Central/Malhangalene

Located northwest of Polana and Sommerschield in the direction of the commercial Baixa area, Central and Malhangalene have fewer trees and poorer roads than their more upmarket neighbours but they are still popular among expats because they have good quality accommodation and all kinds of services (clinics, transport, restaurants, shops, bars, travel agencies). In Central housing is a mix of apartments in eight/ten-floor concrete structures, especially along Avenida 24 de Julho, Avenida Eduardo Mondlane and Avenida Mao Tze Tung, and two-storey early 20th century houses along the top of the escarpment facing the sea. Malhangalene, further inland, has three- or four-storey walk-up detached brick buildings with tiled roofs and large balconies and others made of concrete with flat roofs or, occasionally, with tiled roofs. Two of Maputos four mosques are located in these areas, one in Avenida Eduardo Mondlane and the other tucked away in Rua da Alegria. Muslims make up one third of the citys 1.2 million people (official census figures; estimates put the real figure at closer to 2 million). Central also has one of the better private clinics in town, the Clinica 222 (Avenida 24 de Julho 821, tel. 00258 21 432736). In Malhangalene there is a small but well stocked market, Mercado Janet, selling everything from clothes to fruit, from saucepans to hair extensions; there are also tailors using old Singer machines to make and repair clothes.