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SOFALA

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Originally appearing in Volume V25, Page 344 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SOFALA , a Portuguese seaport on the See also:

east See also:coast of See also:Africa, at the mouth of a See also:river of the same name, in 2o° 12' S. Pop, (moo), about See also:I000. The See also:town possesses scarcely a trace of its former importance, and what See also:trade it had Was nearly all taken away by the See also:establishment of See also:Beira (q.v.) a little to the See also:north ir. 1890. Sofala See also:Harbour, once capable of holding a See also:hundred large vessels, is silting up and is obstructed by a See also:bar. Ruins exist of the strong fort built by the Portuguese in the 16th See also:century. Previous to its See also:conquest by the Portuguese in 1505 Sofala was the See also:chief town of a wealthy See also:Mahommedan See also:state, See also:Arabs having established themselves there in the 12th century or earlier. At one See also:time it formed See also:part of the sultanate of See also:Kilwa (q.v.). Sofala was visited by the Portuguese See also:Jew, Pero de Covilhao, in 1489, who was attracted thither by the reports of See also:gold-mines of which Sofala was the See also:port. The conquest of the town followed, the first See also:governors of the Portuguese East See also:African possessions being entitled Captains-See also:General of Sofala. (See PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA.) See also:Thorne See also:Lopes, who accompanied Vasco da Gama to See also:India in 1502 and See also:left a narrative of the voyage (first printed in See also:Ramusio, Viaggi e Navegationi), identifies Sofala with See also:Solomon's See also:Ophir and states that it was the See also:home of the See also:Queen of Sheba. This See also:identification of Sofala with Ophir, to which See also:Milton alludes (See also:Par.

Lost, xi. 399-40,) is untenable. The small See also:

island of Chiloane, with a See also:good harbour, 40 M. S. of Sofala, has been colonized from Sofala (the township being named Chingune) as has also the island See also:Santa Carolina, in the Bazaruto See also:archipelago. See See also:Bull. Geogr. See also:Soc. See also:Mozambique (1882) for an See also:account of the Sofala mines; and, generally, Idrfsf, See also:Climate, i. § 8, O. Dapper, Description de l'Afrique (See also:Amsterdam, 1686) ; T. See also:Baines, The Gold Regions of See also:South Africa (1877); G. McC.

Theal's Records of South Eastern Africa (1898—1903) ; See also:

Sir R. See also:Burton's notes to his edition of See also:Camoens.

End of Article: SOFALA

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