PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA or MOZAMBIQUE (Official name: A Provincia de Mocambique). This Portuguese possession, bounded east by the Indian ocean, north by Tangan yika Territory, west by the Nyasaland Protectorate, Rhodesia and the Transvaal, south by Tongaland (Natal), has an area of 770,000 square kilometres. It is divided in two by the river Zambezi. The northern portion, between the ocean and Lake Nyasa and the Shire river is a compact block of territory, squar ish in shape, being about 40o m. long by 36o m. broad. South of the Zambezi the province consists of a strip of land along the coast varying from 5o to 200 m. in depth.
The coast-line extends from 26° 52' S. to
4o' S., and from south to north makes a double curve with a general trend outward, i.e., to the east. It has a length of 1,430 miles. Some 4o m. N. of the Natal (Tongoland) frontier is the deep indentation of Delagoa bay (q.v.). Far to the north is the wide Zambezi delta. From this point onward the coast is studded with small islands, mainly of coral formation, on one of which is Mozambique. To the north of Mozambique the coast is much indented, abounding in high, rocky headlands and rugged cliffs. South of Mozambique the coast-line is low, sandy, and lined with swamps. The eastern scarp of the continental plateau is much broken in the lower Zambezi region but elsewhere rises to heights of
ft. in the south, though behind Delagoa bay the greatest height is only 2,070 feet. In the north the forested hills of the scarp reach 6,5oo-8,600 feet.
Near the south-east shore of Nyasa there is a high range (5,000 to 6,000 ft.) with an abrupt descent to the lake—some 3,00o ft. in six miles. The plateau lands west of the escarpment are of moderate
averaging 2,000 to 2,500 feet. The chief rivers are the Zambezi and Limpopo, both cutting back far into the plateau.
The central plateau consists of gneisses, granites and schists of the usual East African type which in part or in whole are to be referred to the Archaean system. Rocks of the Karroo period occur in the Zambezi basin, where at Tete they con tain workable seams of coal, and have yielded plant remains of Upper Carboniferous age. Sandstones and shales, possibly of
Upper Karroo age, form a narrow belt at the edge of the foot plateau. Upper Cretaceous rocks crop out from beneath the superficial deposits along the coast belt between Delagoa bay and Mozambique. The highest Cretaceous strata occur in Con ducia, where they contain the huge ammonite Pachydiscus con duciensis. The Eocene formation is well represented in Gazaland by the nummulitic limestones which have been found to extend for a considerable distance inland. Basalts occur at several locali ties in the Zambezi basin. On the flanks of Mount Milanje there are two volcanic cones which would appear to be of comparatively recent date; but the most interesting igneous rocks are the rhyolitic lavas of the Lebombo range.
The lion, of both the yellow and the black maned varieties, leopard, spotted hyena, jackal, serval, civet cat, genet, hunting dog (Lycaon pictus) and mongoose occur in the Mozambique district. The elephant and the black rhinoceros are common, and south of the Zambezi are a few specimens of white rhinoceros (R. simus). The rivers and marshes are the home of hippopotami, which have, however, deserted the lower Zambezi. The wart-hog and the smaller red hog are common. A species of zebra is plentiful, and herds of buffalo (Bos coffer) are numerous in the plains and in open woods. Many antelopes are found, but the giraffe does not occur. The scaly anteater is fairly numerous, and rodents are common. There are several kinds of monkeys and lemuroids, but the anthropoids are absent. Crocodiles, lizards, chameleons, land and river tortoises are all very numerous, as are pythons (some i8ft. long), cobras, puff-adders and vipers. Centi pedes and scorpions and insects are innumerable. Among insects mosquitos, locusts, the tsetse fly, the hippo-fly, cockroaches, phyl loxera, termites, soldier ants and flying ants are common plagues. As has been indicated, the Zambezi forms a dividing line not crossed by certain animals, so that the fauna north of that river presents some marked contrasts to that of the south.