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Maputo is the capital of Mozambique. A port on the Indian Ocean, its economy is centered around a modern harbor. It has an official population of approximately 966,837 (1997), but the actual population is estimated to be much higher due to slums and other unofficial settlements. Coal, cotton, sugar, chrome, sisal, copra and hardwood are the chief exports. The city manufactures cement, pottery, furniture, shoes, and rubber. There is also a large aluminum smelting plant, Mozal. The city is surrounded by Maputo Province, but is administered as its own province.
Maputo is located on the west side of Maputo Bay, at the mouth of the Tembe River. The bay is 95 km (50 mi) long and 30 km (20 mi) wide. The Maputo River empties into the southern end of the bay.
Founded in the late 18th century, the city was named Lourenço Marques for Lourenço Marques, the Portuguese trader who first explored the area in 1544. In 1895, construction of a railroad to Pretoria, South Africa caused the city's population to grow. In 1898, Lourenço Marques became the capital of Mozambique. After independence, the city's name was changed to Maputo.
Maputo holds the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique's first university. The city also has a museum of Mozambique history, a military museum, and the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Fatima.
It is a planned city with square blocks and wide avenues. The Portuguese left in massive numbers after independence, and the resultant lack of skills and capital, in the context of a fierce civil war and government mismanagement, contributed to its state of dereliction in the years following the declaration of peace. Recovery was slow at first, but has been gaining momentum. However, in many cases new buildings are being erected for the rising middle class, rather than existing buildings being renovated, and many city services are still precarious.
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