Lourenço Marques
Encyclopedia
Lourenço Marques was a 16th century Portuguese
trader and explorer.
in 1544. He settled permanently in present-day Mozambique, where he spent most of his life with his black wife and mixed-race children.
By order of King John III
the bay was named Baía de Lourenço Marques in his honour, although this name was never in common use among the foreign community.
, the capital city of Mozambique
, was named after him before the Overseas Province of Mozambique became independent from Portugal in 1975; it got its present name on 3 February 1976. It was the seat of the governor-general
of Portuguese East Africa and gave its name to one of the six districts into which, that Portuguese colonial province, was divided.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
trader and explorer.
Biography
He explored the area that is now Maputo BayMaputo Bay
Maputo Bay , formerly Delagoa Bay, Baía da Lagoa is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Mozambique, between 25° 40' and 26° 20' S, with a length from north to south of over 90 km long and 32 km wide....
in 1544. He settled permanently in present-day Mozambique, where he spent most of his life with his black wife and mixed-race children.
By order of King John III
John III of Portugal
John III , nicknamed o Piedoso , was the fifteenth King of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the third daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile...
the bay was named Baía de Lourenço Marques in his honour, although this name was never in common use among the foreign community.
Other uses
MaputoMaputo
Maputo, also known as Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its...
, the capital city of Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, was named after him before the Overseas Province of Mozambique became independent from Portugal in 1975; it got its present name on 3 February 1976. It was the seat of the governor-general
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of Portuguese East Africa and gave its name to one of the six districts into which, that Portuguese colonial province, was divided.
Sources and references
- Harm J. De Blij, The Functional Structure and Central Business District of Lourenço Marques, Mocambique, Economic Geography, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 56–77.
- Catholic Encyclopaedia
- WorldStatesmen- Mozambique