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Mozambican local flags in c. 1576

Last modified: 2002-07-20 by jarig bakker
Keywords: tanzania | portulano | dourado (fernão vaz) | crescents: 2 | crescent (white) | crescent: points to fly |
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Introduction

I have a small reproduction of an old map made by Fernão Vaz Dourado in 1576. This map reproduces the southeastern coastal areas of Africa, from southern Namibia to the easternmost tip of Somalia. It contains 9 reproductions of flags over those “city drawings” so common in the maps of that time. I GIFfed the flags to the best of my eye resolution (the reproduction is small and some details are not obvious). These are: Are these flags really the flags used by those places at the time? Or, rephrasing the question: are these maps reliable in what concerns flag-info (they are not in what concerns geo-info, that’s for sure!...)
Jorge Candeias, 15 Aug 1999

Old flag on northern Mozambique

1576 North Mozambican flag by Jorge Candeias, 15 Aug 1999

Placed in northern Mozambique. The flag is square, yellowbordered in red, with five blue bezants disposed in saltire in the yellow square. This is evidentely a Portuguese flag, but one I never saw before.
Jorge Candeias, 15 Aug 1999


Old flag on southern Mozambique

1576 Mozambican south flag by Jorge Candeias, 15 Aug 1999

Placed in southern Mozambique. Another square flag, yellowbordered in blue, with a red templar cross in the yellow square. Another Portuguese flag unknown to me.
Jorge Candeias, 15 Aug 1999