafana, zu, Umakhwelafingqane) is a Southern African coastal tree, with dense foliage, black berries and small, foetid, greenish flowers. The tree's generic name me ...

'', ''

Apodytes dimidiata ''Apodytes dimidiata'' (white pear or umDakane) is a bushy tree with white flowers bearing a fragrance reminiscent of fresh coconut, and small black and red fruits. It is usually about 5 m tall (but reaches a height of 20 m when growing ...

'', ''

Euclea schimperi ''Euclea racemosa'' (the sea guarrie or dune guarrie) is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree that is indigenous to the Indian Ocean coast of Africa from Egypt to South Africa, as well as in Comoros, Oman and Yemen. ''Euclea racemosa'' has l ...

'', ''

Manilkara discolor ''Manilkara'' is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae. They are widespread in tropical and semitropical locations, in Africa, Madagascar, Asia, Australia, and Latin America, as well as various islands in the Pacific and in the Caribbean. ...

'', ''

Dovyalis rhamnoides ''Dovyalis'' is a genus of shrubs and small trees. Recent genetic evidence has shown the genus to belong to the family Salicaceae; formerly it was classified in the family Flacourtiaceae. The 15 species are native to Africa (Ethiopia south to So ...

'', '' Dovyalis tristis'', '' Diospyros natalensis'', ''

Clausena anisata :''Should not be confused with syzygium anisatum, a tree native to eastern Australian rainforests, used as a culinary herb.'' ''Clausena anisata'' ( Willd.) Hook.f. ex Benth. is a deciduous shrub or small tree, belonging to the Rutaceae or Ci ...

'', '' Cassine papillosa'', ''

Olea africana ''Olea europaea'' subsp. ''cuspidata'' is a subspecies of the well-known olive tree (''Olea europaea''), which until recently was considered a separate species (''Olea africana'') and is still mentioned as such in many sources. Native to northeas ...

'', ''

Ficus burtt-davyi ''Ficus burtt-davyi'' is a fig species endemic to Southern Africa, belonging to the Mulberry family of Moraceae. It grows in coastal and inland forests up to 1500m, from the vicinity of Mossel Bay in the Southern Cape to southern Mozambique - ...

'', '' Ficus sansibarica'', ''

Ficus capensis ''Ficus sur'', with the common names Cape fig and broom cluster fig,The etymology of the specific name is unclear. It may be of Arabic origin and suggest Sur, Oman, where it is not native. is a widespread Afrotropical species of cauliflorous fig. ...

'', '' Commiphora neglecta'', '' Commiphora schlechteri'', '' Allophylus melanocarpus'', '' Erythroxylon emarginatum'', '' Vepris undulata'', '' Deinbollia oblongifolia'', '' Scolopia ecklonii'', ''

Thespesia populnea ''Thespesia populnea'', commonly known as the portia tree (), Pacific rosewood, Indian tulip tree, or milo, among other names, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a tree found commonly on coasts ar ...

'' and '' Galpinia transvaalica''.

Fauna

Among 160

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and se ...

species are staghorn and plate corals. There are two badly damaged pure

reefs flanking the island's western perimeters, in very shallow water, which are supposed to be protected but in reality there is no actual control of the

marine reserve A marine reserve is a type of marine protected area (MPA). An MPA is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. A marine reserve is a marine protected area in which removing or destroying natural or cultural ...

s. Conspicuous fish are

king mackerel The king mackerel (''Scomberomorus cavalla'') or kingfish, is a migratory species of mackerel of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It is an important species to both the commercial and recreational fishing industries. Description Th ...

- called serra, besides potato bass,

barracuda A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which ...

and

giant trevally The giant trevally (''Caranx ignobilis''), also known as the lowly trevally, barrier trevally, ronin jack, giant kingfish or ''ulua'', is a species of large marine fish classified in the jack family, Carangidae. The giant trevally is distribute ...

. Others present are brindle bass/giant grouper, scorpionfish,

butterflyfish The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. The approximately 129 species in 12 genera are found mostly on the reefs of the Atlan ...

pufferfish Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfis ...

, parrotfish,

moray eel Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, and a few are f ...

, Inhaca fringelip and

seahorses A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or " ...

Whale shark The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter feeder, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known Extant taxon, extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of .McClain CR, Balk MA, Benfield MC, Bran ...

s and

manta ray Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-s ...

s visit in summer.

Cetaceans

Although

humpback whales The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The humpb ...

migrate seasonally past these shores,

whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 2 ...

has never become a popular attraction here. The ocean is generally too rough and the whales too far out, while the hiring boats are too expensive for the average person.

