Maputo, formerly Lourenço Marques, is the capital and
largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to
acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian
Ocean. It was famous for the inscription This is Portugal on the walkway of its
municipal building. Today it is a port city on the Indian Ocean, with its
economy centered around the harbour. According to the 2007 census, the official
population is 1,120,360.[1] Coal, cotton, sugar, chromite, sisal, copra, and hardwood
are the chief exports. The city manufactures cement, pottery, furniture, shoes,
and rubber. There is also a large aluminium smelting plant, Mozal. The city is
surrounded by Maputo Province, but is administered as its own province.
Nampula is the capital of Nampula Province in Northern
Mozambique, surrounded by plains and rocky outcrops. It is the third largest
city in Mozambique after Maputo and Beira. The city is connected by plane (LAM)
to Maputo; it hosts the regional market and is well supplied with shops, banks,
hotels and restaurants.A railway line serves this town ; a railway workshop is also located here. Nampula Airport is a transport hub for local transport in Northern Mozambique.