1.
[syn: Mozambique, Republic of Mozambique, Mocambique]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Mozambique
n 1: a republic on the southeastern coast of Africa on the
Mozambique Channel; became independent from Portugal in
1975 [syn: Mozambique, Republic of Mozambique,
Mocambique]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Mozambique
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.
Geography Mozambique
--------------------
Location: Southern Africa, bordering the
Mozambique Channel, between South
Africa and Tanzania
Geographic coordinates: 18 15 S, 35 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 801,590 sq km
water: 17,500 sq km
land: 784,090 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of
California
Land 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
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical to subtropical
Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in
center, high plateaus in northwest,
mountains in west
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m
Natural resources: coal, titanium, natural gas,
hydropower, tantalum, graphite
Land use: arable land: 3.98%
permanent crops: 0.29%
other: 95.73% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,070 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: severe droughts; devastating
cyclones and floods occur in central
and southern provinces
Environment - current issues: 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
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of
the selected agreements
Geography - note: the Zambezi flows through the north-
central and most fertile part of the
country
People Mozambique
-----------------
Population: 19,607,519
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 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.5% (male 4,162,413;
female 4,176,295)
15-64 years: 54.7% (male 5,313,511;
female 5,407,052)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male
227,761; female 320,487) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.13% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 36.41 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 25.13 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 138.55 deaths/1,000 live births
(2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 35.46 years
female: 34.65 years (2002 est.)
male: 36.25 years
Total fertility rate: 4.71 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 12.6 to 16.4%, estimates vary (2001)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 1,546,643 (2001)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 114,111 (2001 est.)
Nationality: noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican
Ethnic groups: indigenous tribal groups 99.66%
(Shangaan, Chokwe, Manyika, Sena,
Makua, and others), Europeans 0.06%,
Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian
30%, Muslim 20%
Languages: Portuguese (official), indigenous
dialects
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 42.3%
male: 58.4%
female: 27% (1998 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*; Cabo Delgado,
Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo,
Maputo City*, 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
Pascoal MOCUMBI (since 17 December
1994)
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 2004); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Joaquim Alberto
CHISSANO reelected president;
percent of vote - Joaquim Alberto
CHISSANO 52.29%, Afonso DHLAKAMA
47.71%
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 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 Institute for Peace and Democracy
leaders: (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 ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77,
participation: IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC,
NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Armando
RANGUENE
FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245
telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146
chancery: Suite 570, 1990 M Street
NW, Washington, DC 20036
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Sharon
US: 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
Economy Mozambique
------------------
Economy - overview: 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 1988,
the government embarked on a series
of dramatic macroeconomic reforms
designed to stabilize the economy
and reduce government participation.
These steps combined with the
political stability that has
prevailed since the 1994 multi-party
elections have led to dramatic
improvements in the country's growth
rate fueled by foreign and domestic
investments and donor assistance.
Inflation was brought to single
digits during the same period,
although it has returned to double
digits in 2000 and 2001. Foreign
exchange rates have remained
relatively stable. 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
workforce. A substantial trade
imbalance persists, although it has
diminished with the opening of the
MOZAL aluminum smelter, the
country's largest foreign investment
project. Additional investment
projects in titanium extraction/
processing and garment manufacturing
should 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.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $17.5
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 9.2% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $900 (2001
est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 33%
industry: 25%
services: 42% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 70% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 2.5%
percentage share: highest 10%: 31.7% (1996-97)
Distribution of family income - Gini 39.6 (1996-97)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 7.4 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 81%, industry 6%,
services 13% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.)
Budget: revenues: $393.1 million
expenditures: $1.025 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$479.4 million (2001 est.)
Industries: food, beverages, chemicals
(fertilizer, soap, paints),
petroleum products, textiles,
cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (2000)
Electricity - production: 7.017 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 3.56%
hydro: 96.44%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 925.81 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 5.7 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 100 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea,
cassava (tapioca), corn, coconuts,
sisal, citrus and tropical fruits,
potatoes, sunflowers; beef, poultry
Exports: $746 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: prawns 40%, cashews, cotton, sugar,
citrus, timber; bulk electricity
(2000)
Exports - partners: South Africa 12.7%, Zimbabwe 12.2%,
Spain 10.6%, Portugal 10.0% (2000)
Imports: $1.254 billion (c.i.f., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, mineral
products, chemicals, metals,
foodstuffs, textiles (2000)
Imports - partners: South Africa 33.5%, Portugal 4.8%,
US 4.2%, Australia 3.8% (2000)
Debt - external: $1 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $632.8 million (2001)
Currency: metical (MZM)
Currency code: MZM
Exchange rates: meticais per US dollar - 23,314.2
(January 2002), 20,703.6 (2001),
15,447.1 (2000), 13,028.6 (1999),
12,110.2 (1998), 11,772.6 (1997)
note: effective October 2000, the
exchange rate is determined as the
weighted average of buying and
selling exchange rates of all
transactions of commercial banks and
stock exchanges with the public;
meticais is the plural form of
metical
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Mozambique
-------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 90,000 (December 2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 100,000 (June 2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: fair system but
not available generally (telephone
density is only 3.5 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: 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 Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (2002)
Internet users: 22,500 (2000)
Transportation Mozambique
-------------------------
Railways: total: 3,131 km
narrow gauge: 2,988 km 1.067-
m gauge; 143 km 0.762-m gauge (2001)
Highways: total: 30,400 km
paved: 5,685 km
unpaved: 24,715 km (1996)
Waterways: 3,750 km (navigable routes)
Pipelines: crude oil 306 km; petroleum products
289 km
note: not operating
Ports and harbors: Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Nacala,
Pemba, Quelimane
Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 4,125 GRT/7,024 DWT
ships by type: cargo 3
note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Belgium 2 (2002 est.)
Airports: 166 (2001)
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 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 144
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 37
under 914 m: 90 (2001)
Military Mozambique
-------------------
Military branches: Army, Naval Command, Air and Air
Defense Forces, Special Forces,
Militia
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,711,318 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 2,720,583 (2002
service: est.)
Military expenditures - dollar $35.1 million (2000 est.)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1% (2000 est.)
GDP:
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)