The Quirimbas Islands lie in the western

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

off northeastern

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 ...

, close to Pemba, the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado. The

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

consists of about 32 islands, including Ibo, Matemo, Medjumbe, Quirimba, Metundo, Quisiva, Vamizi Island and Rolas Island all going up to the border of the

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

n region of

Mtwara Mtwara (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Montewara'') is the capital city of Mtwara Region in southeastern Tanzania. In the 1940s, it was planned and constructed as the export facility for the disastrous Tanganyika groundnut scheme, but was some ...

History

Originally home to Makonde

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

settlements, the islands' population grew around Swahili

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...

s and declined under the Portuguese trading routes when it was known as the Ilhas de São Lázaro (Islands of St. Lazarus) during the 16th century. When the Portuguese started occupying cities in the islands such as Ibo, the Swahili merchants fled to other parts of the island to operate in. The Swahili merchants refused to trade with the Portuguese, in which started an attack resulting in 60 Muslim merchants casualties and property being burnt down. The island was in control by the Portuguese until Mozambique gained independence in 1975. Before independence, only four of the 32 islands were inhabited. Today, many of the islands are inhabited. On May 23, 2014, a mudspill was reported off shore near the Quirimbas Islands which was caused by a

drilling rig A drilling rig is an integrated system that Drilling, drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construction purposes, into the earth's subsurface. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to ...

operated by Anadarko Petroleum. These islands are known for their diving sites, some up to deep. The Quirimbas National Park, spanning an area of , includes the 11 most southerly islands, which are partly surrounded by

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

s. The park was established in 2002 as a protected area. In the early morning of 3 March 2024, militants of the

Islamic State – Central Africa Province The Islamic State – Central Africa Province (abbreviated IS-CAP, also known as Central Africa Wilayah and Wilayat Wasat Ifriqiya) is an Territory of the Islamic State, administrative division of the Islamic State (IS), a Salafi jihadism, Salafi ...

seized the island of Quirimba after clashing with local forces, killing and wounding a number of them, while forcing the remnants to flee to the nearby island of Ibo and elsewhere. Two days later, local sources reported a major attack launched by the same militants against the neighboring island of Ibo, successfully seizing it after fierce clashes; locals of the island accused the government and the municipal authorities of having abandoned them after the attacks.

World Heritage Status

The Quirimbas Islands are currently on the tentative list for becoming a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

which was submitted in 2008.

Gallery

File:Querimbo-1775.jpg, A map of the island in 1775 File:Medjumbe Island Pool Deck.jpg, The coast of Medjumbe Island File:Ilha do Ibo-sunset-02.jpg, Beach of Ibo Island File:Quirimbas Fisherman on dhow safari.JPG, Local fisherman on

dhow Dhow (; ) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Typically sporting long thin hulls, dhows are trading vessels ...

safari

References

External links

The Quirimbas Archipelago – UNESCO World Heritage Centre
{{Authority control Archipelagoes of Mozambique East African coral coast Geography of Cabo Delgado Province Mozambique Channel Southern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic