Gurúè
Encyclopedia
Gurúè is located in the northern part of Mozambique
, near the center of the province of Zambezia. It is the country's largest tea
estate
. Population as of the 1997 census was 99,325, but current estimates are 116 922.
) for "porco do mato" (peccary
), or the name of a local tribal chief. Gurúè was founded and named by the Portuguese
in the 19th century and developed as a major tea
producing town starting in the 1930s. The Portuguese authorities promoted a thriving economic climate and local tea companies become major players in the industry. Chá Moçambique, Companhia da Zambézia, Chá Gurúè and Plantações Manuel Saraiva Junqueiro were the major tea companies headquartered in the town. With good natural attractions - Namuli mountain range
(2419 m), large tea plantations (chá in Portuguese), and rivers, leading tea brands, such as Chá Moçambique, Chá Licungo, Chá Gurúè, and Chá Montebranco Junqueiro, achieved international recognition – most of the production was exported to the United Kingdom
, United States
and Canada
. Other agricultural activities were developed as well. In the 1940s, over 300 Portuguese lived in the small town of Gurúè which gravitated around the tea aristocracy who provided all the amenities for the entire working population, including a private small airline to the largest cities on the coast, like Nampula
, and the port city of Quelimane
, the capital of Zambezia, in Portuguese East Africa
. After the death of tea tycoon Manuel Saraiva Junqueiro, in an airplane crash, the town of Gurúè was renamed Vila Junqueiro in October 1959. By the late 1950s the town had grown, the cinema was founded and TAZ airline (Transportes Aéreos da Zambézia) increased its flights in the town’s airfield. Under Portuguese administration the town expanded harmoniously in terms of urbanism and architectural landscape.
(1977-1992) and the effects of FRELIMO's communist ideology, transformed the once thriving town in a few years.
and also 350 km from Quelimane
or Nampula
, two of Mozambique's biggest cities.
It is located at longitude 37 degrees 1 minute East and latitude 15 degrees 30 minutes South.
. Gurué's climate has much more rainfall than most of the rest of the province due to the effect of the mountains that surround the town. It creates a microclimate which is unusually cool and wet and therefore good for growing tea.
plantations (90%), though other plantation types can also be found such as coffee
, fruit
, etc. Most people also have small subsistence farms to supplement their irregular salaries.
, unseen since it was discovered in 1932. It is now known to be thriving in forests in this area.
According to a recent University of Cape Town scientific expedition "in a land of many natural treasures, Namuli
(a mount near Gurúè, with 2419m and being the second highest mountain in Mozambique) is the jewel in the crown" and "a high-priority site for birds in Africa".
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 center of the province of Zambezia. It is the country's largest tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
estate
Estate (law)
An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...
. Population as of the 1997 census was 99,325, but current estimates are 116 922.
Portuguese rule
The name Gurúè is said to be local tribal dialect (LomweLomwe language
Lomwe is a mixed language spoken in southeastern Malawi.-Background:The Mozambique Lomwe are one of the four largest ethnic groups living in Malawi and have history of migration to the Mozambique–Malawi border zone. Many Lomwe moved into Malawi, where they mixed with the Nyanja, in the 1930s due to...
) for "porco do mato" (peccary
Peccary
A peccary is a medium-sized mammal of the family Tayassuidae, or New World Pigs. Peccaries are members of the artiodactyl suborder Suina, as are the pig family and possibly the hippopotamus family...
), or the name of a local tribal chief. Gurúè was founded and named by the Portuguese
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...
in the 19th century and developed as a major tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
producing town starting in the 1930s. The Portuguese authorities promoted a thriving economic climate and local tea companies become major players in the industry. Chá Moçambique, Companhia da Zambézia, Chá Gurúè and Plantações Manuel Saraiva Junqueiro were the major tea companies headquartered in the town. With good natural attractions - Namuli mountain range
Mount Namuli
Mount Namuli is the highest peak in the Zambezia Province of Mozambique. With 2,419 metre it is the second highest mountain of Mozambique behind the Monte Binga. The Namuli massif consists of a level plateau which rises 700 to 800 metre. The granite dome of the Namuli rises 1,600 metre above the...
