What is the capital of Mozambique?
Maputo lies on a large natural bay on the Indian Ocean near the southern end of Mozambique, within 120 kilometres of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa.
Maputo is the capital and seat of government of Mozambique, a role it has held since 1898. Mozambique itself has an estimated population of 35,631,653 (2025).
Maputo is also the largest city in Mozambique, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Maputo at a glance
| City population | 1,088,449 (2017 census) |
|---|---|
| Country | 🇲🇿 Mozambique |
| Founded | 1781 |
| Capital since | 1898 |
| Largest city in Mozambique | Maputo |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (CAT) |
| Currency | Mozambican metical (MZN) |
About Maputo
A settlement was founded on the site in 1781; it was established as a town on 9 December 1876 and raised to city status on 10 November 1887.
Maputo has been the capital of Mozambique since 1898.
The city was named Lourenco Marques until 1976, the year after Mozambique became independent from Portugal.
Maputo is a port city with an economy centred on commerce, and is known for its lively cultural scene and eclectic architecture.
Its metropolitan area takes in the neighbouring city of Matola.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Maputo.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Mozambique?
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Mozambique on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.