Mozambique

• 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

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

0-14 years:

42.1% (male 3,634,173; female 3,725,396)

15-64 years:

55.3% (male 4,712,891; female 4,945,123)

65 years and over:

2.6% (male 189,778; female 271,905) (2003 est.)

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.7 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

noun:

Mozambican(s)

adjective:

Mozambican

conventional long form:

Republic of Mozambique

conventional short form:

Mozambique

local short form:

Mocambique

former:

Portuguese East Africa

local long form:

Republica de Mocambique

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%

• 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

• 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]

• Institute for Peace and Democracy (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]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Armando PANGUENE

FAX:

[1] (202) 835-0245

telephone:

[1] (202) 293-7146

chancery:

1990 M Street NW, Suite 570, Washington, DC 20036

chief of mission:

Ambassador Sharon P. WILKINSON

embassy:

Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo

mailing address:

P. O. Box 783, Maputo

telephone:

[258] (1) 492797

FAX:

[258] (1) 490448

• 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

lowest 10%:

2.5%

highest 10%:

31.7% (1997)

general assessment:

fair system but not available generally (telephone density is only 16 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)

total:

3,123 km

narrow gauge:

2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2002)

total:

30,400 km

paved:

5,685 km

unpaved:

24,715 km (1999 est.)

total:

3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 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.)

• 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);
• 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