Chimoio

Chimoio is the capital of Manica Province in central Mozambique and the fifth-largest city in the country. Under Portuguese administration it was called Vila Pery, a name given in 1916 in honour of the governor João Pery de Lind, and it was raised to city status on 17 July 1969. The name returned to Chimoio on 12 June 1975, after independence. According to local oral history the name comes from a son of the paramount chief Ganda, a hunter who was buried in the area, and in the Citewe language it is said to mean great heart. The city lies on the Beira Corridor at an altitude of about 750 metres, on the railway from Beira to Bulawayo, roughly 95 kilometres from the Zimbabwean border. It grew as an agricultural and textile centre, with cotton, fruit and timber industries, and it is a destination for Zimbabwean migrants seeking work. Nearby landmarks include the rock called Cabeça do Velho (Mount Bêngo) and the Chimanimani National Park.