Portuguese East Africa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

África Oriental Portuguesa
Portuguese East Africa
Portuguese colony

1498 – 1975
Flag Coat of arms
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Mozambique
Portuguese East Africa
Capital Lourenço Marques
Language(s) Portuguese
Political structure Colony
Head of state
 - King
   1498-1521
Manuel I of Portugal
 - President
   1974-75
Francisco da Costa Gomes
Governor-general
 - 1609-11 (first) Nunho Álvares Pereira
 - 1974-75 (last) Vítor Crespo
Captain-general
 - 1569-73 (first) Francisco Barreto
 - 1607-09 (last) Estévão de Ataíde
Historical era Imperialism
 - Established 1498
 - Fall of Portuguese Empire 25 June, 1975
Currency Portuguese escudo

Portuguese East Africa is the name formerly applied to a string of Portuguese overseas colonies along the south-east African coast, which now form the republic of Mozambique.

Portuguese trading settlements and, later, colonies were formed along the coast from 1498, when Vasco da Gama first reached the Mozambican coast. Some of these colonies were handed over in the late nineteenth century for rule by chartered companies such as the Companhia de Moçambique.

Portugal possessed the following colonies in the area, which were known collectively as Portuguese East Africa:

(From south to north)

In 1951 the colonies were combined into a single overseas province under the name Moçambique. In many cases the colonies have given their names to the modern provinces of Mozambique.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

Languages