Almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony came to a close with independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration, economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought, and a prolonged civil war hindered the country's development until the mid-1990s. The ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) 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 between FRELIMO and rebel Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO) forces ended the fighting in 1992. In 2004, Mozambique underwent a delicate transition as Joaquim CHISSANO stepped down after 18 years in office. His elected successor, Armando GUEBUZA, served two terms and then passed executive power to Filipe NYUSI in 2014. RENAMO’s residual armed forces have continued to engage in a low-level insurgency since 2012.

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

18 15 S, 35 00 E

Africa

slightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California

2,470 km

tropical to subtropical

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

highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m

coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite

arable land 6.4%; permanent crops 0.3%; permanent pasture 49.6%

1,180 sq km (2012)

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

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

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

the Zambezi River flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country

26,573,706

African 99.66% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08%

Emakhuwa 25.3%, Portuguese (official) 10.7%, Xichangana 10.3%, Cisena 7.5%, Elomwe 7%, Echuwabo 5.1%, other Mozambican languages 30.1%, other 0.3%, unspecified 3.7% (2007 est.)

Roman Catholic 28.4%, Muslim 17.9%, Zionist Christian 15.5%, Protestant 12.2% (includes Pentecostal 10.9% and Anglican 1.3%), other 6.7%, none 18.7%, unspecified 0.7% (2007 est.)

Mozambique is a poor, sparsely populated country with high fertility and mortality rates and a rapidly growing youthful population – 45% of the population is younger than 15. Mozambique’s high poverty rate is sustained by natural disasters, disease, high population growth, low agricultural productivity, and the unequal distribution of wealth. The country’s birth rate is among the world’s highest, averaging around more than 5 children per woman (and higher in rural areas) for at least the last three decades. The sustained high level of fertility reflects gender inequality, low contraceptive use, early marriages and childbearing, and a lack of education, particularly among women. The high population growth rate is somewhat restrained by the country’s high HIV/AIDS and overall mortality rates. Mozambique ranks among the worst in the world for HIV/AIDS prevalence, HIV/AIDS deaths, and life expectancy at birth.

Mozambique is predominantly a country of emigration, but internal, rural-urban migration has begun to grow. Mozambicans, primarily from the country’s southern region, have been migrating to South Africa for work for more than a century. Additionally, approximately 1.7 million Mozambicans fled to Malawi, South Africa, and other neighboring countries between 1979 and 1992 to escape from civil war. Labor migrants have usually been men from rural areas whose crops have failed or who are unemployed and have headed to South Africa to work as miners; multiple generations of the same family often become miners. Since the abolition of apartheid in South Africa in 1991, other job opportunities have opened to Mozambicans, including in the informal and manufacturing sectors, but mining remains their main source of employment.

2.46% (2017 est.)

38.1 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

11.6 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

-1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 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

MAPUTO (capital) 1.187 million; Matola 937,000 (2015)

18.9 years

median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2011 est.)

489 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

5.08 children born/woman (2017 est.)

11.6% (2011)

7% of GDP (2014)

0.06 physicians/1,000 population (2013)

0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)

urban: 80.6% of population

rural: 37% of population

total: 51.1% of population

urban: 19.4% of population

rural: 63% of population

total: 48.9% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 42.4% of population

rural: 10.1% of population

total: 20.5% of population

urban: 57.6% of population

rural: 89.9% of population

total: 79.5% of population (2015 est.)

12.3% (2016 est.)

1.8 million (2016 est.)

62,000 (2016 est.)

7.2% (2016)

15.6% (2011)

6.5% of GDP (2013)

presidential republic

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

25 June 1975 (from Portugal)

Independence Day, 25 June (1975)

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

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

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 NYUS]

Mozambique National Resistance (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana) or RENAMO [Afonso DHLAKAMA]

Mozambican League of Human Rights (Liga Mocambicana dos Direitos Humanos) or LDH [Alice MABOTA, president]

Youth Parliament (Parlamento Juvenil) [Salomao MUCHANGA]

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, CPLP, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF (observer), OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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

national colors: green, black, yellow, white, red

At independence in 1975, Mozambique was one of the world's poorest countries. Socialist policies, economic mismanagement, and a brutal civil war from 1977 to 1992 further impoverished the country. In 1987, the government embarked on a series of macroeconomic reforms designed to stabilize the economy. These steps, combined with donor assistance and with political stability since the multi-party elections in 1994, propelled the country’s GDP from $4 billion in 1993, following the war, to about $35 billion in 2016. 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, more than half the population remains below the poverty line. Subsistence agriculture continues to employ the vast majority of the country's work force. Citizens rioted in September 2010 after fuel, water, electricity, and bread price increases were announced. In an attempt to lessen the negative impact on the population, the government implemented subsidies, decreased taxes and tariffs, and instituted other fiscal measures.

