Formed during the Pleistocene, Bazaruto's sand dunes along its eastern shore are among the tallest in the world, reaching heights up to 90 m (300 ft).

Besides the dune system, the island is dotted with grasslands, salt marshes, mangrove swamps, and patches of freshwater wetland.

Occupied since the Iron Age, Bazaruto formed part of the Indian Ocean trade network for thousands of years.

It fell under increasing Portuguese influence beginning in the late 16th century, and was administered under a series of mulatto landlords and chieftains.

[α][3][4] It sits close to the rim of the narrow continental shelf, separated 14.2 km (8.8 mi) from the coast of mainland Mozambique by Bazaruto Bay.

Water levels have varied slightly over the course of the Holocene; offshore aeolianite formations, now covered in coral, mark the former coastline of the island.

Bazaruto formed part of an early center of Indian Ocean trade, evidenced by the recovery of Persian porcelain from the Ponta Dundo site.

Pearls, amber, tortoise shell, and dugong teeth were prominent trade goods exported from the archipelago.

By the early 1500s, Portuguese sources referred to the islands as the Húcicas Grandes, describing them as inhabited by "Black Moor" traders.

Afro-Portuguese mulatto families gained increasing prominence as the region fell under Portuguese trade influence.

1589) owned Bazaruto and portions of the adjacent mainland; his friendliness towards Portuguese sailors led to the island becoming a resupply point for ships.

The island experienced periods of drought and famine, and was frequently invaded by tribal groups known to the Portuguese as the Vatuas and Landins.

Combined with food insecurity and Landin invasions, the island was steadily depopulated, with most inhabitants becoming refugees in wooded areas along the mainland.

Although isolated from the war, the population put an intense strain on water supplies, and imported goat stocks led to overgrazing.

It was criticized for its stressors to the protected ecosystem due to its consumption of fish and wood fuel which ultimately became economically nonviable on the island.

[20] Agricultural cultivation is practiced to supplement local fishing, with cassava, millet, beans, and melons as the main crops.

[21] Goats and sheep are herded on the island, posing a risk to small grazing species such as the red forest duiker.

[22] Fishing is the primary economic activity of the island, practiced both for profit and subsistence, with men, women, and children all participating in the trade.

[25][26] The island's lodges sponsored the creation of the Tomba Yidhu Association in order to manage community use of tourism revenues.

In addition to the native mammals, black rats, feral cats, and the suni antelope have been introduced to the island by human activity.

[32][33] In 1971, the Portuguese colonial government established Bazaruto National Park in the archipelago, encompassing Benguerra, Magaruque, and Bangué and the 5 km (3.1 mi) coastal zone around the islands.