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| Introduction | Mozambique |
| Background: | 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. The ruling 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 with rebel forces ended the fighting in 1992. Heavy flooding in both 1999 and 2000 severely hurt the economy. Political stability and sound economic policies have encouraged recent foreign investment. |
| People | Mozambique |
| Population: | 18,811,731 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 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 43.6% (male 4,126,178; female 4,074,759) 15-64 years: 53.6% (male 4,944,416; female 5,145,167) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 215,418; female 305,793) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 18.2 years male: 17.8 years female: 18.6 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.22% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 36.06 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 23.86 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 137.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 131.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 142.67 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 37.1 years male: 37.83 years female: 36.34 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 4.78 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 12.2% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 1.3 million (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 110,000 (2003 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases: | typhoid fever, malaria, plague, schistosomiasis overall degree of risk: very high (2004) |
| Nationality: | noun: Mozambican(s) adjective: Mozambican |
| Ethnic groups: | indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08% |
| Religions: | indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% |
| Languages: | Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, numerous other indigenous languages, Portuguese (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47.8% male: 63.5% female: 32.7% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Mozambique |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique conventional short form: Mozambique local short form: Mocambique former: Portuguese East Africa local long form: Republica de Mocambique |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | Maputo |
| Administrative divisions: | 10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city (cidade)*; Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Cidade de Maputo*, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia |
| Independence: | 25 June 1975 (from Portugal) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 25 June (1975) |
| Constitution: | 30 November 1990 |
| Legal system: | based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO (since 6 November 1986); note - before being popularly elected, CHISSANO was elected president by Frelimo's Central Committee on 4 November 1986 (reelected by the Committee 30 July 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Luisa DIOGO (since 17 February 2004) cabinet: Cabinet elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 3-5 December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2004); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO reelected president; percent of vote - Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO 52.3%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 47.7% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (250 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on a secret ballot to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3-5 December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - Frelimo 48.54%, Renamo-UE 38.81%; seats by party - Frelimo 133, Renamo-UE 117 note: Renamo-UE ran as a multiparty coalition; none of the other opposition parties received the 5% required to win parliamentary seats; in September 2000, Renamo-UE member Raul DOMINGOS was expelled from the party; he continues to hold his parliamentary seat as an independent |
| Judicial branch: | 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 the creation of a separate Constitutional Court, one has never been established; in its absence the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases |
| Political parties and leaders: | Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de Mocambique) or Frelimo [Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO, president]; Mozambique National Resistance-Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana-Uniao Eleitoral) or Renamo-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA, president] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | 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] |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISET, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Armando PANGUENE FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245 telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146 chancery: 1990 M Street NW, Suite 570, Washington, DC 20036 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Sharon P. WILKINSON embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo telephone: [258] (1) 492797 FAX: [258] (1) 490448 |
| Flag description: | 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 |
| Communications | Mozambique |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 83,700 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 428,900 (2003) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: fair system but not available generally (telephone density is only 16 telephones for each 1,000 persons) domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines and trunk connection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter international: country code - 258; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 13, FM 17, shortwave 11 (2001) |
| Radios: | 730,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 1 (2001) |
| Televisions: | 67,600 (2000) |
| Internet country code: | .mz |
| Internet hosts: | 3,249 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 11 (2002) |
| Internet users: | 50,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Mozambique |
| Railways: | total: 3,123 km narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 30,400 km paved: 5,685 km unpaved: 24,715 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: | 460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2004) |
| Pipelines: | gas 649 km; refined products 292 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Nacala, Pemba, Quelimane |
| Merchant marine: | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,125 GRT/7,024 DWT by type: cargo 3 foreign-owned: Belgium 2 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 158 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | 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 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 136 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 34 under 914 m: 87 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Mozambique |
| Military branches: | Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Special Forces |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 4,335,294 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 2,485,197 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $101.3 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 2.2% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Mozambique |
| Disputes - international: | none |
| Illicit drugs: | Southern African transit point for South Asian hashish, South Asian 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 |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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