Nampula

Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Mozambique. It has a population of 471,717 (2007 census) making it the third largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Beira. It is home to the Mozambique National Ethnographic Museum, several markets, cathedrals and mosques.

Overview

It is also the center of business in northern Mozambique. Nampula has a few western style hotels, restaurants and shopping centres. It also has a small international airport connecting to Nairobi in Kenya and Johannesburg in South Africa, and is a transport hub for local transport in Northern Mozambique; however, it is not noted as a tourist destination.

The city is home to the Faculty of Health Science, Universidade Lurio. In 2009 a course in optometry was launched, the first of its kind in Mozambique. The course is supported through the Mozambique Eyecare Project. The other partners include Dublin Institute of Technology, University of Ulster and the Brien Holden Vision Institute.

Abel Xavier, a Portuguese football player, and Carlos Queiroz, a Portuguese football manager formerly in charge of Real Madrid, are also from Nampula, at that time a city of the Portuguese Overseas Province of Mozambique.