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The World Factbook 2002
| Mozambique |

Introduction | Mozambique

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. The ruling 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 with rebel forces ended the fighting in 1992.

Geography | Mozambique

Location: | Southern 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 water: 17,500 sq km land: 784,090 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: | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 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: 4% permanent crops: 0% other: 96% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: | 1,070 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods occur 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection 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

People | Mozambique

Population:

19,607,519
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 and death rates, lower population and 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 2002 est.)

Age structure: | 0-14 years: 42.5% (male 4,162,413; female 4,176,295) 15-64 years: 54.7% (male 5,313,511; female 5,407,052) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 227,761; female 320,487) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: | 1.13% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: | 36.41 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: | 25.13 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | 138.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 35.46 years female: 34.65 years (2002 est.) male: 36.25 years
Total fertility rate: | 4.71 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 12.6 to 16.4%, estimates vary (2001)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 1,546,643 (2001)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 114,111 (2001 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Mozambican(s) adjective: Mozambican
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%
Languages: | Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 42.3% male: 58.4% female: 27% (1998 est.)

Government | Mozambique

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique conventional short form: Mozambique local short form: Mocambique former: Portuguese East Africa local long form: Republica de Mocambique
Government type: | republic
Capital: | Maputo
Administrative divisions: | 10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city*; Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Maputo City*, 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
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal

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 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%

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 3-5 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - Frelimo 48.54%, Renamo-UE 38.81%; seats by party - Frelimo 133, Renamo-UE 117
note: Renamo-UE ran as a multiparty coalition; none of the other opposition parties received the 5% required to win parliamentary seats; in September 2000, Renamo-UE member Raul DOMINGOS was expelled from the party, he continues to hold his parliamentary seat as an independent

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 the creation of 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 [Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO, president]; Mozambique National Resistance-Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana-Uniao Eleitoral) or Renamo-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

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]

International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Armando RANGUENE FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245 telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146 chancery: Suite 570, 1990 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
Diplomatic representation from the US: | 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
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 | Mozambique

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 1988, the government embarked on a series of dramatic macroeconomic reforms designed to stabilize the economy and reduce government participation. These steps combined with the political stability that has prevailed since the 1994 multi-party elections have led to dramatic improvements in the country's growth rate fueled by foreign and domestic investments and donor assistance. Inflation was brought to single digits during the same period, although it has returned to double digits in 2000 and 2001. Foreign exchange rates have remained relatively stable. 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 workforce. A substantial trade imbalance persists, although it has diminished with the opening of the MOZAL aluminum smelter, the country's largest foreign investment project. Additional investment projects in titanium extraction/processing and garment manufacturing should 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.

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $17.5 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 9.2% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $900 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 33% industry: 25% services: 42% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 70% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 31.7% (1996-97)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 39.6 (1996-97)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 10% (2001 est.)
Labor force: | 7.4 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 81%, industry 6%, services 13% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 21% (1997 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $393.1 million expenditures: $1.025 billion, including capital expenditures of $479.4 million (2001 est.)
Industries: | food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate: | 3.4% (2000)
Electricity - production: | 7.017 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 3.56% hydro: 96.44% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: | 925.81 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: | 5.7 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: | 100 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: | cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers; beef, poultry
Exports: | $746 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: | prawns 40%, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber; bulk electricity (2000)
Exports - partners: | South Africa 12.7%, Zimbabwe 12.2%, Spain 10.6%, Portugal 10.0% (2000)
Imports: | $1.254 billion (c.i.f., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs, textiles (2000)
Imports - partners: | South Africa 33.5%, Portugal 4.8%, US 4.2%, Australia 3.8% (2000)
Debt - external: | $1 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | $632.8 million (2001)
Currency: | metical (MZM)
Currency code: | MZM
Exchange rates: | meticais per US dollar - 23,314.2 (January 2002), 20,703.6 (2001), 15,447.1 (2000), 13,028.6 (1999), 12,110.2 (1998), 11,772.6 (1997) note: effective October 2000, the exchange rate is determined as the weighted average of buying and selling exchange rates of all transactions of commercial banks and stock exchanges with the public; meticais is the plural form of metical
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Mozambique

Telephones - main lines in use: | 90,000 (December 2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 100,000 (June 2001)
Telephone system: | general assessment: fair system but not available generally (telephone density is only 3.5 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)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 13, FM 17, shortwave 11 (2001)
Radios: | 730,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 1 (2001)
Televisions: | 67,600 (2000)
Internet country code: | .mz
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 11 (2002)
Internet users: | 22,500 (2000)

Transportation | Mozambique

Railways: | total: 3,131 km narrow gauge: 2,988 km 1.067-m gauge; 143 km 0.762-m gauge (2001)
Highways: | total: 30,400 km paved: 5,685 km unpaved: 24,715 km (1996)
Waterways: | 3,750 km (navigable routes)
Pipelines: | crude oil 306 km; petroleum products 289 km note: not operating
Ports and harbors: | Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Nacala, Pemba, Quelimane
Merchant marine: | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 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.)
Airports: | 166 (2001)
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 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 144 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 37 under 914 m: 90 (2001)

Military | Mozambique

Military branches: | Army, Naval Command, Air and Air Defense Forces, Special Forces, Militia
Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 4,711,318 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 2,720,583 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $35.1 million (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1% (2000 est.)

Transnational Issues | Mozambique

Disputes - international: | none
Illicit drugs: | 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)

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002