Matola
Encyclopedia
Matola is a city in southern Mozambique
, which lies 12 kilometers to the west of the country's capital, Maputo
. Matola is the capital of Maputo Province
and has had its own elected municipal government since 1998. It has a port and also the biggest industrial area in Mozambique. The population of Matola is, according to the 2007 census, 675,422 inhabitants, with one 2010 calculation putting its current population at 757,753.
kingdom that existed in this region when the colonists arrived.
(chromium
and iron
) and other exports from Swaziland
and South Africa
. It has petroleum
refineries (presently inactive) and diverse industries, which manufacture products like soap
, cement
and agricultural materials. The most important of these is an aluminium
smelter, installed in 2002, that more than doubled Mozambique's GDP.
. Coal is exported from here.
.
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...
, which lies 12 kilometers to the west of the country's capital, Maputo
Maputo
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...
. Matola is the capital of Maputo Province
Maputo Province
Maputo is a province of Mozambique; the province excludes the city of Maputo . The province has an area of 26,058 km² and a population of 1,072,086 .Matola is the capital of the province....
and has had its own elected municipal government since 1998. It has a port and also the biggest industrial area in Mozambique. The population of Matola is, according to the 2007 census, 675,422 inhabitants, with one 2010 calculation putting its current population at 757,753.
Etymology
Matola, which is also a common family name, comes from Matsolo a RongaRonga
Ronga is a South-Eastern Bantu language in the Tswa–Ronga family spoken just South of Maputo in Mozambique. It extends a little into South Africa...
kingdom that existed in this region when the colonists arrived.
Industry
Matola is an industrial centre with an important port for mineralMineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
(chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
and iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
) and other exports from Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It has petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
refineries (presently inactive) and diverse industries, which manufacture products like soap
Soap
In chemistry, soap is a salt of a fatty acid.IUPAC. "" Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. . Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford . XML on-line corrected version: created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN...
, cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
and agricultural materials. The most important of these is an aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
smelter, installed in 2002, that more than doubled Mozambique's GDP.
Transport
Matola is served by a station on the southern network of Mozambique Ports and RailwaysMozambique Ports and Railways
Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique is the parastatal authority that oversees the railway system of Mozambique and its connected ports. The rail system is composed of a total of 2,983 km rail of the gauge that is compatible with neighboring rail systems...
. Coal is exported from here.
Geography
Matola is also the name of a small river (some 30 km long), that makes the northern border of the Matola municipality, and flows into 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....
.