Inhaca is a

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation *Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money *Settlement (litigatio ...

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, on the subtropical

Inhaca Island Inhaca Island (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Ilha da Inhaca''), also known as Kanyaka island, is a subtropical island of Mozambique off the East African coast. The main village is Inhaca, situated just over a kilometer from Inhaca Airport. V ...

('' Ilha da Inhaca'' in Portuguese) off the

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

n coast. Inhaca settlement is centered on a

mission station A Christian mission is an organized effort to carry on evangelism, in the name of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries. Sometimes individuals are sent and ...

located about 32 km east of

Maputo Maputo () 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 population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed ov ...

Geography and administration

The 52 km² island separates

Maputo Bay Maputo () 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 population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed ov ...

(''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 Machangulo peninsula is situated in the southernmost part of Mozambique adjacent to Inhaca and Portuguese Islands in the Maputo Bay Maputo () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of ...

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 example ...

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 only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

is included under the

Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area was born out of the Peace Park Foundation’s vision to establish a network of transfrontier conservation areas in southern Africa. It straddles the border between South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal provi ...

and is part of the district of Matutuíne,

Maputo Province Maputo 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 Maputo ...

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 f ...

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 The Eduardo Mondlane University (; UEM) is the oldest and largest university in Mozambique. The UEM is a secular public university, unaffiliated with any religion, and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, or religion. The ...

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 Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

and

snorkelling Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing the ambient air through a shaped tube called a snorkel, usually with swimming goggles or a ...

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