At 309,475 sq mi (801,537 km2), Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is the world’s 35th-largest country.
Located on the Southeast coast of Africa, Mozambique is bound by Eswatini to the South, South Africa to the Southwest, Zimbabwe to the West, Zambia and Malawi to the Northwest, Tanzania to the North and the Indian Ocean to the East.
Mozambique lies between latitudes 10° and 27°S, and longitudes 30° and 41°E.
The sovereign state is separated from the Comoros, Mayotte and Madagascar by the Mozambique Channel to the east. The capital and largest city is Maputo.
The country was named Moçambique by the Portuguese after the Island of Mozambique, derived from either Mussa Bin Bique, Musa Al Big, Mossa Al Bique, Mussa Ben Mbiki or Mussa Ibn Malik, an Arab trader who first visited the island and later lived there.
The country is divided into two topographical regions by the Zambezi River. To the north of the Zambezi, the narrow coastal strip gives way to inland hills and low plateaus. Rugged highlands are further west; they include the Niassa highlands, Namuli or Shire highlands, Angonia highlands, Tete highlands and the Makonde plateau, covered with miombo woodlands. To the South of the Zambezi, the lowlands are broader with the Mashonaland plateau and Lebombo Mountains located in the deep South.
The country is drained by five principal rivers and several smaller ones with the largest and most important the Zambezi. The country has four notable lakes: Lake Niassa (or Malawi), Lake Chiuta, Cahora Bassa and Lake Shirwa, all in the north. The major cities are Maputo, Beira, Nampula, Tete, Quelimane, Chimoio, Pemba, Inhambane, Xai-Xai and Lichinga.
Mozambique has a tropical climate with two seasons: a wet season from October to March and a dry season from April to September. Climatic conditions, however, vary depending on altitude. Rainfall is heavy along the coast and decreases in the north and south. Annual precipitation varies from 500 to 900 mm (19.7 to 35.4 in) depending on the region, with an average of 590 mm (23.2 in). Cyclones are common during the wet season.
Mozambique’s history is marked by a complex narrative of colonization, struggle for independence, and post-independence challenges. Portuguese explorers first set foot on its shores in the 15th century, establishing a colonial presence that would endure for nearly five centuries. The struggle for independence culminated in 1975, with Mozambique gaining sovereignty from Portuguese rule.
After only two years of independence, the country descended into an intense and protracted civil war lasting from 1977 to 1992. In 1994, Mozambique held its first multiparty elections and has since remained a relatively stable presidential republic, although it still faces a low-intensity insurgency distinctively in the farthermost regions from the southern capital and where Islam is dominant.
As of 2022 estimates, the country’s population was around 30 million, and is composed of overwhelmingly Bantu peoples.
However, the only official language in Mozambique is Portuguese, which is spoken in urban areas as a first or second language by most, and generally as a lingua franca between younger Mozambicans with access to formal education.
The largest religion in Mozambique is Christianity, with significant minorities following Islam and African traditional religions.
Mozambique is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Southern African Development Community, and is an observer at La Francophonie.
GOVERNANCE
Mozambique is a republic and a multiparty democracy. It has a President as head of state and government, who is directly elected for a five-year term and serves a maximum of two terms. The President appoints the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. The current President is Filipe Nyusi.
The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. His functions include convening and chairing the council of ministers (cabinet), advising the President, assisting the President in governing the country, and coordinating the functions of the other ministers. The current Prime Minister is Adriano Maleiane.
The legislative branch is the Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da República) which has 250 members, elected for a five-year term by proportional representation.
The judiciary comprises a Supreme Court and provincial, district, and municipal courts.
The Supreme Court is the final appellate court, and it has original jurisdiction in the most serious criminal cases. As well as other judicial courts, there are the Administrative Court, the courts-martial, and customs, maritime and labour courts.
Mozambique is divided into ten provinces and one capital city with provincial status. The provinces are subdivided into 129 districts. The districts are further divided into 405 administrative posts, and then into localities, the lowest geographical level of the central state administration. There are 53 “municípios.”
ECONOMY
The country’s economy is based chiefly on fishery— substantially molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms— and agriculture with a growing industry of food and beverages, chemical manufacturing, aluminium and oil.
Major exports include prawns, cotton, cashew nuts, sugar, citrus, copra and coconuts, and timber. Export partners include Spain, South Africa, Portugal, the United States, Japan, Malawi, India, and Zimbabwe. Mozambique also imports goods from these countries and Saudi Arabia. The country imports food, clothing, and petroleum products.
In the past several years, the value of imports outweighed the value of exports by 5 to 1 or more— a factor that obliges Mozambique to depend heavily on foreign aid and loans by foreign commercial banks and the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs).
