Mozambique
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique
conventional short form: Mozambique local long form: Republica de Mocambique local short form: Mocambique former: Portuguese East Africa |
| Gevernment type | republic |
| Capital |
name: Maputo
geographic coordinates: 25 58 S, 32 35 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| 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 |
| Currency | metical (MZM) |
| Internet country code | .mz |
| Ports and terminals | Beira, Maputo, Nacala |
| Agriculture products | cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers; beef, poultry |
| Industries | food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), aluminum, petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco |
| Geography |
| Location | Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania |
| Coordinates | 18 15 S, 35 00 E |
| Continent | Africa |
| Area |
total: 801,590 sq km
land: 784,090 sq km water: 17,500 sq km |
| Boundaries |
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 |
| Coastline | 2,470 km |
| Climate | tropical to subtropical |
| Terrain | mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west |
| Natural resources | coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite |
| Natural hazards | severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods in central and southern provinces |
| People |
| Population | 19,686,505
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 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | African 99.66% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08% |
| Religions | Catholic 23.8%, Muslim 17.8%, Zionist Christian 17.5%, other 17.8%, none 23.1% (1997 census) |
| Languages | 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) |
