Mozambique's capital, Maputo is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city bursting with lively sidewalk cafes and jazz venues.

One of Maputo's landmark buildings is the train station designed by an associate of the famous French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. Today the train station he inspired rarely sees trains, instead its jazz cafe is among the city's best night spots.

The official language is Portuguese, after settlers first arrived in Mozambique in the 15th century. Colonial era architecture and relics can be found across the country but the nation has also preserved much of its African cultural heritage, making for an interesting and diverse mix of old and new.

The city has undergone major redevelopment since the end of the civil war and any reminders of the country's brutal past are being carefully transformed in to points of interest. And it is proving a draw with tourists; government figures show that four times as many tourists visited the country in 2010 compared to 2004.

Investment in tourism began in 1992, following a peace agreement, which brought an end to 16 years of civil war in the country. The old fort in the capital, built by the Portuguese nearly 200 years ago, is a symbol of the country's, sometimes violent, colonial past.

Outside of the capital, the country has a number of beautiful islands to visit. Inhaca Island is the closet to Maputo and has a quaint village and Biology Museum. With 2,500km of coastline along the warm Indian Ocean it is no surprise that fishing is one of Mozambique's most important industries. The long stretches of coastline also means there are plenty of sea-based activities from snorkeling to scuba diving.

Joseph Mayers, who lives in Canada, visited the country and told CNN that he can see it becoming a more desirable place in the coming years.

"Mozambique is a truly beautiful country with breathtaking scenery and sunsets. It has vast amounts of potential and it was an unforgettable experience, to say the least."

Source: CNN