Mozambique

Republic of MozambiqueRepublica Popular de Mocambique

republicIndependence 25 June 1975 (from Portugal)

Mozambique as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 96 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalMaputo

Position18 15 S, 35 00 E

Area801,590 sq km

LocationSouthern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between

Populationas each edition published it

18.64 million July 1998 est. · 14.57m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.57% 1998 est. · 6.06% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 19 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

45.37 years 1998 est. · 48.03 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6 children per woman 1998 est. · 6.5 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

120.26 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 138 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$800 1997 est. · $115 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

8% 1997 est. · 0.3% in 1993

Geography

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

17 fields

Land useshare of 801,590 sq km

arable land 4%permanent crops 0%permanent pastures 56%forests and woodland 18%other 22% (1993 est.)irrigated 1,180 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

801,590sq km

land: 784,090 sq kmwater: 17,500 sq kmslightly less than twice the size of California

Coastline

2,470km

exclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

2,436m

Monte Bingalowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

Land boundaries

4,571km

border countries: Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland 105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km

Location

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

Terrain

mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west

Natural hazards

severe droughts and floods occur in central and southern provinces; devastating cyclones

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

Environment-international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

People

15 fields

Population

18,641,469

(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 2.57% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth

43.52Death

17.81Net migration

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)45.37

44.22 · 46.55

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)40.1%

57.7% · 23.3%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

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%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 45% (male 4,129,779; female 4,232,091)
15-64 years:: 53% (male 4,807,742; female 5,043,299)
65 years and over:: 2% (male 177,895; female 250,663) (July 1998 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 0.97 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

120.26 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Mozambican(s)
adjective:: Mozambican

Languages

Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects

Government

Republic; President Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO (since 6 November 1986); Prime Minister Pascoal MOCUMBI (since NA December 1994)

20 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

53.3%

Joaquim CHISSANO 53.3%Afonso DHLAKAMA 33.3%election last held 27 October 1994 (next to be held NA 1999)

Legislature, 250 seats, elected 27-29 October 1994one dot, one seat

Frelimo 129Renamo 112DU 9

Percent of vote

Frelimo 44.33%Renamo 33.78%DU 5.15%other 16.74%

Country name

conventional long form:: Republic of Mozambique
conventional short form:: Mozambique
local long form:: Republica Popular de Mocambique
local short form:: Mocambique

Administrative divisions

10 provinces (provincias, singular-provincia); Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia

Legal system

based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law

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 4 November 1986 (reelected by the Committee 30 July 1989)
head of government:: Prime Minister Pascoal MOCUMBI (since NA December 1994)
cabinet:: Cabinet
elections:: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 27 October 1994 (next to be held NA 1999);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results:: Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO elected president; percent of vote-Joaquim CHISSANO 53.3%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 33.3%

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 27-29 October 1994 (next to be held NA October 1999)
election results:: percent of vote by party-Frelimo 44.33%, Renamo 33.78%, DU 5.15%, other 16.74%; seats by party-Frelimo 129, Renamo 112, DU 9

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 (Frente de Liberatacao de Mocambique) or Frelimo [Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO, chairman];
Mozambique National Resistance (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana) or Renamo [Afonso DHLAKAMA, president];
Democratic Union or DU [Antonio PALANGE, general secretary]

International organization participation

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Marcos Geraldo NAMASHULUA
chancery:: Suite 570, 1990 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:: [1] (202) 293-7146

FAX

[1] (202) 835-0245

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Bryan Dean CURRAN
embassy:: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo
mailing address:: P. O. Box 783, Maputo
telephone:: [258] (1) 492797

FAX

[258] (1) 490114

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

Before the peace accord of October 1992, Mozambique | had been devastated by civil war and was one of the poorest countries | on the globe.

