The Bazaruto Archipelago is a group of six islands in 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...

, near the mainland city of Vilankulo

Vilankulo

Vilankulo is a coastal town in Mozambique, lying in the Vilanculos District of Inhambane Province. Vilankulo is named after local tribal chief Gamala Vilankulo Mukoke, and some of the "bairros" are named after his sons...

. It comprises the islands of Bazaruto

Bazaruto Island

Bazaruto is a sandy island located approximately southeast of the mouth of the Save River, Mozambique . It is the largest island in the Bazaruto Archipelago and in the Bazaruto National Park....

, Benguerra

Benguerra Island

Benguerra Island in Mozambique is the second largest island in the Bazaruto Archipelago, which broke away from the mainland thousands of years ago. The island is approximately 55 square kilometers , and lies 14km offshore...

, Magaruque

Magaruque Island

Magaruque Island, formerly Ilha Santa Isabel, is part of the Bazaruto Archipelago, off the coast of Mozambique. It is located 5.6 km south of Benguerra Island, and 9.9 km east of Ponta Chuè on the mainland of Mozambique....

, Banque, Santa Carolina

Santa Carolina

Santa Carolina is an island at the mouth of the Limpopo River in Mozambique. It is just 2 miles by 0.3 miles in size. Santa Carolina is a true rock island with deep channels. Santa Carolina has three beaches with coral reefs close to the shore...

 (also known as Paradise Island) and Shell.

The group belongs to Vilankulo District of Inhambane Province

Inhambane Province

Inhambane is a province of Mozambique located on the coast in the southern part of the country. It has an area of 68,615 km² and a population of 1.412.349 . The provincial capital is also called Inhambane....

.

The islands were formed from sand deposited by the Save River

Save River

Save River may refer to:* Save River - a river in Africa* Save - a river in France* Sava River - a river in the Balkans, also spelt Save in some sources....

, which has since shifted its course. Tourist attractions include sandy beaches, coral reef

Coral reef

Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...

s, and opportunities for surfing

Surfing

Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...

 and fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

. The archipelago became a National Park

Bazaruto National Park

The Bazaruto National Park is a protected area in the Inhambane Province of Mozambique on the Bazaruto Archipelago.The park was proclaimed on 25 May 1971...

 in 1971.

Santa Carolina

Santa Carolina

Santa Carolina is an island at the mouth of the Limpopo River in Mozambique. It is just 2 miles by 0.3 miles in size. Santa Carolina is a true rock island with deep channels. Santa Carolina has three beaches with coral reefs close to the shore...

is a true rock island with deep channels and is just 3 km by 0.5 km in size. It has three beautiful beaches with coral reefs close to the shore. The island, also known as Paradise Island for obvious reasons is regarded as the ‘gem’ of the islands forming the Bazaruto Archipelago which is a proclaimed marine national park that boasts sensational beaches and magnificent scenery.