The Island of Mozambique lies off the country’s northern coast, at the entrance to Mossuril Bay in Nampula Province. UNESCO describes it as a calcareous coral island about four kilometres from the mainland, connected by a bridge built in the 1960s. The crossing makes the island accessible by road, but arrival is only the beginning: the narrow lanes, closely spaced houses and waterfront edges reward a visit on foot, with time to understand how this small place became a major port in the western Indian Ocean.
From the tenth century, communities on the island took part in long-distance Indian Ocean navigation and trade. Its later importance grew from Portuguese maritime routes linking western Europe to the Indian subcontinent and Asia. The island became the first seat of Portuguese colonial government in the region from 1507 to 1898, after which the capital moved to what is now Maputo. These dates describe colonial administration; they do not erase the earlier and continuing African, Swahili, Arab, Persian and Indian connections that shaped the port.