Mozambique Channel

Lore & Background

The Mozambique Channel is an arm of the Indian Ocean situated between the Southeast African nations of Madagascar and Mozambique. It stretches approximately 1,800 kilometers in length and narrows to a width of about 420 kilometers at its most constricted point. The channel reaches a maximum depth of around 3,292 meters off the Mozambican coast. A warm southward-flowing current, the Mozambique Current, traverses the channel and feeds into the Agulhas Current along the east coast of Southern Africa. The channel carries roughly 30 percent of the world’s tanker traffic. Its waters host numerous islands and archipelagos, including the Comoros (Grande Comore, Mohéli, Anjouan), the French territory of Mayotte, and several scattered islets such as the Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova, Europa Island, and Bassas da India. Mozambique’s Primeiras and Segundas Archipelago, Ilha do Fogo, and the Quirimbas Islands also lie within the channel. The St. Lazarus Banks, a seamount located about 50 to 75 nautical miles off the Quirimbas Archipelago, rise from roughly 2,000 meters to a shallowest depth of 12 meters, renowned for marine biodiversity and deep-sea fishing. Historically, the channel was a World War II clashpoint during the Battle of Madagascar in 1942, and in 1939 the British tanker *Africa Shell* was sunk there by the German pocket battleship *Graf Spee*. France maintains a military presence via Réunion, with regular naval patrols, to preserve sovereignty over Mayotte and the Scattered Islands amid territorial claims by Comoros and Madagascar. Since 2011, the South African Navy has conducted intermittent anti-piracy patrols in the channel, and a recent Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique has caused disruptions.

Reader's Guide

The Mozambique Channel is an arm of the Indian Ocean separating Madagascar from Mozambique. It is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization with boundaries running from the Rovuma River estuary to the Comoros Islands and Cap d’Ambre in the north, along Madagascar’s west coast in the east, from Cap Sainte-Marie to Ponto do Ouro in the south, and the coast of Southern Africa in the west. The channel hosts numerous islands, including the Comoros archipelago, the French region of Mayotte, and several scattered islets such as the Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova, Europa Island, and Bassas da India, many of which are claimed by Madagascar or Comoros. The St. Lazarus Banks, a seamount rising from about 2,000 meters to a shallow depth of 12 meters, are noted for rich marine biodiversity and are a major deep-sea fishing area. A warm southward current, the Mozambique Current, flows through the channel into the Agulhas Current. Historically, the channel was a World War II clashpoint during the 1942 Battle of Madagascar. In 1939, the British tanker *Africa Shell* was intercepted and sunk by the German pocket battleship *Graf Spee* while within Portuguese territorial waters. Today, the channel carries roughly 30% of global tanker traffic, and an Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique has caused disruption, prompting intermittent anti-piracy patrols by the South African Navy since 2011. France maintains a military presence from Réunion, patrolling regularly to preserve sovereignty over Mayotte and the scattered islands against competing claims.

Did You Know?

• The warm Mozambique Current flows southward into the Agulhas Current off the east coast of Southern Africa.
• The channel carries about 30% of global tanker traffic.
• The St. Lazarus Banks in the channel rise from about 2,000 m to just 12 m depth.