Southern right whale The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20 ...

s have become rare today, though whales were historically abundant before they were wiped out by commercial and illegal hunts, including mass illegal hunts by the Soviet Union and Japan during the 1960s and 1970s. Resident populations of the

Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (''Sousa chinensis'') is a species of humpback dolphin inhabiting coastal waters of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans. This species is often referred to as the Chinese white dolphin in mainland Chi ...

and the Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin occur in the waters around the island. The bottlenose dolphin's abundance fluctuates seasonally, increasing during the austral winter. The humpback dolphin is more sedentary, living in extremely shallow inshore areas of the western and southern coasts, and form larger groups (11-14 dolphins) than recorded elsewhere in southern Africa. Bottlenose dolphins frequent the waters of the northwestern coast, and their group size varies largely from individuals and pairs to hundreds of dolphins.

Other mammals and reptiles

A very small, remaining population of

dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...

also occur here.http://www.DUGONGS.ORG
SAVING ENDANGERED DUGONGS OF THE WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN
. Retrieved on December 18. 2014 Two species of

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...

s ( loggerheads and critically endangered

leatherbacks The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weights ...

) visit the eastern shores in summer to breed.

Birds

Inhaca is home to about 300 bird species, both resident and migratory. Species of conservation concern are the pink-backed pelican,

lesser crested tern The lesser crested tern (''Thalasseus bengalensis'')Bridge, E. S.; Jones, A. W. & Baker, A. J. (2005)A phylogenetic framework for the terns (Sternini) inferred from mtDNA sequences: implications for taxonomy and plumage evolution. ''Molecular Ph ...

crab plover The crab-plover or crab plover (''Dromas ardeola)'' is a bird related to the waders, but sufficiently distinctive to merit its own family Dromadidae. Its relationship within the Charadriiformes is unclear, some have considered it to be closely ...

greater sand plover The greater sand plover (''Charadrius leschenaultii'') is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is commonly given as "greater sandplover" or "greater sand-plover", but the official British Ornithologists' Union spelling is "Gre ...

Mongolian plover The lesser sand plover (''Charadrius mongolus'') is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is commonly given as lesser sand-plover, but the official British Ornithologists' Union spelling is "lesser sand plover". The genu ...

Terek sandpiper The Terek sandpiper (''Xenus cinereus'') is a small migratory Palearctic wader species and is the only member of the genus ''Xenus''. It is named after the Terek River which flows into the west of the Caspian Sea, as it was first observed arou ...

, southern banded snake eagle,

mangrove kingfisher The mangrove kingfisher (''Halcyon senegaloides'') is a kingfisher in the genus ''Halcyon''. It is similar in appearance to the woodland kingfisher. It is found along the eastern coastline of Sub-Saharan Africa, living in woodland, along rivers, ...

, grey-rumped swallow and

spotted ground thrush The spotted ground thrush (''Geokichla guttata'') is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, and possibly Mozambique. Description These ...

. The snake eagle, ground thrush and mangrove kingfisher are specials of the southeasterly coastal regions, besides Rudd's apalis,

Neergaard's sunbird Neergaard's sunbird (''Cinnyris neergaardi'') is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in Mozambique and South Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest near the coast, where it is threatened by habit ...

and

pink-throated twinspot The pink-throated twinspot (''Hypargos margaritatus'') is a small seed-eating bird in the family Estrildidae Estrildidae, or estrildid finches, is a family of small seed-eating passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They com ...

which are also present. The southerly Nhaquene Swamp and Saco Bay are strongholds for the sooty falcon, while

Eleonora's falcon Eleonora's falcon (''Falco eleonorae'') is a medium-sized falcon. It belongs to the hobby group, a rather close-knit number of similar falcons often considered a subgenus ''Hypotriorchis''. The sooty falcon is sometimes considered its closest re ...

is a rare vagrant. Terns roost on the northerly Portuguese Island and

house crow The house crow (''Corvus splendens''), also known as the Indian, greynecked, Ceylon or Colombo crow, is a common bird of the crow family that is of Asian origin but now found in many parts of the world, where they arrived assisted by shipping. ...

s established themselves during the 1970s.

Gazetteer of landmarks and villages

* Inhaca *

* Inhaca lighthouse * Inguane * Marine biological station * Mount Botelho * Mount Inhaca * Nhaquene * Ponta Ponduine * Ponta Torres * Ridjeni

References

* ''A natural history of Inhaca Island, Mozambique'' by William Macnae, Margaret Kalk and J. de Koning, 1995 * ''Birds of Inhaca Island, Mozambique'' by de Boer, W. F. and Bento, C. M., 76pp, 1999.

External links

* How to get to Inhac

Destination Mozambique

{{Coord, 26, 01, S, 32, 57, E, type:isle_source:enwiki-plaintext-parser, display=title Islands of Mozambique Geography of Maputo Tourist attractions in Maputo