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 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 December 2004 Mozambique underwent a delicate transition as Joaquim CHISSANO stepped down after 18 years in office. His newly elected successor Armando Emilio GUEBUZA has promised to continue the sound economic policies that have encouraged foreign investment.

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
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 5.1%
Permanent crops: 0.3%
Other: 94.6% (2001)

Irrigated land: 1070 km² (1998 est.)

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

Geography
Note: the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country

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 2005 est.)
Growth rate: 1.48% (2005 est.)
Below poverty line: 70% (2001 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Mozambican
Adjective: Mozambican

Ethnic groups: indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Makhuwa Tsonga Lomwe Sena and others) Europeans 0.06% Euro-Africans 0.2% Indians 0.08%

Languages: Emakhuwa 26.1% Xichangana 11.3% Portuguese 8.8% (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language) Elomwe 7.6% Cisena 6.8% Echuwabo 5.8% other Mozambican languages 32% other foreign languages 0.3% unspecified 1.3% (1997 census)

Religions: Catholic 23.8% Zionist Christian 17.5% Muslim 17.8% other 17.8% none 23.1% (1997 census)

Age structure
0-14 years: 43.1% (male 4,206,654/female 4,157,898)
15-64 years: 54.1% (male 5,088,250/female 5,416,573)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 224,682/female 312,646) (2005 est.)

Median age
Total: 18.29 years
Male: 17.74 years
Female: 18.83 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.48% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 35.79 births/1000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 20.99 deaths/1000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2005 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; elephant poaching for ivory is a problem
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male/female
Total population: 0.96 male/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 130.79 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 135.91 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 125.51 deaths/1000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 40.32 years
Male: 39.9 years
Female: 40.75 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.7 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 12.2% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 1.3 million (2003 est.)
Deaths: 110,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 47.8%
Male: 63.5%
Female: 32.7% (2003 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) 1 city (cidade)*; Cabo Delgado Gaza Inhambane Manica Maputo Cidade de 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 Armando GUEBUZA (since 2 February 2005)
Head of government: Prime Minister Luisa DIOGO (since 17 February 2004)
Cabinet: Cabinet
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Armando GUEBUZA elected president; percent of vote - Armando GUEBUZA 63.7%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 31.7%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Frelimo 62%, Renamo 29.7%; seats by party - Frelimo 160, Renamo 90

Judicial branch
Note: although the constitution provides for 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 [Armando Emilio GUEBUZA president]; Mozambique National Resistance-Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana-Uniao Eleitoral) or RENAMO-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA president]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICCt (signatory) ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM (observer) ISO (correspondent) ITU MIGA MONUC NAM OIC ONUB OPCW SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNMISET UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Armando PANGUENE
In the us chancery: 1990 M Street NW, Suite 570, 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 Helen LA LIME
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) 490,448

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: 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 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 have led to dramatic improvements in the country's growth rate. Inflation was reduced to single digits during the late 1990s although it returned to double digits in 2000-03. 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 the opening of the MOZAL aluminum smelter the country's largest foreign investment project to date has increased export earnings. Additional investment projects in titanium extraction and 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $23.38 billion (2004 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 8.2% (2004 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1200 (2004 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 21.1%
Industry: 32.1%
Services: 46.9% (2004 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (2000)

Labor force: 9.2 million (2000 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% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.5%
Highest 10: 31.7% (1997)

Distribution of family income gini index: 39.6 (1996-97)

Budget
Revenues: $1.186 billion
Expenditures: $1.398 billion, including capital expenditures of $479.4 million (2004 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 12.8% (2004 est.)

Current account balance: $-101.2 million (2004 est.)

Exports: $689.4 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: aluminum prawns cashews cotton sugar citrus timber; bulk electricity
Partners: Netherlands 60.9% South Africa 12.9% Malawi 3.3% (2004)

Imports: $972.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment vehicles fuel chemicals metal products foodstuffs textiles
Partners: South Africa 41.4% Netherlands 11% Portugal 3.3% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.206 billion (2004 est.)

Debt external: $966 million (2002 est.)

Exchange rates
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

Electricity
Production: 8.859 billion kWh (2002)
Consumption: 5.046 billion kWh (2002)
Exports: 7.1 billion kWh (2002)
Imports: 3.907 billion kWh (2002)

Natural gas
Production: 60 million m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 60 million m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 63.71 billion m³ (1 January 2002)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 83,700 (2002)
Mobile cellular: 428,900 (2003)

Telephone system
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: country code - 258; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .mz
Hosts: 3,249 (2003)
Users: 50,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $117.3 million (2004)
Percent of gdp: 2.2% (2004)

Airports: 158 (2004 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 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 136
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 14
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 34
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 87 (2004 est.)

Pipelines: gas 649 km; refined products 292 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 3,123 km
Narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2004)

Waterways: 460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2004)

Merchant marine
Total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,125 GRT/7,024 DWT
By type: cargo 2
Foreign owned: 2 (Belgium 2) (2005)

Disputes international: none

Illicit drugs: 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 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