Pemba is a port town and the capital of the Cabo Delgado
Province in the North of Mozambique. It has banks, patisseries,
supermarkets, and restaurants, yet it retains a ramshackle feel
with its potholed streets.
The town is built over rolling hills and most people live in
wooden huts, set among the many impressive baobab trees. The
history of the Cabo Delgado province and its people lies in many
centuries of African, Arab, and Portuguese sailing, trading, and
settling.
The Niassa Company founded Pemba in 1904 as Porto Amelia, named
after a queen of Portugal. It was renamed Pemba at the end of
Portuguese rule in 1975. Tarred roads connect it to the Nampula and
Ilha de Mozambique, and international flights and tourist
facilities are steadily on the increase.
Although Pemba is renowned for its Portuguese colonial
architecture, it still has many of natural attractions. It's a
prime location for water sports and diving. Nearby Ibo Island
offers empty stretches of beach to explore some of the world's
richest coral reefs while Quipaco Island is just 12 miles (20km) to
the north.
Nacole Baobab Nature Estate and Nkwita Lake are also within an
hour's drive. There's an authentic local market, called a
in the centre of Pemba, selling arts and crafts,
as well as traditional silverware.
It's quite large, extending some 1.2 miles (2km) along one of
the town's main thoroughfares. Avoid the ivory on sale at the
market, as its selling is contrary to Mozambican and international
law. Maconde arts and crafts are popular Mozambican souvenirs
available from Pemba.