Pemba

Pemba is a port city and district in northern Mozambique and the capital and largest city of Cabo Delgado Province. It lies on a peninsula in Pemba Bay, described as the third largest bay in Africa, to the northeast of the national capital, Maputo. The bay and the coral reef around the city make it a prime destination for diving and water sports, and whales, sunfish and sea turtles are often seen along its coast. The town was founded in 1898 by the Niassa Company as a small trading port and was named Porto Amélia after the last Queen of Portugal; it took the name Pemba at the end of Portuguese rule in 1975. Its people are mainly Swahili, Makonde, Macua and Mwani. The municipality covers 100 square kilometres and recorded 201,846 people in the 2017 census.