Inhaca

Inhaca
Inhaca and the runway ofInhaca Airporthighlighted in red
Inhaca Location in southern Mozambique
Coordinates:26°0′S32°55′E
Country	Mozambique
Provinces	Maputo Province

Inhacais asettlementinMozambique,on the subtropicalInhaca Island(Ilha da InhacainPortuguese) off theEast Africancoast. Inhaca settlement is centered on amission stationlocated about 32 km east ofMaputo.

Geography and administration

The 52 km²island separatesMaputo Bay(Baía de Maputo) to the west from the Indian Ocean off its eastern shores. The island's irregular coastline approaches the mainland'sMachangulopeninsula at Ponta Torres where a 500m-widetidal raceseparates the two headlands. In administrative terms Inhaca is a municipal district of the municipality of Maputo, while the Machangulopeninsulais included under theLubombo Transfrontier Conservation Areaand is part of the district ofMatutuíne,Maputo Province.

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 theBay of the Lagoon's (Baía da Lagoa) rivers in search of ivory. A 1747 map byEmanuel Bowenrecords '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')26°02′17″S32°54′12″Ewas built in 1951 and some of the shores were declared nature reserves in 1976. Of late the biological station came under administration of theEduardo Mondlane University.

Traveller's destinations

Maputo Bay from space in January 1990. Inhaca Island and Machangulo Peninsula are clearly visible at the bottom right edge of the bay

The Inhacazul Lodge and Pestana Hotel are the main destinations of travellers from where different excursions are often undertaken, includingscuba divingandsnorkellingoutings.Backpackersmostly 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 Sunby Keri HarveyArchived2005-03-01 at theWayback Machine26 October 2004
• Destination Mozambique
• Dive Mozambique

See also

• Inhaca Island