Nampula

Nampula
Nampula
Coordinates: 15°07′S 39°16′E / 15.117°S 39.267°E / -15.117; 39.267
Country  Mozambique
Provinces Nampula Province
City Status 1956
Elevation 360 m (1,180 ft)
Population (2007)
 • Total 471,717
Area code(s) (+258) 26
Climate Aw

Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Mozambique. It has a population of 471,717 (2007 census)[1] making it the third largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Beira. It is home to the Mozambique National Ethnographic Museum, several markets, cathedrals and mosques.

Overview

It is also the center of business in northern Mozambique. Nampula has a few western style hotels, restaurants and shopping centres. It also has a small international airport connecting to Nairobi in Kenya and Johannesburg in South Africa, and is a transport hub for local transport in Northern Mozambique; however, it is not noted as a tourist destination.

The city is home to the Faculty of Health Science, Universidade Lurio. In 2009 a course in optometry was launched, the first of its kind in Mozambique. The course is supported through the Mozambique Eyecare Project. The other partners include Dublin Institute of Technology, University of Ulster and the Brien Holden Vision Institute.

Abel Xavier, a Portuguese football player, and Carlos Queiroz, a Portuguese football manager formerly in charge of Real Madrid, are also from Nampula, at that time a city of the Portuguese Overseas Province of Mozambique.

Climate

Climate data for Nampula
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 27
(81)		 26
(79)		 24
(76)		 24
(75)		 26
(78)		 29
(84)		 31
(87)		 31
(88)		 29
(85)		 28
(82)
Average low °C (°F) 23
(74)		 23
(73)		 23
(73)		 22
(71)		 20
(68)		 18
(64)		 17
(63)		 18
(64)		 19
(67)		 22
(71)		 23
(74)		 23
(74)		 21
(70)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 226
(8.9)		 213
(8.4)		 188
(7.4)		 86
(3.4)		 30
(1)		 20
(0.8)		 18
(0.7)		 10
(0.4)		 8
(0.3)		 15
(0.6)		 71
(2.8)		 183
(7.2)		 1,082
(42.6)
Source: Weatherbase [2]

Geography

The city of Nampula lies in the center of the province of Nampula and is surrounded by plains and rocky outcrops and is just tucked in the rolling hills and rising mountains like altitudes of the interior.

Transport

A railway line serves the city. A railway workshop is located here. The town also has an airport, Nampula International Airport which is located 4 kilometer away from city center. Kenya Airways currently operates thrice-a-week flights from Nairobi while Airlink connects to Johannesburg in South Africa. LAM connects to domestic places like Pemba, Lichinga, Tete, Beira, Vilankulo, Quilemane and Maputo. The bus stand, which can be accessed from any part of the city within a mere 10 minutes, connects places within Nampula province and places in the neighboring provinces. The famous tourist place Ilha de Mocambique, meaning Island of Mozambique, is located 200 km east of Nampula and is accessible by numerous mini-busses. Busses ply daily to distant places the capital city Maputo and all important places on the way.

Education

There is a Portuguese international school, Escola Lusófona de Nampula.[3]

Demographics

Year Population[4]
1970 126,126
1997 314,965
2007 477,900

References

  1. ↑ http://allafrica.com/stories/200911240886.html
  2. ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Nampula, Mozambique". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  3. ↑ "ESCOLAS COM CURRÍCULO PORTUGUÊS EM MOÇAMBIQUE" (Archive). Direção de Serviços de Ensino e Escolas Portuguesas no Estrangeiro (DSEEPE) of the Portuguese Education Ministry. Retrieved on October 26, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Mozambique: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". World Gazetteer. Retrieved 2008-06-18.

Coordinates: 15°07′00″S 39°16′00″E / 15.11667°S 39.26667°E / -15.11667; 39.26667

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