Inhaca is a settlement in

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, Mala ...

, on the subtropical

Inhaca Island Inhaca Island ( Portuguese: ''Ilha da Inhaca'') is a subtropical island of Mozambique off the East African coast. The main village is Inhaca, situated just over a kilometer from Inhaca Airport. Various tourist lodges are situated along the north ...

('' Ilha da Inhaca'' in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Port ...

) 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 histori ...

n coast. Inhaca settlement is centered on a

mission station A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such a ...

located about 32 km east 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 1,08 ...

Geography and administration

The 52 km² 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& ...

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

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 500m-wide

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 exampl ...

separates the two headlands. In administrative terms Inhaca is a municipal district of the municipality of Maputo, while the Machangulo

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on al ...

is included under the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area 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. Geography ...

Economy

A population of about 6,000 people subsist on fishing and agriculture. At low tide women harvest crabs, oysters and fish from the western shallows. At high tide fishing boats leave the island for deeper sea fishing. The island is a popular winter destination of South African tourists.

History

Tsonga chief Nhaca, a protector of early shipwrecked Portuguese sailors, lends his name to the later settlement. Later 16th century Portuguese traders established an Inhaca Island base to ply the Bay of the Lagoon's (''Baía da Lagoa'') rivers in search of ivory. A 1747 map by

Emanuel Bowen Emanuel Bowen (1694 – 8 May 1767) was a Welsh map engraver, who achieved the unique distinction of becoming Royal Mapmaker to both to King George II of Great Britain and Louis XV of France. Bowen was highly regarded by his contemporaries for p ...

records 'Inhaqua' settlement on the mainland peninsula while referring to the island as 'I. S. Maria'. The first light house dates from 1894, and was upgraded in the 1920s. A marine biological station (the 'MBS') was built in 1951 and some of the shores were declared nature reserves in 1976. Of late the biological station came under administration of the

Eduardo Mondlane University , image = , image_size = , former_names = , motto = , type = Public , established = 21 August 1962 , rector = Manuel Guilherme Júnior, PhD , students = 39,078 (2015) , undergrad = 35,809 , ...

Traveller's destinations

The Inhacazul Lodge and Pestana Hotel are the main destinations of travellers from where different excursions are often undertaken, including

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chri ...

and

snorkelling Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters ...

outings. Backpackers mostly visit a catering camping area within walking distance of the landing jetty, and are required to take bottled water and their own tents. Inhaca village is within a 5 minute drive from the camp where there are two restaurants, two bars, a grocery store and a marketplace. The Island can be visited by means of a Ferry which departs from the Porto de Pesca, Maputo at 8:00 and returns at 15:00 every Saturday and Sunday. Travellers reach the island's landing jetty at high tide, but have to wade some sandy shallows during low tide. There are also return flights that depart from Maputo airport and these 18 seater planes reach the island airstrip in fifteen minutes.

References and external links

* Reader's Digest Atlas of Southern Africa * A natural history of Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Margaret Kalk, J de Koning, 1995
''Mozambique, Islands in the Sun'' by Keri Harvey
26 October 2004

Geography and administration

Economy

History

Traveller's destinations

References and external links

See also