Beira (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈbejɾɐ]) is the capital and largest city of Sofala Province, in the central region of Mozambique.

A coastal city, 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 of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.

The city prospered as a cosmopolitan port with different ethnic communities (Portuguese, Indian, Chinese, Bantus such as the Sena and Ndau) employed in administration, commerce, and industry.

Mozambique was ravaged by a civil war from 1977 to 1992, opposing Marxist FRELIMO, which controlled the government, to the rebels of RENAMO, descending to near total chaos in a couple of years.

The 2000 Mozambique flood devastated Beira and the surrounding region, leaving millions homeless and severely damaging the local economy.

Access to drinking water and sanitation in Mozambique was historically a major problem, alike many of the sub-Saharan African nations.

It has been estimated that in developing countries, around 80% of all disease arises as a direct result of inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene, and contaminated water.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, each day around six thousand people die from diseases caused by poor sanitation, while another 300 million Africans have no access to clean water.

Beira has long been a major trade point for exports coming in and out of Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and other Southern African nations.

The importance of the port was shown during the Mozambique Civil War, when Zimbabwean troops protected the Beira–Bulawayo railway and Beira to Mutare highway in order to continue trade.

In 2008, the Mozambique transportation minister, Paulo Zucula, stated that the government is planning on modernizing the Beira and more northern Nacala ports for an estimated cost of $900m; $500m and 400m respectively.

[17] The government has also stated that it plans on modernizing surrounding railway and highway infrastructure so that the port is better connected to the nation's mines.

[citation needed] Beira has been twinned with Bristol, UK, since 1990 and the Bristol-Beira Link[23] manages a range of projects in education, culture, commerce, and disability.