|
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 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. |
|
Location:
|
Southeastern 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
land: 784,090 sq km
water: 17,500 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:
|
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 5.43%
permanent crops: 0.29%
other: 94.28% (2005)
|
|
Irrigated land:
|
1,180 sq km (2003)
|
|
Total renewable water resources:
|
216 cu km (1992)
|
|
Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural):
|
total: 0.63 cu km/yr (11%/2%/87%)
per capita: 32 cu m/yr (2000)
|
|
Natural hazards:
|
severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods 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 agreements:
|
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
|
|
Geography - note:
|
the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile
part of the country
|
|
Population:
|
21,284,701
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, higher death rates, lower population 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
2008 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 44.5% (male 4,762,335/female 4,711,422)
15-64 years: 52.7% (male 5,472,184/female 5,736,154)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 251,026/female 351,580)
(2008 est.)
|
|
Median age:
|
total: 17.4 years
male: 17 years
female: 17.8 years (2008 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate:
|
1.792% (2008 est.)
|
|
Birth rate:
|
38.21 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
|
|
Death rate:
|
20.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
|
|
Net migration rate:
|
NA
|
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 107.84 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 110.67 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 104.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 41.04 years
male: 41.62 years
female: 40.44 years (2008 est.)
|
|
Total fertility rate:
|
5.24 children born/woman (2008 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:
|
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)
|
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican
|
|
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) |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 47.8%
male: 63.5%
female: 32.7% (2003 est.)
|
|
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
|
total: 8 years
male: 9 years
female: 7 years (2005)
|
|
Education expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
5% (2005)
|
|
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
|
|
Government type:
|
republic
|
|
Capital:
|
name: Maputo
geographic coordinates: 25 57 S, 32 35 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington,
DC during Standard Time)
|
|
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; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
|
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age; universal
|
|
Executive branch:
|
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%
|
|
Legislative branch:
|
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
|
|
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 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 [Armando Emilio
GUEBUZA]; Mozambique National Resistance-Electoral Union
(Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana-Uniao Eleitoral) or
RENAMO-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
Etica [Abdul CARIMO Issa, chairman]; Human Rights and
Development (Direitos Humanos e Desenvolvimento) or DHD
[Artemisia FRANCO, secretary general]; Institute for Peace
and Democracy (Instituto para Paz e Democracia) or IPADE
[Raul DOMINGOS, president]; 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] |
|
International organization participation:
|
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, NAM, OIC, OIF
(observer), OPCW, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief of mission: Ambassador Marcos Geraldo
NAMASHULUA
chancery: 1525 New Hampshire Avenue, Washington, DC
20036
telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146
FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245
|
|
Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
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] (21) 492797
FAX: [258] (21) 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 - 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 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. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity):
|
$17.02 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
GDP (official exchange rate):
|
$7.559 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
7% (2007 est.)
|
|
GDP - per capita (PPP):
|
$800 (2007 est.)
|
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 23%
industry: 30.1%
services: 46.8% (2007 est.)
|
|
Labor force:
|
9.6 million (2007 est.)
|
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 81%
industry: 6%
services: 13% (1997 est.)
|
|
Unemployment rate:
|
21% (1997 est.)
|
|
Population below poverty line:
|
70% (2001 est.)
|
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 39.4% (2002)
|
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
47.3 (2002)
|
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
7.9% (2007 est.)
|
|
Investment (gross fixed):
|
20.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
|
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $2.325 billion
expenditures: $2.773 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
Public debt:
|
22.2% of GDP (2007 est.)
|
|
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 |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
10% (2007 est.)
|
|
Electricity - production:
|
13.17 billion kWh (2005)
|
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
9.127 billion kWh (2005)
|
|
Electricity - exports:
|
12 billion kWh (2005)
|
|
Electricity - imports:
|
9.588 billion kWh (2005)
|
|
Oil - production:
|
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
|
|
Oil - consumption:
|
13,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports:
|
0 bbl/day (2004)
|
|
Oil - imports:
|
13,320 bbl/day (2004)
|
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - production:
|
191.8 million cu m (2005 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
191.8 million cu m (2005 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m (2005 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m (2005)
|
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
122.2 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
|
|
Current account balance:
|
-$713 million (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports:
|
$2.699 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports - commodities:
|
aluminum, prawns, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber;
bulk electricity
|
|
Exports - partners:
|
Italy 19.6%, Belgium 18.6%, South Africa 16.5%, Spain 12.6%,
China 4.1% (2006)
|
|
Imports:
|
$2.997 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
|
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal
products, foodstuffs, textiles
|
|
Imports - partners:
|
South Africa 36.8%, Australia 6.1%, China 4.6% (2006)
|
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$1.286 billion (2005)
|
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$1.445 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
|
|
Debt - external:
|
$4.168 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
|
|
Market value of publicly traded shares:
|
$NA
|
|
Currency (code):
|
metical (MZM)
|
|
Exchange rates:
|
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
|
|
Fiscal year:
|
calendar year
|
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
67,000 (2006)
|
|
Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
3.3 million (2007)
|
|
Telephone system:
|
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)
|
|
Radio broadcast stations:
|
AM 13, FM 17, shortwave 11 (2001)
|
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
1 (2000)
|
|
Internet country code:
|
.mz
|
|
Internet hosts:
|
15,231 (2007)
|
|
Internet users:
|
178,000 (2005)
|
|
Airports:
|
147 (2007)
|
|
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 (2007)
|
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
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)
|
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 964 km; refined products 278 km (2007)
|
|
Railways:
|
total: 3,123 km
narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m
gauge (2006)
|
|
Roadways:
|
total: 30,400 km
paved: 5,685 km
unpaved: 24,715 km (2000)
|
|
Waterways:
|
460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora
Bassa Lake) (2007)
|
|
Merchant marine:
|
total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,964 GRT/5,324 DWT
by type: cargo 2
foreign-owned: 2 (Belgium 2) (2008)
|
|
Ports and terminals:
|
Beira, Maputo, Nacala
|
|
Military branches:
|
Mozambique Armed Defense Forces (FADM): Mozambique Army,
Mozambique Navy (Marinha Mocambique, MM), Mozambique Air
Force (Forca Aerea de Mocambique, FAM) (2006) |
|
Military service age and obligation:
|
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year
service obligation (2006)
|
|
Manpower available for military service:
|
males age 16-49: 4,545,975 (2008 est.)
|
|
Manpower fit for military service:
|
males age 16-49: 2,287,526 (2008 est.)
|
|
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
|
males age 16-49: 257,261 (2008 est.)
|
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
0.8% (2006)
|
|
Disputes - international:
|
none
|
|
Trafficking in persons:
|
current situation: Mozambique is a source and, to a
much lesser extent, a destination country for men, women,
and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and
sexual exploitation; the use of forced and bonded child
laborers is a common practice in Mozambique's rural areas;
women and girls are trafficked from rural to urban areas of
Mozambique, as well as to South Africa, for domestic
servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; young men and
boys are trafficked to South Africa for farm work and mining
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for the second
consecutive year, Mozambique is on the Tier 2 Watch List for
its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to
combat human trafficking in 2007; while the government
conducted investigations into cases of human trafficking,
there were no prosecutions or convictions of traffickers;
government efforts to protect victims of trafficking
continued to suffer from limited resources and a lack of
political commitment (2008) |
|
Illicit drugs:
|
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 |
This page was last updated on 21 August
2008
|
