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CABO DELGADO PROVINCE
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Cabo Delgado is the most northerly province of Mozambique and is 77,867 square kilometres in extent Tanzania is across the Rovuma River to the north, to the east is the Indian Ocean, to the south is Nampula province and to the west is Niassa province.
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The Capital of Cabo Delgado is Pemba (It used to be named Porto Amelia), which is situated at the mouth of a large bay of the same name. Pemba Bay is considered to be the worlds largest inland bay and it is 375 sq kms in size with beautiful blue water that is uniformly 24 metres deep. There are stories of German U Boats using Pemba Bay to stock up with supples during World War II. The mouth of Pemba Bay is only 2 kms wide.
There has never been much trading activity at Pemba, as this was was concentrated more to the south as well as the off-shore islands of Mozambique, with the result that there is not much industry at Pemba. This has proved beneficial as the natural beauty has been kept and the magnificent beaches are not polluted.
The best known beaches are:-
Praia do Wimbe, which has dazzling white sands fringed by palm trees and sparkling blue water.
Praia do Farol which is south of Wimbe and close to the Lighthouse (farol).
The old town of Pemba is also interesting with it's traditional markets (See the Pemba Querimba home page for more information)
Mocimboa da Praia is the closest large town to the Tanzanian border and with it's Palm trees lining the beach is also well worth a visit.
Cabo Delgado is
the home of the Makonde people, who live mostly on the Mueda plateau. The other ethnic tribe is the Makua.
The Makonde are known to be fearless and they tattoo their bodies and file their teeth. Their initiation rites are faithfully followed and Mapico masks are used during the Mapico dance which is the most important dance of the initiation ceremony.
They are also well known for their ivory and wood carvings.
At the inland town of Mueda, which is the administrative capital of the Makonde people, there is
a memorial to the Mueda Massacre. In 1964 the Makonde people rebelled against the confiscation of their land by the Portuguese.
The Makonde elders and members of the tribe attended a meeting with the Portuguese Governor.
There are conflicting reports, but discussions became heated and a riot ensued. The Portuguese soldiers opened fire with machine guns and hundreds of people were killed.
The outrage over this incident was the start of major internal resistance to Portuguese rule and led to the begining of Russian involvment in Mozambique.