28 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

-$14.6billion

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

-$800

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

Real growth rate

(1997 est.)industrial production growth: NA

Inflation, consumer prices

5.8%

(1997)

GDP-composition by sector(1996 est.)

agriculture 35%industry 13%services 52% (1996 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$324 millionExpenditures

$600 million (1996 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $310 million

Fixed lines

59,000

(1983 est.)

Economy-overview

Before the peace accord of October 1992, Mozambique had been devastated by civil war and was one of the poorest countries on the globe. Prospects subsequently improved, and with its solid economic performance in 1996-97, Mozambique has begun to exploit its sizable agricultural, hydropower, and transportation resources.

Foreign assistance programs help supply the foreign exchange required to support the budget and pay for imports of goods and services. The restoration of electrical transmission lines to South Africa and the completion of a new transmission line to Zimbabwe (permitting the giant Cahora Bassa hydropower plant to export large amounts of electricity), proposed construction of a natural gas pipeline to South Africa, and reform of transportation services will greatly improve foreign exchange receipts.

The Mozambique and South African Governments are developing the Maputo corridor, linking the port of Maputo with Witbank, South Africa. In the past few years, more than 700 state enterprises have been privatized, including the country's largest commercial bank and a number of sizable manufacturing firms.

Other pending reform measures are the reform of tax collection and the facilitation of private enterprise in the transportation, energy, and telecommunications sectors.

Labor force

NA · by occupation: 80% engaged in agriculture note: in 1993, 47% of the wage earners were employed in industry, 28% in transportation and communication; traditionally, a large number of Mozambicans work abroad

Unemployment rate

Industries

food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco

Electricity-capacity

2.358 million kW (1995)

Electricity-production

465 million kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

73 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products

cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, rice, tropical fruits; beef, poultry

Exports

total value:: $226 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:: shrimp 40%, cashews, cotton, sugar, copra, citrus
partners:: Spain, South Africa, Japan, Portugal, US

Imports

total value:: $802 million (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
commodities:: food, clothing, farm equipment, petroleum
partners:: South Africa 38%, US, Japan, Portugal, France

Debt-external

$5.7 billion (December 1997)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency

1 metical (Mt) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

meticais (Mt) per US$1-11,635.0 (January 1998), 11.543.6 (1997), 11,293.8 (1996), 9,024.3 (1995), 6,038.6 (1994), 3,874.2 (1993)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Telephone system

fair system of tropospheric scatter, open-wire lines, and microwave radio relay

domestic:: microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter
international:: satellite earth stations-5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 29, FM 4, shortwave 0

Radios

700,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

Televisions

44,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

9 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m

over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 4

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m

total: 152 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 38

Networkskm

Highways

30,400Railways

3,131

Highways: paved: 5,685 km · unpaved: 24,715 km (1996 est.) note: highway traffic impeded by land mines not removed at end of civil war · Railways: narrow gauge: 2,988 km 1.067-m gauge; 143 km 0.762-m gauge (1994)

Railways

total:: 3,131 km
narrow gauge:: 2,988 km 1.067-m gauge; 143 km 0.762-m gauge (1994)

Highways

total:: 30,400 km
paved:: 5,685 km
unpaved:: 24,715 km (1996 est.)

note: highway traffic impeded by land mines not removed at end of civil war

Waterways

about 3,750 km of navigable routes

Pipelines

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

Ports and harbors

Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Cidade de Nacala, Pemba

Merchant marine

total: 4 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,694 GRT/9,724 DWT (1997 est.)

Airports

174 (1997 est.)

Military

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

5 fields

Military expenditures-percent of GDP

5.3%

(1994)

Military branches

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

Military manpower-availability

males age 15-49: 4,265,778 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-fit for military service

males: 2,457,587 (1998 est.)

Military expenditures-dollar figure

$84 million (1994)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes-international

none

Illicit drugs

Southern African transit hub for South American cocaine probably destined for the European and US markets; producer of hashish and methaqualone NAMIBIA

Central Intelligence Agency. “Mozambique.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/mozambique/1998.

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