Abstract
The colonization of Mozambique by Portugal began in the 15th century. The first settling was made in 1498, near the mouth of Zambezi River by Vasco de Gama himself. A few years later, the Portuguese founded a city in Lourenço Marques bay, nowadays known as Maputo. Thanks to the trade of slaves Maputo, quickly became an important and a rich city. The colonization increased quickly at the end of the 18th century, when the authorities decided to give properties (prazo in Portuguese) to people who came from the home country to live in the colony. In 1875, important colonial powers such as England and France, acknowledged Portugal's sovereignty in Mozambique. During the 20th century, the Portuguese administration was clearly autocratic, especially during Antonio Salazar's dictatorship (between1932 and 1968). In 1951, it was no more considered a colony but seen as an overseas territory. Before the death of Salazar, a first war broke out for the independence of the country, and lead to a wave of violence between 1964 and 1974. Eventually, the dictatorship regime was destroyed thanks to the Carnation Revolution, and the first war ended at about the same time.
