It lies on the EN8 road, which connects it to the city of Nampula in the east and to the Malawian border in the west.[citation needed]
History
Cuamba was created by the Niassa Company, a royal charter company in what was then known as Portuguese East Africa. The land concession of the Niassa Company extended from 1891 and 1929, and it established a military outpost initially called Kuamba in this period. The name referred to a small kingdom in the area, and Cuamba became the official name of the settlement in 1937. Its name was changed to Nova Freixo in 1952, a reference to the city of Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Portugal, the birthplace of Sarmento Rodrigues (1899-1979), the colonial governor-general of Mozambique. The town reverted to its original name of Cuamba in 1976, and was elevated to city status in 1971.[citation needed]