Mozambique — map and facts

About Mozambique

Mozambique is a southeastern African country with a population of approximately 34 million. Its capital and largest city is Maputo, located on Maputo Bay near the southern border with South Africa and Eswatini. Portuguese is the official language, a legacy of over four centuries of Portuguese colonial rule. The country gained independence on 25 June 1975 and immediately entered a devastating civil war between the ruling Frelimo party and the Renamo insurgency, backed by Rhodesia and later South Africa, which lasted until 1992. A multiparty democracy was established under the 1990 constitution, though Frelimo has dominated every election since. Mozambique is one of the world's poorest nations, with most of the population in subsistence agriculture; cashew nuts, tobacco, and aluminium are significant exports. However, vast offshore natural gas discoveries in the Rovuma Basin, particularly the Coral Sul FLNG facility and the Afungi LNG project, promise to transform the economy — though an Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado province has disrupted development.

Geography and Landscape

Mozambique stretches approximately 2,500 kilometres along the southeastern coast of Africa, facing the Indian Ocean. The country's coastline is one of the longest in Africa at about 2,470 kilometres. The terrain is generally divided between the low-lying coastal plain, which broadens in the north and south, and interior plateaus and highlands. In the northwest, the Niassa Plateau rises above 1,000 metres, while Mount Binga in the Chimanimani Mountains near the Zimbabwe border reaches 2,436 metres, the country's highest peak. The Zambezi River is the most significant waterway, bisecting the country and draining into the Mozambique Channel through a broad delta; the Cahora Bassa Dam in Tete Province is one of Africa's largest hydroelectric projects. The Limpopo, Save, and Rovuma rivers are also important. The climate is tropical, with a wet season from October to April and marked variability; cyclones periodically devastate coastal areas.

History

Bantu-speaking peoples settled the region from around 1000 CE, establishing chiefdoms that later developed into the Mutapa Empire, a gold-trading state centred around Great Zimbabwe and extending into modern Mozambique. Arab traders operated coastal settlements, and the Swahili city-states of Sofala, Kilwa, and Mozambique Island were important in Indian Ocean commerce. Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama stopped at Mozambique Island in 1498, and Portugal established a permanent presence, using the territory primarily as a staging post on the route to India and as a source of gold and ivory. The slave trade became significant from the 18th century. Colonial borders were formalised in the late 19th century. The Frelimo liberation movement launched armed struggle in 1964; independence followed in 1975. The civil war from 1977 to 1992 killed approximately one million people and displaced millions more. Peace accords signed in Rome in 1992 ended the conflict, and multiparty elections followed in 1994. The country has faced floods, cyclones Idai and Kenneth in 2019, and ongoing insurgency in the north.