I. A Country On The E. Coast Of Africa

A Country On The E. Coast Of Africa, within the territory of Mozambique, of which it forms the southern half. It extends from about lat. 18° to 24° S., and from the seaboard to the Motapa mountains, having an extreme length of about 400 m. and a breadth of nearly 200 m. Along the coast the land is low and swampy, but it rises toward the interior till it terminates in the Motapa range. The country is watered by several considerable rivers, of which the most important are the Sofala, the Sabia, and the Inham-ban or Inhambane. The Portuguese established colonial settlements in Sofala early in the 16th century, and the country is still nominally a dependency of Portugal, although European rule is really limited to the few garrisoned stations near the coast. The chief towns are Sofala and Inhamban; the latter port is 8 m. from the mouth of the river of the same name, in lat. 23° 57' S., Ion. 36° 6' E.. and has a good harbor. The exports are mainly amber, beeswax, and ivory. The natives are negroes, and the slave trade is carried on, but to no considerable extent. Sofala was formerly celebrated for its export of gold dust, and some geographers have supposed it to be the Ophir of the ancients.

The coast region is very unhealthful.

II. A Town In The Above Country

A Town In The Above Country, formerly the capital of a native kingdom, at the mouth of the river Sofala, in lat. 20° 3' S., Ion. 34° 39' E. It has a fort and a church, and consists of a few mud and straw huts, though once a place of considerable trade. A bar at the mouth of the river interferes with the approach of large vessels.