Almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony came to a close with independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration by whites, economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought, and a prolonged civil war hindered the country's development until the mid 1990's. The ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989, and a new constitution the following year provided for multiparty elections and a free market economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement between FRELIMO and rebel Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO) forces ended the fighting in 1992. In December 2004, Mozambique underwent a delicate transition as Joaquim CHISSANO stepped down after 18 years in office. His elected successor, Armando Emilio GUEBUZA, promised to continue the sound economic policies that have encouraged foreign investment. Mozambique has seen very strong economic growth since the end of the civil war largely due to post-conflict reconstruction.

Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania
18 15 S, 35 00 E
Africa
total: 801,590 sq km ; land: 784,090 sq km ; water: 17,500 sq km
slightly less than twice the size of California
total: 4,571 km ; border countries: Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland 105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km
2,470 km
territorial sea: 12 nm ; exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
tropical to subtropical
mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m ; highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m
coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite
arable land: 5.43% ; permanent crops: 0.29% ; other: 94.28% (2005)
1,180 sq km (2003)
216 cu km (1992)
Total: 0.63 cu km/yr (11%/2%/87%) ; Per capita: 32 cu m/yr (2000)
severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods in central and southern provinces
a long civil war and recurrent drought in the hinterlands have resulted in increased migration of the population to urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences; desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters; elephant poaching for ivory is a problem
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands ; signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country
20,905,585 ; note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected; the 1997 Mozambican census reported a population of 16,099,246 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 4,692,126/female 4,647,960) ; 15-64 years: 52.5% (male 5,345,618/female 5,633,511) ; 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 244,886/female 341,484) (2007 est.)
total: 17.4 years ; male: 16.9 years ; female: 17.8 years (2007 est.)
1.803% (2007 est.)
38.54 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
20.51 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 0.949 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.717 male(s)/female ; total population: 0.968 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 109.93 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 112.81 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 106.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 40.9 years ; male: 41.4 years ; female: 40.4 years (2007 est.)
5.29 children born/woman (2007 est.)
12.2% (2003 est.)
1.3 million (2003 est.)
110,000 (2003 est.)
noun: Mozambican(s) ; adjective: Mozambican
African 99.66% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08%
Catholic 23.8%, Muslim 17.8%, Zionist Christian 17.5%, other 17.8%, none 23.1% (1997 census)
Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8% (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe 7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%, other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write ; total population: 47.8% ; male: 63.5% ; female: 32.7% (2003 est.)
degree of risk: very high ; food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever ; vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations ; water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2007)

conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique ; conventional short form: Mozambique ; local long form: Republica de Mocambique ; local short form: Mocambique ; former: Portuguese East Africa
republic
name: Maputo ; geographic coordinates: 25 57 S, 32 35 E ; time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city (cidade)*; Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Cidade de Maputo*, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia

25 June 1975 (from Portugal)
Independence Day, 25 June (1975)
30 November 1990
based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Armando GUEBUZA (since 2 February 2005) ; head of government: Prime Minister Luisa DIOGO (since 17 February 2004) ; cabinet: Cabinet ; elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president ; election results: Armando GUEBUZA elected president; percent of vote - Armando GUEBUZA 63.7%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 31.7%
unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (250 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) ; elections: last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2009) ; election results: percent of vote by party - FRELIMO 62%, RENAMO 29.7%, other 8.3%; seats by party - FRELIMO 160, RENAMO 90
Supreme Court (the court of final appeal; some of its professional judges are appointed by the president and some are elected by the Assembly); other courts include an Administrative Court, customs courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts ; note: although the constitution provides for a separate Constitutional Court, one has never been established; in its absence the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases
Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de Mocambique) or FRELIMO [Armando Emilio GUEBUZA]; Mozambique National Resistance-Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana-Uniao Eleitoral) or RENAMO-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA]
Institute for Peace and Democracy (Instituto para Paz e Democracia) or IPADE [Raul DOMINGOS, president]; Etica [Abdul CARIMO Issa, chairman]; Movement for Peace and Citizenship (Movimento para Paz e Cidadania); Mozambican League of Human Rights (Liga Mocambicana dos Direitos Humanos) or LDH [Alice MABOTE, president]; Human Rights and Development (Direitos Humanos e Desenvolvimento) or DHD [Artemisia FRANCO, secretary general]
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF (observer), OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black superimposed on an open white book
chief of mission: Ambassador Marcos Geraldo NAMASHULUA ; chancery: 1990 M Street NW, Suite 570, Washington, DC 20036 ; telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146 ; FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Todd C. CHAPMAN ; embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo ; mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo ; telephone: [258] (1) 492797 ; FAX: [258] (1) 490448





