Beira

Beira
/bay"reuh/, n.
a seaport in central Mozambique. 115,000.

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Coastal city (pop., 1997: 412,588), southeastern Mozambique.

Located near the mouth of the Zambezi River, it is the chief port for central Mozambique and for landlocked Zimbabwe and Malawi. Founded in 1891 as a trading company's headquarters, it passed to Portuguese administration in 1942 and then to independent Mozambique in 1975. It is the terminus of railways from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Congo (Kinshasa), Zambia, and Malawi.

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      port city, central Mozambique. Beira is situated on the Mozambique Channel (Indian Ocean) at the mouths of the Púngoè and Búzi rivers. It was founded in 1891 as the headquarters of the Companhia de Moçambique (“Mozambique Company”) on the site of an old Muslim settlement. The city's administration passed from the trading company to the Portuguese government in 1942 and then to independent Mozambique in 1975. The port developed as a trade and transportation outlet for the products of Central Africa and as a transshipment point for coastal cargo. The city is the busy ocean terminus of railways from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Congo (Kinshasa), and Malaŵi, and it serves as the main port for Zimbabwe and Malaŵi. Principal exports passing through Beira are ores, tobacco, food products, cotton, and hides and skins. The main imports are liquid fuels, fertilizers, wheat, heavy equipment, textiles, and beverages. A fishing harbour, which includes canneries, processing plants, and refrigerated stores, was constructed at Beira in the early 1980s. Repeated bombings of the Umtali-to-Beira railway line, first by Rhodesian guerrillas prior to Zimbabwe's independence in 1980 and then later in the early 1980s by the Mozambique National Resistance Movement (MNRM), resulted in frequent interruptions of rail service. Pop. (1991 est.) 298,847.

▪ historical province, Portugal
      former principality and historical province, north-central Portugal, extending from the banks of the Douro River in the north to the upper course of the Tagus in the southeast and from the Spanish frontier in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The region was reconquered from the Moors in the 8th century, but Moorish attacks continued until the 15th century. It was also contested during the Portuguese-Castilian wars. In 1835 Beira was divided into the districts of Aveiro, Coimbra, Viseu, Guarda, and Castelo Branco. In 1936 three new provinces were created from it: Beira Litoral (the coast, with Coimbra as its capital), Beira Alta (with Viseu its capital), and Beira Baixa (with Castelo Branco predominant), known as the Beiras. Despite further administrative reorganization, the defining character of each of these three provinces has remained strong. From the west, which includes Aveiro and its lagoon, the university city of Coimbra, and the city of Figueira da Foz at the mouth of the Mondego River, the land rises to a series of rugged hills and mountain ranges up to Torre (Alto da Torre), mainland Portugal's highest point. To the east, close to the border with Spain, are well-preserved fortifications including Almeida and Sabugal. The rugged, stony region contains numerous sites of historical, cultural, and natural interest. Two notable local doctors, Fernando Namora (Namora, Fernando Goncalves) and Miguel Torga (Torga, Miguel), as well as Aquilino Ribeiro (Ribeiro, Aquilino), a regional writer, depicted rustic life in Beira.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Beira — can refer to:*Beira (mythology), the mother to all the gods and goddesses in the Celtic mythology of Scotland *Beira, Portugal, the name of a region (and former province) in north central Portugal; three provinces were later known by the name:… …   Wikipedia

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  • Beirã — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Beirã Freguesia de Portugal …   Wikipedia Español

  • Beira — statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Dorcatragus megalotis angl. beira; beira antelope vok. Beira rus. бейра pranc. beira ryšiai: platesnis terminas – beiros …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

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  • Beira — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Beira puede referirse a: Beira (Mozambique), un puerto de Mozambique El Dorcatragus megalotis, un antílope que vive en el Cuerno de África. Obtenido de Beira Categoría: Wikipedia:Desambiguación …   Wikipedia Español

  • beira — ● beira nom masculin (de Beira, nom propre) Petite antilope de Somalie, aux grandes oreilles, vivant en milieu aride. Beira port du Mozambique, sur le canal de Mozambique; 298 000 hab.; ch. l. de la prov. de Sofala. Centre ferroviaire, comm. et… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Beĭra — (spr. Beira), bis 1835 Provinz in Portugal, zwischen dem Atlantischen Meere, Spanien u. den Provinzen Minho, Traz os Montes, Alemtejo u. Estremadura; gegenwärtig in die beiden Provinzen B. Alta (Hoch B.) u. B. Baira (Nieder B.) durch die Sierra… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Beira [2] — Beira, Hafenstadt in Portugiesisch Ostafrika, mit (1900) 5000 Einw., darunter 1132 Europäer (38 Deutsche, 24 Österreicher, 191 Engländer, 665 Portugiesen), 436 Chinesen, Inder. Die Stadt, auf einer sandigen Landzunge gelegen und nur aus… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Beira [1] — Beira (spr. bē ĭra), portug. Provinz, im N. von den Provinzen Entre Douro e Minho und Traz os Montes, im S. von Estremadura und Alemtejo, westlich vom Meer, östlich von Spanien begrenzt, 23,942 qkm (434,8 QM.) groß mit (1900) 1,518,406 Einw. (63… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Beira — Beĭra, frühere portug. Provinz, vom Douro bis Tajo, zerfallend in B. Alta (Ober B.), B. Baixa (Unter B.) und B. Mar (Küsten B.), 23.943 qkm, (1900) 1.518.406 E.; jetzt in die 5 Distr. Coimbra, Aveiro, Vizeu, Guarda und Castello Branco geteilt;… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

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