South Africa remains Mozambique’s main trading partner, preserving a close relationship with Portugal with a perspective on other European markets. Since 2001, Mozambique’s GDP growth has been thriving, but since 2014/15, both a significant decrease in household real consumption and a sharp rise in economic inequality have been observed.
The nation remains one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world, ranking low in GDP per capita, human development, measures of inequality and average life expectancy.
The economy grew by 5% in 2023, primarily driven by the start of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) production at the Coral South offshore facility.
Mozambique’s official currency is the metical. The U.S. dollar, South African rand, and the euro are widely accepted and used in business transactions.
AGRICULTURE
In Mozambique, agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and the country has a great potential for growth in the sector. Agriculture employs more than 80 percent of the labour force.
Agriculture is for the most part based on small, hand-cultivated units often farmed by women-headed households.
Agricultural potential is high, particularly in the fertile northern regions, which accounts for the bulk of the country’s agricultural surplus. The main cash crops are sugar, copra, cashew nuts, tea, cotton, sesame and tobacco.
Maize and cassava are the major staples; other food crops include sorghum, millet, rice, beans, groundnut, sweet potatoes and a wide variety of vegetables. Groundnut is also cultivated in the country. The use of modern technologies and irrigation facilities is limited to a small number of commercial farms growing cash crops and vegetables and to out-growers of tobacco and cotton-producing crops on contract.
Animal husbandry is an underdeveloped sector. Cattle, goats, sheep and pigs are reared in extensive grass-based (ruminants) or back-yard scavenger systems. There is, also a small fast-growing modern poultry industry.
INDUSTRY
According to Statista, in 2022, 22.79 percent of Mozambique’s GDP came from the industry.
Manufacturing
The main manufacturing products in Mozambique include wheat flour, beverages, aluminium, petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass and tobacco. Almost all manufacturing takes place in the major urban areas of Maputo, Beira, and Nampula. The most important beverage in terms of commercial value is beer.
A major producer of beer in Mozambique is the company Cervejas de Mocambique (CDM) – Beers of Mozambique, the Maputo brewery owned by this company and located in Nampula has the capacity to produce 480,000 hectolitres of beer per annum.
Another key manufacturer in Mozambique is Companhia Industrial da Matola (CIM), the largest local food producing company in the country. CIM produces wheat flour, maize meal, pasta and biscuit brands marketed under household names and employs more than 750 workers.
Mozambique is a large exporter of unwrought iron, which comprises over 60% of the country’s total yearly exports.
Mozambique competes strongly with the rest of Africa in the manufacturing of wood and furniture.
Extractives
The mineral industry of Mozambique plays a significant role in the world’s production of aluminium, beryllium, and tantalum.
There are large mineral deposits, but exploration has been constrained by the civil war (1977–1992) and poor infrastructure.
Aquamarine, morganite, tourmaline, and other gemstones are mined in Zambezia Province; dumortierite, in Tete Province; and garnet, in Niassa Province.
Other minerals currently being mined include marble, bentonite, coal, gold, bauxite, granite and titanium.
Most of Mozambique’s mining and mineral processing operations are privately owned, including the cement plants, the Mozal aluminium smelter, and the Temane gas processing plant. Artisanal miners produce gold and aquamarine, tourmaline, and other gemstones. Carbomoc E.E., which was the country’s only coal producer, is state-owned.
Mozambique exported its first batch of coal in 2011 and is reported to have the fourth largest reserves of natural gas in the world, after Russia, Iran, and Qatar.
Construction
Mozambique’s construction industry has one of the strongest growth outlooks across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The construction industry of Mozambique is expected to grow by 3.9% in real terms in 2024 and register an annual average growth of 4.8% in real terms from 2025 to 2028, supported by investments in energy, transport, and telecommunication infrastructure projects, as part of the Programa Quinquenal Do Governo (the government’s five-year program PQG 2020-2024).
The Mozambican construction sector primarily consists of smaller companies that undertake private construction work. Because of the relatively small number of experts and sometimes limited level of expertise, local companies are usually excluded from major internationally funded construction projects, which are usually contracted to foreign firms and consultants.
In September 2023, the government signed an agreement worth MZN35.4 billion ($537 million) with the US’ Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to improve the roads and other infrastructures in the province of Zambezia over the next five years, to build resilience against climate change and upgrade connectivity.
SERVICES
According to Statista, 40.56 percent of the country’s GDP came from the services in 2022.
