Linga Linga - Area Infomation
Linga Linga, Inhambane, Mozambique
Covered by large coconut plantations and famous for the production of cashews, coconuts and sweet tangerines, the province of
Inhambane is one of the main tourism centres in the country today.
Inhambane is the capital city of the province. The city itself resembles a town rather than a capital city, but has a certain old world charm to it. The town of Inhambane is 500km north of Mozambique´s capital
Maputo. It is one of the oldest towns in
Mozambique dating back to the 10th century and the Arab traders. In 1498 Vasco do Gama arrived with his fleets just off the coast of Inhambane. When his men made landfull in inclement weather and approached a settlement the locals told them in their local dialect ´´Bitonga´´ to come out of the rain – ´´Bela khu Nyumbane´´. The Portuguese thought they were beentold the name of the region and so
Inhambane got its present name.
The atmosphere and architecture in the town reflects this exciting and diverse history. Inhambane is served by an airport and a port, and has petrol stations, banks, public phones, shops, markets, a bus terminus and a museum. Side-walk cafes are dotted along the narrow streets. The bustling Central market is well worth a visit. As is the local museum with has a good selection of photographs, musical instruments and farming implements.
Linga Linga was the site of an old whaling station. Whaling off
Mozambique was initiated in 1911 by two Norwegian companies. The catches off Inhambane consisted almost exclusively of humpbacks.
This station was in use up until 1915. The remains of the slipway from this station are visible from
Castelo do Mar.