At independence in 1975, Mozambique was one of the world's poorest countries. Socialist mismanagement and a brutal civil war from 1977-92 exacerbated the situation. In 1987, the government embarked on a series of macroeconomic reforms designed to stabilize the economy. These steps, combined with donor assistance and with political stability since the multi-party elections in 1994, have led to dramatic improvements in the country's growth rate. Inflation was reduced to single digits during the late 1990s, and although it returned to double digits in 2000-06, in 2007 inflation had slowed to 8%, while GDP growth reached 7.5%. Fiscal reforms, including the introduction of a value-added tax and reform of the customs service, have improved the government's revenue collection abilities. In spite of these gains, Mozambique remains dependent upon foreign assistance for much of its annual budget, and the majority of the population remains below the poverty line. Subsistence agriculture continues to employ the vast majority of the country's work force. A substantial trade imbalance persists although the opening of the Mozal aluminum smelter, the country's largest foreign investment project to date, has increased export earnings. At the end of 2007, and after years of negotiations, the government took over Portugal's majority share of the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectricity (HCB) company, a dam that was not transferred to Mozambique at independence because of the ensuing civil war and unpaid debts. More power is needed for additional investment projects in titanium extraction and processing and garment manufacturing that could further close the import/export gap. Mozambique's once substantial foreign debt has been reduced through forgiveness and rescheduling under the IMF's Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and Enhanced HIPC initiatives, and is now at a manageable level. In July 2007 the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) signed a Compact with Mozambique; the Mozambican government moved rapidly to ratify the Compact and propose a plan for funding.
$17.82 billion (2007 est.)
$6.955 billion (2007 est.)
7.5% (2007 est.)
$900 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 23.1% ; industry: 30.2% ; services: 46.7% (2007 est.)
9.6 million (2007 est.)
agriculture: 81% ; industry: 6% ; services: 13% (1997 est.)
21% (1997 est.)
70% (2001 est.)
lowest 10%: 2.1% ; highest 10%: 39.4% (2002)
47.3 (2002)
8% (2007 est.)
20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
revenues: $2.163 billion ; expenditures: $2.623 billion (2007 est.)
22.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers; beef, poultry
food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), aluminum, petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco
10% (2007 est.)
13.17 billion kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 2.9% ; hydro: 97.1% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
9.127 billion kWh (2005)
12 billion kWh (2005)
9.588 billion kWh (2005)
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
13,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
0 bbl/day (2004)
13,320 bbl/day (2004)
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
191.8 million cu m (2005 est.)
191.8 million cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
122.2 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
-$726 million (2007 est.)
$2.731 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
aluminum, prawns, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber; bulk electricity
Netherlands 59.7%, South Africa 15.2%, Zimbabwe 3.2% (2006)
$3.028 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
South Africa 36.3%, Netherlands 15.6%, Portugal 3.3% (2006)

$1.451 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
$4.284 billion (31 December 2007 est.)


$NA
metical (MZM)
MZM
meticais per US dollar - 26.264 (2007), 25.4 (2006), 23,061 (2005), 22,581 (2004), 23,782 (2003) ; note: in 2006 Mozambique revalued its currency, with 1000 old meticais equal to 1 new meticais
calendar year
$1.286 billion (2005)
67,000 (2006)
2.339 million (2006)
general assessment: fair system with an extremely low density of less than 1 fixed line per 100 persons ; domestic: the telecommunications sector is shackled with a heavy state presence, lack of competition, and high operating costs and charges; stagnation in the fixed-line network contrasts with rapid growth in the mobile-cellular network; mobile-cellular coverage now includes all the main cities and key roads, including those from Maputo to the South African and Swaziland borders, the national highway through Gaza and Inhambane provinces, the Beira corridor, and from Nampula to Nacala ; international: country code - 258; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)
AM 13, FM 17, shortwave 11 (2001)
730,000 (1997)
1 (2000)
67,600 (2000)
.mz
15,231 (2007)
11 (2002)
178,000 (2005)

147 (2007)
total: 22 ; over 3,047 m: 1 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 3 ; under 914 m: 5 (2007)
total: 125 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 36 ; under 914 m: 79 (2007)

gas 918 km; refined products 294 km (2006)
total: 3,123 km ; narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2006)
total: 30,400 km ; paved: 5,685 km ; unpaved: 24,715 km (1999)
460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2007)
total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,964 GRT/5,324 DWT ; by type: cargo 2 ; foreign-owned: 2 (Belgium 2) (2007)
Beira, Maputo, Nacala

Mozambique Armed Defense Forces (FADM): Mozambique Army, Mozambique Navy (Marinha Mocambique, MM), Mozambique Air Force (Forca Aerea de Mocambique, FAM) (2006)
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation (2006)
males age 18-49: 3,793,373 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 1,751,223 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 185,314 (2005 est.)
0.8% (2006)

none

southern African transit point for South Asian hashish and heroin, and South American cocaine probably destined for the European and South African markets; producer of cannabis (for local consumption) and methaqualone (for export to South Africa); corruption and poor regulatory capability makes the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center

