The New Student's Reference Work/Mozambique

Mozambique (mō′zam-bēk′), the northern possessions of Portugal on the eastern coast of Africa. They include Mozambique, Zambezia and Lourenço Marques, and extend from Cape Delgado to Delagoa Bay, 1,300 miles. The area is 293,400 square miles, the population 3,120,000. The Zambezi is the principal river, and forms the southern boundary of Mozambique proper, its inland border extending to Lake Nyasa. The coast is low and swampy, but the interior has well-wooded plains with valuable timber. The soil is fertile and produces corn, rice, cotton, cocoanut and india-rubber. The country is rich in minerals, but mining has not been extensive. The capital is Mozambique, built on a coral island near the mainland. The Mozambique Company administers, besides Mozambique, the Manica and Sofala region. Railways operate into Rhodesia and Transvaal, others are building, and there are telegraphs.