Many people ask me where I live. I live in Maputo, capital city of Mozambique, located in Southern Africa, and bordering South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania. Maputo is easily accessible by plane via TAP (Portuguese airlines) that has 4 flights a week, Qatar, SAA (South African Airways), TAAG (Angolan airlines) and LAM (Mozambican airlines); and by road from Swaziland and South Africa.
Maputo is a multi cultural city, that is quickly developing in terms of construction, although at a rate that can be considered worrying due to the fact the support services such as water & sanitation, electricity and accesses are not upgraded to cope with the new buildings and residences as well as the increasing number of cars. Traffic can be chaotic and drivers, specially what we call “chapas” (public transport vans) do not comply with traffic rules. Mozambique is a country of contrasts. You can find top of the range cars circulating all over the city, very good and expensive selection of restaurants, good supermarkets, but at the same time extreme poverty outside the main population centres. Mozambique is also a very expensive country to live. With an impressive coastline of more than 2500km, Mozambique is a prime tourist destination for people seeking warm and clear waters, scuba diving, sports fishing, snorkeling or simply relaxing in the beach.
This post is just a photographic gallery of Maputo City as it is in 2018, to give you an idea on where I live.
Quickly changing Maputo skyline. 5 years ago you would see maybe half of those buildingsContrast between the old buildings, many lacking maintenance, and the new and tall buildingsThe new bridge under construction, the largest suspension bridge in Africa, connecting Maputo to Catembe and the southern beachesThe building with the red sign, the tallest building in Maputo, with 33 floors, constructed during colonial timesThe viaduct, in down town Maputo now under rehabilitationDriving along the beach front roadAnother angle of the viaductThe recently renovated beach promenade, with the classical coconut trees, that are here for decadesThe new coconut trees that were planted to revegetate the areaCoconut vendors are common along the beachfront roadThe new beachfront road, that leads to the main shopping malls, and makes the so called circular road, a way to divert traffic and try to solve congestionThe beach front road
urban landscapeBusy traffic close to a shopping complexRadisson Blu Hotel and Rani Towers, one of the newest buildingsAnother angleThe Maputo Cathedral (Sé Catedral)The statue of Samora Machel, the first Mozambican President, and the CathedralThe Building of Maputo Municipal CouncilDowntown craft marketCurrency Museum downtown, in the same square as the craft marketThe fortress, downtown, a remain of colonial timesThe fortress from a distanceAnother angle of he Municipal Council BuildingThe contrast between the new and the old.On the left, a building that has the typical colonial architecture, and the new buildings on the right. Maputo is quickly losing its historical past, historical buildings being removed to give place to the cement and glass monstersPart of the French Mozambican Cultural center building, built during colonial timesThe central train station, one of the most emblematic buildings Maputo has, designed by EiffelAnother angle of the beautiful central stationWorkers Square, where the train station isMosque road downtownThis down town road still has a nice concentration of colonial style buildingsThe Maputo Shopping – the glass building at the backA few remains of the famous Portuguese tiles can still be foundThe old downtownEduardo Mondlane, the widest avenue in Maputo24th of July Avenue, that together with Eduardo Mondlane and 25 de Setembro (downtown) used to be the main exit roads that connect to Matola on one side and the beach on the otherAnother angle of Eduardo Mondlane Avenue – named after the first president of Frelimo, the ruling partyMaputo has beautiful sunsets, and from my apartment I have this beautiful view
How very interesting and what good photography! What a city of contrasts….I do hope the people are able to resist tearing down all the historic character buildings, and some of the past can be protected whilst making way for the new.
Thank you very much for sharing this fabulous collection of photographs that highlight the wonderful city where you live. I found your commentary fascinating. Please keep writing and taking photographs…..and then sharing both with us!
Thank you for the photos, I haven’t been to Maputo in a while and I loved trying to figure out where some where taken. and noticing how some things had changed whereas others hadn’t at all.
Beautiful, thank you for sharing your world!
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Thank you Joelle
How very interesting and what good photography! What a city of contrasts….I do hope the people are able to resist tearing down all the historic character buildings, and some of the past can be protected whilst making way for the new.
Thank you. Diane
Thank you Diane
Thank you very much for sharing this fabulous collection of photographs that highlight the wonderful city where you live. I found your commentary fascinating. Please keep writing and taking photographs…..and then sharing both with us!
You are so kind Yvonne
Wow, beautiful. Thanks for sharing. I love seeing other parts of the world, and you do it so well.
Thank you for the photos, I haven’t been to Maputo in a while and I loved trying to figure out where some where taken. and noticing how some things had changed whereas others hadn’t at all.