Background: In the first half of the second millennium A.D., northern Mozambican port towns were frequented by traders from Somalia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Arabia, Persia, and India. The Portuguese were able to wrest much of the coastal trade from Arab Muslims in the centuries after 1500 and to set up their own colonies. Portugal did not relinquish Mozambique until 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 2015. RENAMO’s residual armed forces intermittently engaged in a low-level insurgency after 2012, but a late December 2016 ceasefire eventually led to the two sides signing a comprehensive peace deal in August 2019. Elections in October 2019, challenged by Western observers and civil society as being problematic, resulted in resounding wins for NYUSI and FRELIMO across the country. Since October 2017, violent extremists - who an official ISIS media outlet recognized as ISIS's network in Mozambique for the first time in June 2019 - have been conducting attacks against civilians and security services in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

Geographic coordinates: 18 15 S, 35 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 799,380 km²
Land: 786,380 km²
Water: 13,000 km²
Rank: 36
Comparative: slightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries
Total: 4,783 km
Border countries: (6) Malawi 1498 km; , South Africa 496 km; , Eswatini 108 km; , Tanzania 840 km; , Zambia 439 km; , Zimbabwe 1402 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
Mean elevation: 345 m
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m

Natural resources: coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite

Land use
Agricultural land: 56.3% (2011 est.)
Forest: 43.7% (2011 est.)
Other: 0% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 1180 km² (2012)

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

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

Population
Distribution rank: population distribution map: 30,098,197 (July 2020 est.)
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Rank: 47
Growth rate: 2.62% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 19
Below poverty line: 46.1% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Mozambican(s)
Adjective: Mozambican

Ethnic groups: African 99% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Mestizo 0.8%, other (includes European, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese) .2% (2017 est.)

Languages: Makhuwa 26.1%, Portuguese (official) 16.6%, Tsonga 8.6%, Nyanja 8.1, Sena 7.1%, Lomwe 7.1%, Chuwabo 4.7%, Ndau 3.8%, Tswa 3.8%, other Mozambican languages 11.8%, other 0.5%, unspecified 1.8% (2017 est.)

Religions: Roman Catholic 27.2%, Muslim 18.9%, Zionist Christian 15.6%, Evangelical/Pentecostal 15.3%, Anglican 1.7%, other 4.8%, none 13.9%, unspecified 2.5% (2017 est.)

Demographic profile: 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.

Age structure
0-14 years: 45.57% (male 6,950,800/female 6,766,373)
15-24 years: 19.91% (male 2,997,529/female 2,994,927)
25-54 years: 28.28% (male 3,949,085/female 4,564,031)
55-64 years: 3.31% (male 485,454/female 509,430)
65 years and over: 2.93% (male 430,797/female 449,771) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 88.4
Youth dependency ratio: 83
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.4
Potential support ratio: 18.5 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 17 years
Male: 16.3 years
Female: 17.6 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 219

Population growth rate: 2.62% (2020 est.)
Rank: 19

Birth rate: 38.6 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 12

Death rate: 11 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 22

Net migration rate: -1.7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 158

Population distribution
Rank: population distribution map

Urbanization
Urban population: 37.1% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 4.35% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1.706 million Matola, 1.11 million MAPUTO (capital), 848,000 Nampula (2020)

Environment
Current issues: 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)
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.87 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth:

Infant mortality rate
Total: 64.7 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 66.8 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 62.6 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 7

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 55.9 years
Male: 54.4 years
Female: 57.4 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 221

Total fertility rate: 4.97 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 13

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 27.1% (2015)

Drinking water source
Urban: 6.8% of population
Rural: 41.7% of population
Total: 29.3% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 4.9% (2017)

Physicians density: 0.08 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 0.7 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 38.2% of population
Rural: 81.2% of population
Total: 65.9% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 12.1% (2019 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 7
People living with hivaids: 2.2 million (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 2
Deaths: 51,000 (2019 est.)
Deaths rank: 3

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2020)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 7.2% (2016)
Rank: 160

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 15.6% (2014/15)
Rank: 38

Education expenditures: 5.5% of GDP (2018)
Rank: 36

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 60.7%
Male: 72.6%
Female: 50.3% (2017)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 10 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 10 years (2017)

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, Peoples 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

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Maputo
Geographic coordinates: 25 57 S, 32 35 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: reputedly named after the Maputo River, which drains into Maputo Bay south of the city

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
History: previous 1975, 1990; latest adopted 16 November 2004, effective 21 December 2004
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

Legal system: mixed legal system of Portuguese civil law and customary law; note - in rural, apply where applicable predominantly Muslim villages with no formal legal system, Islamic law may be applied

