Mozambique

Mozambique 

 
Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Southern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 4,571 km, 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

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

None

Climate

Tropical to subtropical

Terrain

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

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

1,150 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

PEOPLE

Population

17,877,927 (July 1996 est.)
18,115,250 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

46% (male 4,141,915; female 4,115,191) (July 1996 est.)
45% (male 4,078,429; female 4,069,117) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

51% (male 4,324,102; female 4,868,518) (July 1996 est.)
53% (male 4,630,193; female 4,882,292) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

3% (male 184,606; female 243,595) (July 1996 est.)
2% (male 195,162; female 260,057) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

2.65% (1996 est.)
2.87% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

45.51 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
44.6 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

18.97 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
15.94 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Note: By the end of 1994, an estimated 1.6 million Mozambican refugees, who fled to Malawi, Zimbabwa, and South Africa in earlier years from the civil war, had returned; an estimated 100,000 refugees remain to be repatriated from those countries

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.94 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

125.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
126 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

6.23 children born/woman (1996 est.)
6.19 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

NA

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

MZ

Type

Republic

Capital

Maputo

Administrative Divisions

10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, 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

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia Da Republica)

The members are elected by direct, universal, adult suffrage on a secret ballot for a term of five years; election last held 27-29 October 1994 (next to be held NA October 1999); results - percent vote by party NA, seats (250 total) FRELIMO won a slim majority

Note: the presidential and legislative elections took place as called for in the 1992 peace accords; RENAMO participated in the elections

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president and judges elected by the Assembly

Political Parties and Leaders

Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO, chairman; Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO), Afonso DHLAKAMA, president; Democratic Union (DU), Antonio PALANGE, General Secretary

Member of

ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarset, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO

National Anthem

Flag

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

ECONOMY

Overview

One of Africa's poorest countries, Mozambique has failed to exploit the economic potential of its sizable agricultural, hydropower, and transportation resources. Indeed, national output, consumption, and investment declined throughout the first half of the 1980s because of internal disorders, lack of government administrative control, and a growing foreign debt. A sharp increase in foreign aid, attracted by an economic reform policy, resulted in successive years of economic growth in the late 1980s, but aid has declined steadily since 1989. Agricultural output is at only 75% of its 1981 level, and grain has to be imported. Industry operates at only 20%-40% of capacity. The economy depends heavily on foreign assistance to keep afloat. Peace accords between civil warring factions, signed in October 1992, improved chances of foreign investment, aided IMF-supported economic reforms, and supported continued economic recovery. Elections held in 1994 diverted government attention from the economy, resulting in slippage and delays in the economic reform program. Nonetheless, growth continued in 1994-95, and the economy should move forward in the late 1990s, given continued foreign help in meeting debt obligations. One key event in 1995 was the conclusion of negotiations with Enron of Houston, Texas, for a $700 million project to exploit the Pande natural gas fields.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $12.2 billion (1995 est.), $10.6 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

-2.5% (1995 est.)
5.8% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$700 (1995 est.)
$610 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

50% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

50% (1989 est.)

Budget

Exports

$170 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$150 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$1.14 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$5 billion (1992 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 5.8% (1993 est.), 5% (1989 est.)

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 50% of GDP and about 90% of exports; cash crops - cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, shrimp; other crops - cassava, corn, rice, tropical fruits; not self-sufficient in food

Economic Aid

Currency

1 metical (Mt) = 100 centavos

Exchange Rates

Meticais (Mt) per US$1 - 10,908.0 (December 1995), 9,024.3 (1995), 6,038.6 (1994), 3,874.2 (1993), 2,516.5 (1992), 1,434.5 (1991), 1,053.09 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

About 3,750 km of navigable routes

Pipelines

Crude oil (not operating) 306 km; petroleum products 289 km

Ports

Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Nacala, Pemba

Merchant Marine

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

59,000 (1983 est.) telephones; fair system of troposcatter, open-wire lines, and radio relay

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Naval Command, Air and Air Defense Forces, Militia

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 3,767,855; males fit for military service 2,162,388 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $84 million, 5.3% of GDP (1994), $110 million, 7.3% of GDP (1993)

History
World Atlas

Last updated: 24 november 1997