 San hunter and gatherers , ancestors of the <unk> peoples , were the first known inhabitants of the region that is now Mozambique , followed in the 1st and 4th centuries by <unk> @-@ speaking peoples who migrated there across the <unk> River . In <unk> , Portuguese explorers landed on the Mozambican coastline . Portugal 's influence in East Africa grew throughout the 16th century ; she established several colonies known collectively as Portuguese East Africa . <unk> and gold became profitable for the Europeans ; influence was largely exercised through individual settlers and there was no centralised administration and , in the meantime , Portugal had turned her attention to India and Brazil . 
