Matola
Province
Matola is the capital of the province of Maputo in Mozambique.
Origin of the name
Matola is a common surname and is derived from Matsolo, a Ronga kingdom that existed there before colonization.
Geography
Matola is located at the western end of the Bay of Maputo. Since 1998, the city is an independent municipality.
By Matola river of the same flows.
Population
In the 1997 census Matola had 440 927 inhabitants.
Economy and infrastructure
Matola is an industrial city. It has an important port for chrome and iron ore from Swaziland and the Republic of South Africa, which belongs to the port of Maputo. There are refineries ( currently out of service ), and factories that produce among other things, cement, soap and agricultural chemicals. The most important operation is an aluminum smelter Mozal, which was commissioned in 2002.
History
In Matola potsherds of an early Iron Age culture were found whose decor is similar to the remarkably found in Kwale (Kenya ). Since the findings were dated in Matola to a period of 200 to 400 AD, the finds come from Mozambique and Kenya from the same period. Some finds in Matola are the Gokomere assigned / Ziwa tradition.
On January 30, 1981 led commando units of the South African army to attack the accommodation of refugees members of the African National Congress in Matola through, killing at least 15 people.