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Filipe Jacinto NYUSI (since 15 January 2015, re-elected 15 Oct 2019)
Head of government: President Filipe Jacinto NYUSI (since 15 January 2015); Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho DO ROSARIO (since 17 January 2015; reconfirmed DO ROSARIO 17 January 2020)
Cabinet:  Cabinet appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: 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 2019 (next to be held on 15 October 2024); prime minister appointed by the president (2019)
Election results: Filipe NYUSI elected president in first round; percent of vote - Filipe NYUSI (FRELIMO) 73.0%, Ossufo MOMADE (RENAMO) 21.9%, Daviz SIMANGO (MDM) 5.1% (2019)

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (250 seats; 248 members elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote and 2 single members representing Mozambicans abroad directly elected by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms) (2019)
Elections: last held on 15 October 2019 (next to be held on 15 October 2024) (2019)
Election results: percent of vote by party - FRELIMO 71%, RENAMO 23%, MDM 4%; seats by party - FRELIMO 184, RENAMO 60, MDM 6; composition - men 151, women 99, percent of women 39.6% (2019)

Judicial branch
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

Political parties and leaders: 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 [Ossufo MOMADE]Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique or Podemos [Helder Mendonca]

International organization participation: 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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos DOS SANTOS (since 28 January 2016)
In the us chancery: 1525 New Hampshire Avenue 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 Dennis W. HEARNE (since 22 February 2019)
From the us telephone: [258] (21) 49 2,797
From the us embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Caixa Postal, 783, Maputo
From the us mailing address: P.O. Box 783, Maputo
From the us FAX: [258] (21) 49 0114

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; 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

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

National anthem
Name: Patria Amada (Lovely Fatherland)
Lyricsmusic: Salomao J. MANHICA/unknown
Note: adopted 2002

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 95

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Rank: 206

Gross national saving:
Rank: 123

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 69.7% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 27.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 21.7% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 13.9% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 38.3% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -70.6% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 23.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 19.3% (2017 est.)
Services: 56.8% (2017 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 4.9% (2017 est.)
Rank: 61

Labor force: 12.9 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 42
By occupation agriculture: 74.4%
By occupation industry: 3.9%
By occupation services: 21.7% (2015 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 197

Population below poverty line: 46.1% (2015 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.9%
Highest 10: 36.7% (2008)

Budget
Revenues: 3.356 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 4.054 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -5.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 176

Taxes and other revenues: 26.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 105

Public debt:
Rank: 15

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 137

Current account balance:
Rank: 172

Exports:
Rank: 130
Partners: India 28.1%, Netherlands 24.4%, South Africa 16.7% (2017)
Commodities: aluminum, prawns, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber; bulk electricity

Imports:
Rank: 121
Commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles
Partners: South Africa 36.8%, China 7%, UAE 6.8%, India 6.2%, Portugal 4.4% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 106

Debt external:
Rank: 110

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 20 million (2019)
Access electrification total population: 35% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 57% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 22% (2019)
Production: 18.39 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 79
Consumption: 11.57 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 90
Exports: 12.88 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 16
Imports: 9.928 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 25
Installed generating capacity: 2.626 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 102
Generation sources fossil fuels: 16% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 198
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 149
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 83% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 12
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 161

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 178
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 170
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 171
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 173

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 182
Products consumption: 26,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 128
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 185
Products imports: 25,130 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 107

Natural gas
Production: 6.003 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 47
Consumption: 1.841 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 84
Exports: 4.162 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 32
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 161
Proven reserves: 2.832 trillion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 13

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 11.12 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 102

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 61,575 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 153
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 13,992,090
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47.72 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 70

Broadcast media: 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 (2019)

Internet
Country code: .mz
Users total: 2,855,670
Users percent of population: 10% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 100

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 70,142 (2018 est.)
Rank: 128

Military expenditures:
Rank: 122

Military and security forces:

Military service age and obligation: 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 (2019)

Terrorist groups: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - Central Africa/Mozambique (2020)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in a title='Appendix-T' href='../appendix/appendix-t.html'>Appendix-T/a>

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 11
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 540,124 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 4.78 million
Note: mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: C9 (2016)

Airports: 98 (2013)
Rank: 57
With paved runways total: 21 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 9 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 4 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 77 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 9 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 29 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 38 (2013)

Pipelines: 972 km gas, 278 km refined products (2013)

Railways
Total: 4,787 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 4,787 km
Note: 1.067-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 41

Roadways
Total: 31,083 km (2015)
Paved: 7,365 km (2015)
Unpaved: 23,718 km (2015)
Rank: 97

Waterways: 460 km
Note: (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2010)
Rank: 85

Merchant marine
Total: 29
By type: general cargo 9, other 20 (2019)
Rank: 134

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Beira, Maputo, Nacala

Disputes international: 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 9,953 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (refugees and asylum seekers), 8,658 (Burundi) (refugees and asylum seekers) (2020)
IDPs: 369,220 (violence between the government and an opposition group, violence associated with extremists groups in 2018, political violence 2019) (2020)

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 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