Pemba
Pemba Show map of Mozambique Pemba Show map of Africa
Coordinates: 12°58′S 40°33′E / 12.967°S 40.550°E / -12.967; 40.550
Country	Mozambique
Provinces	Cabo Delgado Province
City Status	1904
Area
• Total	19.79 km2 (7.64 sq mi)
Elevation	30 m (100 ft)
Population  (2017 census)
• Total	201,846
• Density	10,000/km2 (26,000/sq mi)
Area code	(+258) 272
Climate	Aw

Pemba [ˈpẽbɐ] is a port city and district in Mozambique. It is the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado and lies on a peninsula in Pemba Bay.

The town was founded by the Niassa Company in 1904 as Porto Amélia, after the Queen of Portugal, at the peninsula's northwestern tip and has grown around a port. The city is renowned for its Portuguese colonial architecture.^[1] It was renamed Pemba at the end of Portuguese rule, in 1975. The city's inhabitants are primarily Swahili, Makondes, Macuas and Mwanis. Local languages that are spoken are Kimwani and Makhuwa, although Portuguese is widespread.

Pemba is also renowned as being a prime destination for water sport and diving enthusiasts as a coral reef lies close to the shore. Pemba's bay shelters a wide range of soft and hard coral, attracting diverse sea species including rare sunfish, potato bass, dolphins, whales, and sea turtles, making it a haven for marine photographers and enthusiasts. Pemba offers excellent whale watching, as from June to October, humpback whales migrate through these waters. It has increasingly become a tourist destination, particularly for upper-middle-class Mozambicans and South Africans. There are now 5 flights a week from Johannesburg to Pemba, several hotels, restaurants, and other forms of entertainment and activities^[2] In the centre of Pemba, there is an authentic local market or souk, where arts and crafts, as well as traditional silverware can be bought. Pemba is the closest major city and airport for those who wish to visit the Quirimbas Islands and Quirimbas National Park.

History

Pemba is taking refugees in the aftermath of the Battle of Palma.^[3]

International relations

Pemba is twinned with:

• Aveiro, Portugal
• Reggio Emilia, Italy

Demographics

Port

Pemba is a potential site for a deepwater port.^[5]

Municipality

The municipality of Pemba covers 100 km² and recorded 201,846 people in the 2017 census. The actual settlement, however, is mostly just the tip facing into the bay, with most of the land undeveloped.^[6]

Climate

Pemba has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). Temperatures fluctuate little throughout the year due to the city's tropical location and closeness to the equator. It has only two seasons. The wet season is from December to April and brings heavy but reliable rainfall, the wettest month typically being March with an average rainfall of 202.2 mm (7.96 in). Conversely, the dry season stretches from May to November and brings marginally cooler temperatures, sunny skies, and very little rain, the driest month typically being September with an average rainfall of 2.2 mm (0.09 in). Humidity is very high during the wet season, averaging 80-90%, but is much lower in the dry season. The warmest months are January and February and the coolest is July.