Beira

 

(bā'rə) , region and former province, N central Portugal, S of the Douro River. The old capital was Coimbra. The province extended to the Atlantic coast between the Douro and the Mondego and SE of the Mondego to the upper Tagus. The region is now occupied by the provinces of Beira Alta (capital Viseu), Beira Baixa (capital Castelo Branco), and part of Beira Litoral (capital Coimbra) and is further subdivided into the districts of Aveiro, Viseu, Coimbra, Guarda, and Castelo Branco. The region is traversed by the Serra da Estrela, Portugal's highest mountain range. Grains, fruits, and olives are grown. Industries include fishing and the manufacture of textiles and forest products. The area had been recovered from the Moors even before Portugal was formed, but Moorish attacks continued into the 13th cent. Later Beira was contested in the incessant Portuguese-Castilian wars.

Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique. It lies in the central region of the country in Sofala Province, where the Pungue River meets the Indian Ocean. It had a population of 412,588 in 1997 and an estimated 546,000 in 2006. It holds the regionally-significant Port of Beira which acts as a gateway for both the central interior portion of the country as well as the land-locked nations of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.

History

The city was established in 1890 and soon supplanted Sofala as the main port in the region. It was the core city for Renamo (The National Resistance of Mozambique) during the post-revolution Civil War (which ended only in 1994). Now that Renamo is a recognized national political party, Beira remains its core constituency.

During the colonial period Beira was noted for its large English-speaking population, and was a favourite holiday destination for white Rhodesians. One reminder of this is the former Grande Hotel near the shore of the Indian Ocean, which now lies in near-ruins, but is still occupied by around 1,000 poor Beirans.

In the year 2000, Beira, along with Maputo and most of Southern Mozambique was covered by flooding. Millions were left homeless and hundreds died. The 2000 Mozambique flood had a negative impact on the local economy.

Attractions

Attractions in the city include its cathedral, lighthouse and Macuti Beach. It is also home to an airport and lies at the end of a railway line to Harare. There are a few restaurants of note in the area that are up to par for tourists. Bique's (threatened by the sea waters) is a restaurant located on an attractive stretch of beach along the southeastern edge of the city some kilometers from the city center and serves several traditional African dishes as well as some South African cuisine. Another restaurant located within the heart of downtown is called Kanimambo and is owned by a native Macanese couple that serves authentic (and very good, even by Western standards) Chinese food. Both restaurants are easily located by asking directions.

The only notable hotel for tourists is called the Tivoli and is located downtown, near Kanimambo. The rooms are small but clean, and unless you know someone with a nice place in town you'll be hard pressed to find anything better. There are some good alternatives in the form of Macuti housing complex, another nice lodge by the Macuti Lighthouse, and a good simple pension on Eduardo Mondlane Avenue.

In the city itself there is very little to see in the way of tourist attractions. Beira does not cater for the mass-tourist, but can be very interesting to the photographer with many places of great human, architectural and nature value. If you are interested in a bit of history you might want to swing by the Grande Hotel Beira, which was built by the Portuguese to be an exquisite hotel but was abandoned before opening when Mozambique gained its independence of the colonial rulers and is now occupied by several hundred squatters.

If you make your way towards the east, away from the city, on the opposite side of the peninsula (bordered on the west by the a large ocean inlet/river and on the east by the Indian Ocean) on which the city is located you will find some very beautiful, pristine white-sand beaches and no one else in sight for miles. Here and there as you head north you will encounter small villages and if you time your visit right you will find fishermen coming home with their catches. Pay particular attention to their prawns (camarāo), which are delicious and which they will sell to you at a very low price if you know how to negotiate and if you're willing to prepare (de-shell) and cook them yourself. Prawns can also be obtained right southwest of the downtown area, on the beach, usually early in the mornings. There is a large market in the area and it is hard to miss.

Two tourists were recently murdered at Macuti beach at night, so extra precaution should be taken in that area. Security is a serious issue in Beria, and if you walk around with money, cellphone or camera and look like a tourist, be it in city center or on isolated stretches of beach, you can get into trouble. General rule is to not take anything except for some hand money when going around. Carrying a handgun or knife for personal protection is recommended.

Heading north along the only highway that leaves the city you will soon come across the entrance to the old Gorongosa national park. Absolutely worth seeing if you have the time and willingness to rough it through the overgrown roads and paths and a relative lack of infrastructure. The government still stations a few rangers in the park and there is rapid work being done to restore the park to its former glory, but there is much left undone. Do not expect a comfy, hand-holding safari, but many will find the potential rewards of a trek through a virtually untouched game reserve worth the hassle and risks.

These days, nice places to visit include the Nautico's for food and sea, Biques and Pappas (best food but also expensive), eat some "pastelaria" in the city center or visit the local markets.

Another highlight is Savane, which is a small camp with restaurant and beach outside Beira. The water is a bit more transparent, the food ok and the boat trip over the river a nice bit of fun. You will need a 4x4 to traverse the dirt road to Savane from Beira. It takes approximately 1 hour to drive 30 km on this road when it is in (relatively) good condition.

Rio Maria is also worth visiting, and is an estuary. There are no facilities. Main attractions are the natural beauty and people.

Town twinning

• Bristol, UK (since 1990)
• Amsterdam, NL
• Porto, PT (source: http://www.cm-porto.pt/gen.pl?sid=cmp.sections/521)

See also

• Beira Patrol
• Lumumba (film)
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Beira

External links

• Municipio da Beira an official site of the Municipality of Beira, with news and recent pictures
• Cidade da Beira a Portuguese language site with some old and new pictures

Coordinates: 19°50′S, 34°51′E

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