Vilankulo (or Vilanculos) is a coastal town in Mozambique, lying in the Vilanculos District of Inhambane Province. Vilankulo is named after local tribal chief Gamela Vilankulo Mukoke, and some of the "bairros" (suburbs) are named after his sons. Known as Vilanculos during colonial times, the name was changed to Vilankulo at independence. Today the district is called Vilanculos and the town Vilankulo.

Vilankulo
Vilanculos
Market in Vilankulo
Market in Vilankulo
Vilankulo is located in Mozambique
Vilankulo
Vilankulo
Coordinates: 22°0′S 35°19′E / 22.000°S 35.317°E / -22.000; 35.317
Country Mozambique
ProvincesInhambane Province
DistrictVilanculos District
Government
 • TypeDemocratic
Population
 (2010 (estimate))
 • Total24,433

Vilankulo has been growing extensively over the last decade, and has been the recipient of considerable inward investment into its tourism infrastructure. The town of Vilankulo is the gateway to the archipelago. Dhows and helicopters travel between the town and the Bazaruto Archipelago. The town itself is only about 5 km long. The airport is based on the outside of the town with flights arriving and departing on a daily basis.

It is home to a new international airport, which serves daily flights to several regional destinations, including Johannesburg and Maputo.

Sports

edit

The local football club is called Vilankulo F.C. (VFC).[1] This is the first official club from Vilankulo that is recognized by the Mozambican Football Federation. In November 2009 Vilankulo FC was promoted to the Moçambola.

Vilankulo is the gateway to the Bazaruto Archipelago, ocean safaris and Padi dive and boat charter centre.

 
Typical homes and streets in Vilankulo

Demographics

edit
Year Population[2]
2010 estimate 24,433

Climate

edit
Climate data for Vilanculos (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.8
(87.4)
30.9
(87.6)
30.7
(87.3)
29.3
(84.7)
27.4
(81.3)
25.7
(78.3)
25.2
(77.4)
25.8
(78.4)
27.0
(80.6)
28.0
(82.4)
29.1
(84.4)
30.1
(86.2)
28.3
(83.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23.5
(74.3)
23.1
(73.6)
22.3
(72.1)
20.0
(68.0)
16.9
(62.4)
14.6
(58.3)
14.2
(57.6)
15.5
(59.9)
18.2
(64.8)
20.3
(68.5)
22.0
(71.6)
23.1
(73.6)
19.5
(67.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 152.2
(5.99)
160.4
(6.31)
79.7
(3.14)
41.0
(1.61)
36.3
(1.43)
23.7
(0.93)
17.5
(0.69)
23.4
(0.92)
9.1
(0.36)
40.1
(1.58)
58.5
(2.30)
138.0
(5.43)
779.9
(30.69)
Average rainy days 9 10 9 6 6 6 6 4 3 5 6 9 79
Source: World Meteorological Organization[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Vilankulo Futebol Clube". Archived from the original on September 30, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2009. football club official website
  2. ^ "Mozambique: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". World Gazetteer. Retrieved 2008-06-18.[dead link]
  3. ^ "World Weather Information Service". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
edit
edit