(2419 m), large tea plantations (chá in Portuguese), and rivers, leading tea brands, such as Chá Moçambique, Chá Licungo, Chá Gurúè, and Chá Montebranco Junqueiro, achieved international recognition – most of the production was exported to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Other agricultural activities were developed as well. In the 1940s, over 300 Portuguese lived in the small town of Gurúè which gravitated around the tea aristocracy who provided all the amenities for the entire working population, including a private small airline to the largest cities on the coast, like Nampula
Nampula
Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Mozambique.It has a population of 471,717 making it the third largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Beira. It is home to the Mozambique National Ethnographic Museum, several markets, cathedrals and mosques.It is also the center of business...
, and the port city of Quelimane
Quelimane
Quelimane is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands 25 km from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais . The river was named when Vasco da Gama, on his way to India, reached it and saw "good signs" that he was on...
, the capital of Zambezia, in Portuguese East Africa
Portuguese East Africa
Mozambique or Portuguese East Africa was the common name by which the Portuguese Empire's territorial expansion in East Africa was known across different periods of time...
. After the death of tea tycoon Manuel Saraiva Junqueiro, in an airplane crash, the town of Gurúè was renamed Vila Junqueiro in October 1959. By the late 1950s the town had grown, the cinema was founded and TAZ airline (Transportes Aéreos da Zambézia) increased its flights in the town’s airfield. Under Portuguese administration the town expanded harmoniously in terms of urbanism and architectural landscape.
After independence from Portugal
After the independence of Mozambique from Portugal in 1975, Vila Junqueiro returned to its original name, Gurúè, and started a process of deep deterioration and economic and social decline. The exodus of the Portuguese, the eruption of the Mozambican Civil WarMozambican Civil War
The Mozambican Civil War began in 1977, two years after the end of the war of independence. The ruling party, Front for Liberation of Mozambique , was violently opposed from 1977 by the Rhodesian- and South African-funded Mozambique Resistance Movement...
(1977-1992) and the effects of FRELIMO's communist ideology, transformed the once thriving town in a few years.
Geography
Gurué is located in the North of the Zambezia province, 350 km from the next international Airport in Blantyre, MalawiBlantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
and also 350 km from Quelimane
Quelimane
Quelimane is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands 25 km from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais . The river was named when Vasco da Gama, on his way to India, reached it and saw "good signs" that he was on...
or Nampula
Nampula
Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Mozambique.It has a population of 471,717 making it the third largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Beira. It is home to the Mozambique National Ethnographic Museum, several markets, cathedrals and mosques.It is also the center of business...
, two of Mozambique's biggest cities.
It is located at longitude 37 degrees 1 minute East and latitude 15 degrees 30 minutes South.
Climate
Gurúè is considered to have a temperate climate. Summers have temperatures in the range of 30ºC to 34ºC. Winters have temperatures in the range of 17ºC to 20ºC. Like in tropical climates Winter is usually referred to as rain season while Summer is called dry seasonDry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
. Gurué's climate has much more rainfall than most of the rest of the province due to the effect of the mountains that surround the town. It creates a microclimate which is unusually cool and wet and therefore good for growing tea.
Economy
Gurúè's economy depends mainly on the teaTea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
plantations (90%), though other plantation types can also be found such as coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, etc. Most people also have small subsistence farms to supplement their irregular salaries.
Demographics
According to Mozambique's Government 1997 census, Gurúè's population was estimated at 99,325 and in 2008 at 116 922. Most people in the area speak Lomwe.Transportation
Gurúè can be reached by car. Not sure that the old airport can be used anymore. The roads are now tarred and in good condition (June 2011)Wildlife
A 1998 birding expedition to Gurúè re-discovered the country's only endemic, Namuli ApalisNamuli Apalis
The Namuli Apalis is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus Apalis in the family Cisticolidae. It was previously classified as a subspecies of the Bar-throated Apalis The Namuli Apalis (Apalis lynesi) is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus Apalis in the family...
, unseen since it was discovered in 1932. It is now known to be thriving in forests in this area.
According to a recent University of Cape Town scientific expedition "in a land of many natural treasures, Namuli
Mount Namuli
Mount Namuli is the highest peak in the Zambezia Province of Mozambique. With 2,419 metre it is the second highest mountain of Mozambique behind the Monte Binga. The Namuli massif consists of a level plateau which rises 700 to 800 metre. The granite dome of the Namuli rises 1,600 metre above the...
(a mount near Gurúè, with 2419m and being the second highest mountain in Mozambique) is the jewel in the crown" and "a high-priority site for birds in Africa".