Services could be an avenue toward inclusive growth and accelerated job creation. Currently, although the services sector is the largest (in terms of output share) and relatively the most productive, it is oriented towards less complex activities such as retail. Mozambique’s commercial services exports are dominated by traditional services (travel and transport). Services need to upgrade into more complex and tradable activities— such as ICT, finance, and professional and business services— to become an engine of inclusive growth and employment creation.
Banking
The Bank of Mozambique (Portuguese: Banco de Moçambique) is the Central Bank of Mozambique. The Bank does not function as a commercial bank, and has the responsibility of governing the monetary policies of the country. The President of the Republic appoints the Governor. The current Governor is Rogério Zandamela, who has been holding the post since 2016.
The Bank of Mozambique (BOM) has the sole issuing powers of currency notes and coins. The bank is responsible for the supervision of all 22 commercial banks in the country by exercising its power as the Central Bank of the country.
Tourism
Mozambique boasts a landscape that spans from the azure waters of the Indian Ocean to the untamed wilderness of its interior. The country is adorned with lush forests, cascading waterfalls, and the iconic Mount Namuli, standing tall as the highest peak in Mozambique. The Bazaruto Archipelago, a collection of idyllic islands off the coast, lures travelers with its crystalline waters and thriving marine life, offering a sanctuary for diving and snorkeling enthusiasts.
The Inhambane Province attracts international divers because of the marine biodiversity and the presence of whale, sharks and manta rays. There are several national parks, including Gorongosa National Park. Other places to visit are the National Art Museum, Maputo special reserve and the Quirimbas Islands.
There are known to be 740 bird species in Mozambique, including 20 globally threatened species and two introduced species, and over 200 mammal species endemic to Mozambique, including the critically endangered Selous’ zebra, Vincent’s bush squirrel and 13 other endangered or vulnerable species.
Protected areas include thirteen forest reserves, seven national parks, six nature reserves, three frontier conservation areas and three wildlife or game reserves.
However, despite having huge tourism assets, Mozambique has the lowest tourist numbers compared to its neighboring countries like South Africa.
Before independence, tourism was a vibrant industry in Mozambique, but after independence in 1975, the country was plunged into a civil war that almost destroyed the tourism industry. The country has the opportunity to develop and revamp its tourism industry as the war is now over. However, inadequate budget, lack of marketing, and lack of tour operators have limited the growth of tourism in the country.
Culture
At the heart of Mozambique’s allure is its rich cultural heritage, shaped by centuries of trade, migration, and intermingling of ethnic groups. The country is home to a mosaic of cultures.
The main ethnic groups in Mozambique are Makhuwa, Tsonga, Makonde, Shangaan, Shona, Sena, Ndau, and other indigenous groups.
The most important local languages include Tsonga, Makhuwa, Sena, Chichewa, and Swahili. Glottolog lists 46 languages spoken in the country, of which one is a signed language (Mozambican Sign Language/Língua de sinais de Moçambique). Other languages spoken in Mozambique include Emakhuwa (at 25.3%), Xichangana (at 10.3%), Cisena (at 7.5%), Elomwe (at 7%), Echuwabo.
The native folk music of Mozambique has been highly influenced by Portuguese colonisation and local language forms. The most popular style of modern dance music is marrabenta.
Mozambican cuisine is rich and varied, reflecting both its traditional roots as well as outside influences. Flavourful spicy stews eaten with rice or steamed cornmeal dough are common.
With a nearly 500-year presence in the country, the Portuguese have greatly influenced Mozambique’s cuisine. Staples and crops such as cassava, cashew nuts and pãozinho (pronounced [pɐ̃wˈzĩɲu], Portuguese-style buns), were brought in by the Portuguese.
The use of spices and seasonings such as bay leaves, chili peppers, fresh coriander, garlic, onions, paprika, red sweet peppers, and wine were introduced by the Portuguese, as were maize, potatoes, rice and sugarcane. Prego (steak roll), pudim (pudding) and rissóis (battered shrimp) are all Portuguese dishes commonly eaten in present-day Mozambique.
With its long coastline and rich fishing presence, fish is a key part of the national diet. The country is famous for its shellfish, such as prawns and crayfish, and its combination of seafood dishes with the spicy piri-piri sauce (which literally translates to “Spicy-Spicy”).
One particular stew that is without Portuguese influence is matapa, which is usually made with cassava leaves, cashews, crab, shrimp and coconut milk. Another important dish is piri-piri chicken, which is grilled chicken basted in piri-piri sauce and served with fries.
Sports
Football is the most popular sport in Mozambique. The national team is the Mozambique national football team. Track and field and basketball are also avidly followed in the country. Roller hockey is popular. The women’s beach volleyball team finished 2nd at the 2018–2020 CAVB Beach Volleyball Continental Cup. The Mozambique national cricket team represents the nation in international cricket.