Inhaca Island

Inhaca Island ( Ilha da Inhaca Portuguese ) is a subtropical island of Mozambique off the East African coast.

The 42 km ² island is inhabited by about 6000 people and is preceded by about 35 kilometers of the Mozambican capital, Maputo, and is bordered to the south-east of Maputo Bay ( Baía de Maputo, historically also Baia de Lagoa, Delagoa Bay) these from the Indian Ocean off. The irregular coastline of the island approaches at Ponta Torres up to 500 m to the mainland. At this point separates a tidal current, the continental Machangulo Peninsula and the island headland Ponta Torres. Administratively, Inhaca is a municipal district of the Mozambican capital Maputo, while the Machangulo Peninsula is part of the district Matutuíne the Maputo province.

Economically dominated the fishing, tourism, and tourism days, has meaning. The Universidade Eduardo Mondlane maintains a marine biological station on the island. The island can be reached by ferry from Maputo within about three hours. The island also has a small airport, which can shorten the travel time to about 15 minutes. Motorists should try with Amphicar.

Geography

The expansion of the island reaches about 12 km (N- S) and 7 km ( E-W ). The highest point is the 104 meter high Monte Inhaca on the northeastern shore. The south-western peninsula terminates at the Ponta Punduine while Ponta Torres is located near the mainland in the southeast. Two fens are beautifully positioned in the north or in the south Nhaquene. In addition to the village of Inhaca on the western shore there are more than smaller villages Inguane, Nhaquene, Ridjeni and Tobia.

History

Although she was part of the Portuguese colony of Mozambique until 1975, the island of Inhaca was WGEN its proximity to the port of Maputo by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1823 until mediated by French President Patrice de Mac -Mahon agreement dated July 24, 1875 occupied. The British Seetruppen should - according to Portuguese literature of the 1950s - have used the island next to others around Africa as a base for patrols, and also to control the slave trade in the region.

Flora and Fauna

The central area consists of arable land, while in the north dominated grasslands flanked by covered with beard lichen dune forests along the eastern and western shores. Wadden Sea surrounds the western and southern shore at low tide. Three intact coral reefs, all protected marine reserves, flanking the western perimeter of the island. Mangroves cover large parts of the northern shore and the southern Saco Bay.

Among the approximately 160 species of coral stone, there are ast and lamellar types. Of fish moray eels, barracudas, the thick head Trevally ( Caranx ignobilis ) occur, continue groupers, scorpion fish, butterfly fish, puffer fish, parrot fish and seahorses. Whale sharks and manta rays visit the island in the summer, humpback whales pass during their walks the shore of the island. Several populations of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin ( Sousa chinensis) and bottlenose dolphins living in the waters around the island. The bottlenose dolphin has lived here more seasonal during austral winter, while the humpback dolphins are native here, they live in shallow coastal waters of the western and southern coasts and form larger groups (11-14 individuals ) than usual in southern Africa. Bottlenose dolphins are common in the waters of the north-western coast, the size of their groups varies between individual animals and pairs to hundreds of individuals. Two species of sea turtles ( including leatherback turtles ) visit the east coast in summer to lay their eggs.

Inhaca is home to over 300 species of birds, both native and migratory. Species whose preservation is endangered, are the Pink-backed Pelican, the Rüppellseeschwalbe, the Crab Plover, the Sand Plover, Mongolian Plover, Terek Sandpiper, the Southern ribbon snake eagle, the mangrove Reads, the slaty-backed Swallow and the spotted Erddrossel. The southern Nhaquene River and the Saco Bay are strongholds for slate hawks while Terne raced in the Northern Portuguese island. Endemic bird species are Rudd's Apalis, Neergaard Sunbird and Rosahalsige Twin spots. Gloss crows are observed here since the 1970s.

The subtropical evergreen forest on the island is the habitat of the following tree species: Sideroxylon inerme, Apodytes dimidiata, Euclea schimperi, Manilkara discolor, Dovyalis rhamnoides, Dovyalis tristis, Diospyros natalensis, Clausena anisata, Cassine papillosa, Olea africana, Ficus Burtt - davyi, Ficus sansibarica, Ficus capensis, Commiphora neglecta, Commiphora schlechteri, Allophylus melanocarpus, Erythroxylon emarginatum, Vepris undulata, Deinbollia oblongifolia, Scolopia ecklonii, the Portiabaum and Galpinia transvaalica.

Settlements

  • Inhaca
  • Inguane
  • Nhaquene
  • Ridjeni
  • Tobia

Pictures

Restaurante Lucas

School

Bridge

Monte Inhaca

Exhibition of marine biological station

Sons and daughters of the island

  • Mário Coluna ( b. 1935 ), football player
  • Simão Mate Junior ( * 1988), football player

Simão Mate Junior in the jersey of Panathinaikos Athens ( 2011)

Patrolling Mudflat Scaly Thrush
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