Mozambique

mean elevation:

345 m

elevation extremes:

0 m lowest point: Indian Ocean; 2436 highest point: Monte Binga

• three large populations clusters are found along the southern coast between Maputo and Inhambane, in the central area between Beira and Chimoio along the Zambezi River, and in and around the northern cities of Nampula, Cidade de Nacala, and Pemba;
• the northwest and southwest are the least populated areas

• increased migration of the population to urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences;
• desertification;
• soil erosion;
• deforestation;
• water pollution caused by artisanal mining;
• pollution of surface and coastal waters;
• wildlife preservation (elephant poaching for ivory)

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

noun:

Mozambican(s)

adjective:

Mozambican

0-14 years:

44.52% (male 6,097,116 /female 6,028,416)

15-24 years:

21.6% (male 2,905,254 /female 2,977,732)

25-54 years:

27.62% (male 3,525,755 /female 3,995,264)

55-64 years:

3.37% (male 442,990 /female 475,900)

65 years and over:

2.88% (male 359,624 /female 425,738) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

93.5 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

87.5 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

6.1 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

16.5 (2015 est.)

• three large populations clusters are found along the southern coast between Maputo and Inhambane, in the central area between Beira and Chimoio along the Zambezi River, and in and around the northern cities of Nampula, Cidade de Nacala, and Pemba;
• the northwest and southwest are the least populated areas

at birth:

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

0.97 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

0.88 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

0.92 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.85 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

degree of risk:

very high (2016)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and dengue fever (2016)

water contact diseases:

schistosomiasis (2016)

animal contact diseases:

rabies (2016)

conventional long form:

Republic of Mozambique

conventional short form:

Mozambique

local long form:

Republica de Mocambique

local short form:

Mocambique

former:

Portuguese East Africa, People's Republic of Mozambique

etymology:

• named for the offshore island of Mozambique;
• the island was apparently named after Mussa al-BIK, an influential Arab slave trader who set himself up as sultan on the island in the 15th century

name:

Maputo

geographic coordinates:

25 57 S, 32 35 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city (cidade)*;
• Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Cidade de Maputo*, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia

history:

previous 1975, 1990; latest adopted 16 November 2004, effective 21 December 2004 (2018)

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic or supported by at least one-third of the Assembly of the Republic membership;
• passage of amendments affecting constitutional provisions including the independence and sovereignty of the state, the republican form of government, basic rights and freedoms, and universal suffrage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly and approval in a referendum;
• referenda not required for passage of other amendments;
• amended 2007, 2018 (2018)

• mixed legal system of Portuguese civil law, and customary law;
• note - in rural, predominately Muslim villages with no formal legal system, Islamic law may be applied

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Mozambique

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

highest courts:

• Supreme Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and 5 judges);
• Constitutional Council (consists of 7 judges);
• note - the Higher Council of the Judiciary Magistracy is responsible for judiciary management and discipline

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court president appointed by the president of the republic;
• vice president appointed by the president in consultation with the Higher Council of the Judiciary (CSMJ) and ratified by the Assembly of the Republic;
• other judges elected by the Assembly;
• judges serve 5-year renewable terms;
• Constitutional Council judges appointed - 1 by the president, 5 by the Assembly, and 1 by the CSMJ;
• judges serve 5-year nonrenewable terms

subordinate courts:

• Administrative Court (capital city only);
• provincial courts or Tribunais Judicias de Provincia;
• District Courts or Tribunais Judicias de Districto;
• customs courts;
• maritime courts;
• courts marshal;
• labor courts;
• community courts

chief of state:

President Filipe Jacinto NYUSI (since 15 January 2015)

head of government:

President Filipe Jacinto NYUSI (since 15 January 2015); Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho DO ROSARIO (since 17 January 2015)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president elected directly by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for 2 consecutive terms);
• election last held on 15 October 2014 (next to be held on 15 October 2019);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

Filipe NYUSI elected president in first round; percent of vote - Filipe NYUSI (FRELIMO) 57.0%, Afonso DHLAKAMA (RENAMO) 36.6%, Daviz SIMANGO (MDM) 6.4%

• Democratic Movement of Mozambique (Movimento Democratico de Mocambique) or MDM [Daviz SIMANGO]
• Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de Mocambique) or FRELIMO [Filipe NYUSI]
• Mozambican National Resistance (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana) or RENAMO [Afonso DHLAKAMA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Carlos DOS SANTOS (since 28 January 2016)

chancery:

1525 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 293-7146

FAX:

[1] (202) 835-0245

chief of mission:

Ambassador H. Dean PITTMAN (since 18 February 2016)

embassy:

Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo

mailing address:

P.O. Box 783, Maputo

telephone:

[258] (21) 49 2797

FAX:

[258] (21) 49 0114

• 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;
• green represents the riches of the land, white peace, black the African continent, yellow the country's minerals, and red the struggle for independence;
• the rifle symbolizes defense and vigilance, the hoe refers to the country's agriculture, the open book stresses the importance of education, and the star represents Marxism and internationalism

note: one of only two national flags featuring a firearm, the other is Guatemala

name:

"Patria Amada" (Lovely Fatherland)

lyrics/music:

Salomao J. MANHICA/unknown

note: adopted 2002

agriculture:

74.4%

industry:

3.9%

services:

21.7% (2015 est.)

lowest 10%:

36.7% (2008)

highest 10%:

36.7% (2008)

general assessment:

• the mobile segment has shown strong growth since the introduction of competition in 2003;
• poor fixed-line infrastructure means most Internet access is through mobile accounts (2016)

domestic:

• extremely low fixed-line teledensity contrasts with rapid growth in the mobile-cellular network;
• three mobile-cellular operators provide coverage that includes all the main cities and key roads;
• mobile-cellular teledensity now about 70 per 100 persons (2016)

international:

• country code - 258;
• landing point for the EASSy and SEACOM fiber-optic submarine cable systems;
• satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean) (2016)

• 1 state-run TV station supplemented by private TV station;
• Portuguese state TV's African service, RTP Africa, and Brazilian-owned TV Miramar are available;
• state-run radio provides nearly 100% territorial coverage and broadcasts in multiple languages;
• a number of privately owned and community-operated stations;
• transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)

number of registered air carriers:

3 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 16 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

686,892 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

5,138,916 mt-km (2015)

total:

4,787 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

4,787 km 1.067-m gauge (2014)

total:

31,083 km (2015)

paved:

7,365 km (2015)

unpaved:

23,718 km (2015)

total:

27 (2017)

by type:

general cargo 10, other 17 (2017)

• registration for military service is mandatory for all males and females at 18 years of age;
• 18-35 years of age for selective compulsory military service;
• 18 years of age for voluntary service;
• 2-year service obligation;
• women may serve as officers or enlisted (2012)

• 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 make 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