Mozambique

Coordinates: 18°15′S 35°00′E / 18.250°S 35.000°E / -18.250; 35.000

Mozambique (/moʊzæmˈbiːk/ or /mɔːzæmˈbiːk/), officially the Republic of Mozambique (Portuguese: Moçambique or República de Moçambique, pronounced: [ʁɛˈpublikɐ di musɐ̃ˈbiki]), is a country in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It is separated from Madagascar by the Mozambique Channel to the east. The capital and largest city is Maputo (known as "Lourenço Marques" before independence).

Between the 1st and 5th centuries AD, Bantu-speaking peoples migrated from farther north and west. Swahili, and later also Arab, commercial ports existed along the coasts until the arrival of Europeans. The area was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498 and colonized by Portugal from 1505. After over four centuries of Portuguese rule, Mozambique gained independence in 1975, becoming the People's Republic of Mozambique shortly thereafter. After only two years of independence, the country descended into an intense and protracted civil war lasting from 1977 to 1992. In 1994, Mozambique held its first multiparty elections and has remained a relatively stable presidential republic.

Mozambique (disambiguation)

Mozambique (formerly often spelled in English as in Portuguese, Moçambique) most commonly refers to the country in southeastern Africa. It can also refer to:

Mozambique (song)

"Mozambique" is a song written by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy that was originally released on Dylan's 1976 album Desire. It was also released as a single and reached #54 on the Billboard Hot 100.

At the time of the song's release, the titular country of Mozambique had just emerged from a ten-year insurgency war against Portugal which led to Mozambique's independence. As a result, some left wing supporters wanted to see the song as lending support to the newly independent country. However, the lyrics of the song don't support such an interpretation, being slight and treating the country as merely a place for a romantic getaway in the sun, apart from a fleeting reference to "people living free". This angered some of Dylan's fans. Music critic Paul Williams suggests that "Mozambique" may have had its genesis in Dylan's desire to write a song about Marseilles.

The melody received more praise than the lyrics. Robert Shelton describes the tune as "playful." Authors Oliver Trager and John Nogowski both describe the melody as "great" and particularly praise the violin playing of Scarlet Rivera.

Bilene

Bilene, also known as Praia do Bilene, is a town in southern Mozambique, lying 140 kilometres northeast of Maputo in the province of Gaza. It is known as a beach resort, lying on the Mozambique Channel. Noted for its calm and clear lagoon, the Uembje Lagoon, giving way to the pounding Indian Ocean beyond tall dunes, it is reported to be the closest beach destination to the city of Johannesburg in neighboring South Africa.

Transportation

The town has an airport called Bilene Airport, currently disused.

Tourism

Popular tourist activities in Bilene include sailing, canoeing, windsurfing, snorkelling, paragliding and kite surfing.

References

Gaza

Gaza may refer to:

Places

Palestine

USA

Australia

Africa

Ethnic groups

People

The West Wing (season 5)

The fifth season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from September 24, 2003, to May 19, 2004, and consisted of 22 episodes. This was the first season with executive producer John Wells as showrunner after series creator Aaron Sorkin departed the series after the conclusion of the previous season.

Cast

The fifth season had star billing for nine major roles, all nine of these were filled by returning main cast members from the fourth season. Martin Sheen receives the "and" credit for his role as President Josiah Bartlet. The rest of the ensemble are credited alphabetically, while Channing is only credited for the episodes in which she appears

Main cast

Gaza Empire

The Gaza Empire (1824–1895) was an African empire established by the powerful general Soshangane and was located in southeastern Africa in the area of southern Mozambique and southeastern Zimbabwe, as well as parts of South Africa (sections of Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces). The Gaza Empire, at its height in the 1860s, covered all of Mozambique between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers.

History

In the 1820s, during a period of severe drought, after the abolition of slavery caused the Great Trek, Nguni armies, Southern (Xhosa) and especially Northern Nguni (Zulu, Swazi, Shangani, Gaza, Matabele or Ndebele, and Ngoni) people who speak related Bantu languages and inhabit southeast Africa from Cape Province to southern Mozambique, began to migrate to Mozambique from what is now South Africa. One Nguni chief, Nxaba, established a short-lived kingdom inland from Sofala, but in 1837 he was defeated by Soshangane, a powerful Nguni rival. Eventually Soshangane established his capital in the highlands of the middle Sabi River in what is present day Zimbabwe. Soshangane named his empire "Gaza" after his grandfather.