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.

Geographic coordinates: 18 15 S 35 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 801,590 km²
Land: 784,090 km²
Water: 17,500 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries
Total: 4,571 km
Border countries: (6) 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
Extremes highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m

Natural resources: coal titanium natural gas hydropower tantalum graphite

Land use
Arable land: 4%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 56%
Forests and woodland: 18%
Other: 22% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1200 km² (2000 est.)

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

Population
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 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 1.3% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 70% (2000 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Mozambican
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%

Languages: Portuguese (official) indigenous dialects

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50% Christian 30% Muslim 20%

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.72% (male 4,124,093; female 4,152,135)
15-64 years: 54.53% (male 5,222,477; female 5,339,615)
65 years and over: 2.75% (male 221,678; female 311,059) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.3% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 37.2 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 24.21 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 0.99 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 139.2 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 36.45 years
Male: 37.25 years
Female: 35.62 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.82 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 13.22% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 1.2 million (1999 est.)
Deaths: 98,000 (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 42.3%
Male: 58.4%
Female: 27% (1998 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique
Conventional short form: Mozambique
Local long form: Republica de Mocambique
Local short form: Mocambique
Former: Portuguese East Africa

Government type: republic

Capital: Maputo

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provincias singular - provincia); Cabo Delgado Gaza Inhambane Manica Maputo 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 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 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
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

Judicial branch
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 chairman]; Mozambique National Resistance - Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana - Uniao Eleitoral) or Renamo-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA president]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB C CCC ECA FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM (observer) ISO (correspondent) ITU 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 Marcos Geraldo NAMASHULUA
In the us chancery: Suite 570, 1990 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 293-7,146
In the us fax: [1] (202) 835-0245
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Sharon P. WILKINSON
From the us embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo
From the us telephone: [258] (1) 492,797
From the us fax: [258] (1) 490,114

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 overview: Before the peace accord of October 1992 Mozambique's economy was devastated by a protracted civil war and socialist mismanagement. In 1994 it ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world. Since then Mozambique has undertaken a series of economic reforms. Almost all aspects of the economy have been liberalized to some extent. More than 900 state enterprises have been privatized. A value-added tax introduced in 1999 launched the government's comprehensive tax reform program. Pending are much needed commercial code reform and greater private sector involvement in the transportation telecommunications and energy sectors. Since 1996 inflation has been low and foreign exchange rates relatively stable. Albeit from a small base Mozambique's economy grew at an annual 10% rate in 1997-99 one of the highest growth rates in the world. Growth slowed and inflation rose in 2000 due to devastating flooding in the early part of the year. Both indicators should recover in 2001. The country depends on foreign assistance to balance the budget and to pay for a trade imbalance in which imports greatly outnumber exports. The trade situation should improve in the medium term however as trade and transportation links to South Africa and the rest of the region have been improved and sizeable foreign investments are beginning to materialize. Among these investments are metal production (aluminum steel) natural gas power generation agriculture fishing timber and transportation services. Mozambique has received a formal cancellation of a large portion of its external debt through an IMF initiative and is scheduled to receive additional relief.

Real gdp growth rate: 3.8% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1000 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 44%
Industry: 19%
Services: 37% (1999 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton cashew nuts sugarcane tea cassava (tapioca) corn rice coconuts sisal tropical fruits; beef poultry

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

Industrial production growth rate: 7.2% (1999)

Labor force: 7.4 million (1997 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 81%
By occupation industry: 6%
By occupation services: 13% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: 70% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.5%
Highest 10: 31.7% (1996-97)

Budget
Revenues: $466.9 million
Expenditures: $1.004 billion, including capital expenditures of $502.5 million (2000 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 11.4% (2000 est.)

Exports: $390 million (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: prawns 40% cashews cotton sugar citrus timber; bulk electricity (2000)
Partners: EU 27% South Africa 26% Zimbabwe 15% India 12% US 5% Japan 4% (1999 est.)

Imports: $1.4 billion (c.i.f. 2000 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment mineral products chemicals metals foodstuffs textiles (2000)
Partners: South Africa 44% EU 16% US 6.5% Japan 6.5% Pakistan 3% India 3% (1999 est.)

Debt external: $1.4 billion (2000 est.)

Exchange rates: meticais per US dollar - 17,331 (January 2001) 5,200 (2000) 12,775 (1999) 11,875 (1998) 11.543.6 (1997) 11,294 (1996)

Electricity
Production: 2.3 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 13.04%
Production by source hydro: 86.96%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 307 million kWh (1999)
Exports: 1.9 billion kWh (1999)
Imports: 68 million kWh (1999)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 65,354 (2000)
Mobile cellular: 18,500 (2000)

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)

Internet
Country code: .mz
Service providers isps: 8 (2000)
Users note: 150 corporate accounts and 6,100 individual accounts (2000)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $35.1 million (2000 est.)
Percent of gdp: 1% (2000 est.)

Airports: 168 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 22
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 146
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 16
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 37
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 92 (2000 est.)

Pipelines
Note: not operating

Railways
Total: 3,131 km
Narrow gauge: 2,988 km 1.067-m gauge; 143 km 0.762-m gauge (1994)

Waterways: 3,750 km (navigable routes)

Merchant marine
Total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,125 GRT/7,024 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 3 (2000 est.)

Disputes international: none