34 MOZAMBIQUE 



which even when drained make poor cocoanut 

 country, detracts very considerably from the 

 value of the Quelimane district for the produc- 

 tion of copra. 



The coastal belt is backed behind by a second 

 zone, composed largely of wet clay, frequently 

 waterlogged and swampy, large areas being under 

 water in the rainy season. It rises by a suc- 

 cession of ledges, a formation well adapted for 

 both irrigation and drainage, especially as it is 

 well served by rivers. The swamp bottoms of 

 rich argillaceous loam would make good sugar 

 land if drained. This zone is very irregular in 

 shape, here and there penetrating to the coast, 

 its interior outline taking the form of large sw^eeps 

 or bays, but its mean width may be set down 

 at about 50 kilometres. Lake Kigoria, near 

 Villa Joao Coutinho, and Inhamacurra are both 

 near the line of demarcation between this zone 

 and the third. Opposite the town of Quelimane 

 the deposit takes a sweep inland behind the delta 

 of the Zambezi, and outcrops at intervals at that 

 river. 



We now leave the alluvium of the hara^ but 

 before entering the fertile uplands we cross a 

 sandy fringe expanding into a large wing in the 

 direction of the Chire Kiver, and into another 

 wing towards the Mozambique boundary, present- 



