Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique. It lies in the
central region of the country in Sofala Province, where the Pungue River meets
the Indian Ocean. Beira had a population of 412,588 in 1997, which grew to an
estimated 546,000 in 2006. It holds the regionally-significant Port of Beira
which acts as a gateway for both the central interior portion of the country as
well as the land-locked nations