A substantial trade imbalance persists, although aluminum production from the Mozal Aluminum Smelter has significantly boosted export earnings in recent years. In 2012, the Mozambican Government took over Portugal's last remaining share in the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectricity Company, a significant contributor to the Southern African Power Pool. The government has plans to expand the Cahora Bassa Dam and build additional dams to increase its electricity exports and fulfill the needs of its burgeoning domestic industries.

Mozambique's once substantial foreign debt was reduced through forgiveness and rescheduling under the IMF's Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and Enhanced HIPC initiatives. However, in 2016, information surfaced revealing that the Mozambican Government was responsible for over $2 billion in government-backed loans originally secured between 2012-14 by state-owned defense and security companies without parliamentary approval or national budget inclusion, which prompted the IMF and international donors to halt direct budget support to the Government of Mozambique. This sizable external debt burden, donor withdrawal, elevated inflation, and currency depreciation contributed to weak growth in 2016 and forebode weaker economic growth in the next few years.

Mozambique grew at an average annual rate of 6%-8% in the decade leading up to 2015, one of Africa's strongest performances, but growth slowed in 2016 to about 3.5% as low commodity prices reduced export earnings. However, many forecasts predict an increase in growth in 2017 as coal exports grow. Two major international consortiums are seeking approval to develop massive natural gas deposits off the coast of Cabo Delgado province, in what has the potential to become the largest infrastructure project in Africa. The government predicts sales of liquefied natural gas from these projects could generate several billion dollars in revenues annually sometime after 2022.

$35.08 billion (2016 est.)

$33.35 billion (2015 est.)

$30.96 billion (2014 est.)

$11.27 billion (2016 est.)

3.8% (2016 est.)

6.6% (2015 est.)

7.4% (2014 est.)

$1,200 (2016 est.)

$1,200 (2015 est.)

$1,200 (2014 est.)

5.6% of GDP (2016 est.)

5% of GDP (2015 est.)

17.2% of GDP (2014 est.)

cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (manioc, tapioca), corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers; beef, poultry

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

5.4% (2016 est.)

12.5 million (2016 est.)

22.4% (2014 est.)

17% (2007 est.)

46.1% (2015 est.)

45.6 (2008)

47.3 (2002)

22.3% of GDP (2016 est.)

-9.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

121.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

72.1% of GDP (2015 est.)

calendar year

19.2% (2016 est.)

3.6% (2015 est.)

9.5% (17 January 2013)

3.25% (31 December 2010)

21.18% (31 December 2016 est.)

14.87% (31 December 2015 est.)

$3.411 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$4.758 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$5.142 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$7.265 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$4.242 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$5.565 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$NA

$-4.307 billion (2016 est.)

$-5.968 billion (2015 est.)

$3.328 billion (2016 est.)

$3.413 billion (2015 est.)

aluminum, prawns, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber; bulk electricity

Netherlands 30.8%, India 15.2%, South Africa 14.6% (2016)

$4.733 billion (2016 est.)

$7.577 billion (2015 est.)

machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles

South Africa 36.6%, China 10.9%, Netherlands 7.8%, Bahrain 5.2%, France 4.2%, Portugal 4.2%, UAE 4.1% (2016)

$2.081 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$2.582 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$10.48 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$10.06 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

meticais (MZM) per US dollar -

63.067 (2016 est.)

63.067 (2015 est.)

39.983 (2014 est.)

31.367 (2013 est.)

28.38 (2012 est.)

19.58 billion kWh (2015 est.)

13.86 billion kWh (2015 est.)

12.88 billion kWh (2015 est.)

10.55 billion kWh (2015 est.)

2.556 million kW (2015 est.)

14% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

85.6% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0.5% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2016 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2017 es)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

23,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

21,890 bbl/day (2014 est.)

5.695 billion cu m (2015 est.)

2.726 billion cu m (2015 est.)

3.8 billion cu m (2015 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

2.832 trillion cu m (1 January 2017 es)

3.9 million Mt (2013 est.)

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)

.mz

C9 (2016)

98 (2013)

gas 972 km; refined products 278 km (2013)

460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2010)

1.03% of GDP (2016)

0.99% of GDP (2015)

1.02% of GDP (2014)

0.99% of GDP (2013)

0.91% of GDP (2012)

Mozambique Armed Defense Forces (Forcas Armadas de Defesa de Mocambique, FADM): Mozambique Army, Mozambique Navy (Marinha de Guerra de Mocambique, MGM), Mozambique Air Force (Forca Aerea de Mocambique, FAM) (2012)

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)

South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration

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