Mozambique–Tanzania border
The Mozambique–Tanzania border is a 756 km-long continuous international border separating Mozambique and Tanzania in East Africa.
Description
The border begins along the shores of Lake Malawi and then takes a west–east direction. It briefly passes through the Livingstone Mountains and then follows the course of the Ruvuma River until its mouth in the Indian Ocean, north of Cape Delgado.
History
The origins of this border date back to the 16th century. At that time, the East African coast was dominated by the Portuguese, who had established some settlements. The raids by Ottoman corsairs in 1585 and 1589 along these coasts, as well as the invasion by an inland tribe, the Zamba, during the same period, prompted the Portuguese to better organize their possessions. They thus created the Captaincy of Mombasa in 1593, whose boundary with the Captaincy of Sofala passed through Cape Delgado. This demarcation formed the basis of the current border, which is in fact considered one of the oldest borders in Africa.
The current border line was established between the Portuguese settlement of Mozambique and the German settlement of Tanganyika at the end of the 19th century during the partition of Africa by the European powers.
Crossing points
The border is crossed mainly along the coast between the Tanzanian city of Mtwara and the Mozambican town of Quionga. A 600 m-long road bridge, the Unity Bridge, is under construction between the two cities.
See also
- Mozambique–Tanzania relations
References
Tanzania Category:Borders of Tanzania Category:International borders