ABOUT MOZAMBIQUE

GENERAL

Government type
Mozambique is a Republic.

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.

Population
The population of Mozambique is approximately 19.7 million.

Area
The land area of Mozambique is 801 590 sq. km (slightly less than twice the size of California) land: 784,090 sq km water: 17,500 sq km. The country is located in Southern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania. Geographic coordinates: 18 15 5, 35 00 E

The total border is 4,571 km, of which coastline is 2,470 km. The country shares borders with Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

The capital is Maputo. There are 10 provinces - Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia

The climate is tropical to subtropical

The terrain is mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in centre, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west

Elevation extremes - the lowest point is the Indian Ocean 0 m; the highest point is Monte Binga 2,436 m

Natural resources include coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 56%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 22% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,180 sq km (1993 est.)

Per Capita Income
The GOP per capita is approximately US$ 935

Language
The official language is Portuguese

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Geography
Mozambique is dominated by its three thousand-kilometre coastline. Savannah and dense woodlands and forests largely cover the interior of the country.
The western border with Zimbabwe is demarcated by the range of mountains stretching from Chimanimani in the south to the highlands of Nyanga in the north.

The Limpopo River enters Mozambique south of these mountains and crosses the flat coastal plains of thick bush to empty into the blue seas at Xai Xai, 200 kilometres north of Maputo. This area has been earmarked for inclusion into the Transfrontier Park which is being established and which will include the Kruger National Park in South Africa and Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe.

Maputo is recovering some of its former elegance and style and five star international hotels have been fully restored to their former glory. The Maputo experience is a gastronomic delight with great seafood and succulent LM (Lorenzo Marques) prawns of legendary size and quality. The island of Inhaca, thirty kilometres from the city over the Bay of Maputo, is a tropical paradise of white beaches, coral reefs and palm trees.

The islands of the Bazaruto Archipelago are an idyllic tropical paradise surrounded by crystal clear, aquamarine seas and spectacular coral reefs just offshore from the resort centre of Vilankulo. The country is divided by the Zambezi River, which flows through the Central Provinces of Tete; Sofala and Zambezia and has proved a formidable barrier to the development of the northern provinces of the country.

Above Tete the Zambezi is contained by one of the largest dams in Africa, Lake Cahora Bassa. The Zambezi River empties into the Indian Ocean through an enormous estuarine area north of Mozambique’s second city of Beira.

From Beira north across the Zambezi River to Quelimane, Nampula and Mozambique Island little sign of rehabilitation of the war-ravaged infrastructure is evident. Bridges are down, roads are in very poor condition and the large towns of this region show evidence of serious neglect and isolation from the outside world.

The region is however scenically spectacular and for the traveller prepared to rough it, a journey through this part of Mozambique would be an adventure unlikely to be forgotten. Spectacular Mozambique Island has been declared a world heritage site and the castle of St Sebastian and St Pauls Palace, amongst other architectural gems, are quite breathtaking and fortunately being restored.

North from Mozambique Island and Nampula leads to the spectacular small city of Pemba built on the spine of a peninsula overlooking an enormous natural harbour. Traditional Arab sailing boats known as Dhows leave from Pemba to exotic destinations within the Quirimba Archipelago such as Ibo and to destinations further north such as Mafia Island, Dar-es Salaam and Zanzibar. Ibo is a sizeable former Portuguese town on Ibo Island, it boasts three forts, traditional silversmiths, ancient crumbling architecture, coral reefs and a lifestyle untouched by the outside world. Mozambique’s northern frontier with Tanzania follows the remote and isolated Ruvuma River through a vast wilderness of savannah and forests.

Directly west from Pemba across the top of the country, Mozambique’s western border touches Lago Niassa or as it is better known, Lake Malawi. Unlike the Malawian shoreline, the shoreline is completely undeveloped and difficult to access. If you get there the view across ‘The Lake of Stars” with the hills behind you rising to the highlands around Lichinga is majestic and overwhelming with the excitement and mystery of Africa.

Mozambique is divided by at least 25 main rivers, all of which flow to the Indian Ocean. The largest and most historically significant is the Zambezi, whose 820km Mozambican section is navigable for 460km. Flowing from eastern Angola, the Zambezi provides access to the interior of Africa from the eastern coast. Other important rivers are the Limpopo in the south, the Save in the middle and the Lugfenda in the north.

In the river valleys and deltas, the soil is rich and fertile, but southern and central Mozambique has poor and sandy soil, and parts of the interior is dry.

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The Zambezi River
The Zambezi, meaning “Great River” begins in the central African plateau and either forms the boundaries of enters the countries of Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

The Zambezi originates in Northwestern Zambia, formerly Rhodesia, and flows through Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and finally to Mozambique. Here it empties into the Indian Ocean 1600 miles from its headwaters.

Located in south-central Africa, the Zambezi River and its tributaries form the fourth largest river basin on the continent. The Zambezi, meaning ‘Great River’ begins in the central African plateau and either forms the boundaries or enters the countries of Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

The Zambezi River’s route from Kariba in Zimbabwe down to Kanyemba near the border with Mozambique is regarded as the best canoe safari destination in Africa. The Zambezi is the geographical boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe and offers the ideal combination of unspoiled wilderness and diverse habitats that support a massive wildlife population in Mana Pools National Park and the Lower Zambezi National Park on the Zimbabwean and Zambia shorelines.

The Zambezi River is classified as a high volume; pool-drop river i.e. there is little exposed rock either in the rapids or the pools below the rapids. The distance between rapids varies from 100 metres to 2 kms. The Gorge itself is approximately 400 ft deep at the put-in point and 750 ft at the take out point. The river drops about 400 ft over the 24 km covered in the one-day raft trip and the depth of the river can reach 200 ft.
The Zambezi River is one of Africa’s rivers of life. Throughout the 1653 miles
(2660 km) of its course, it gives water to humans who drink it and use it for crop growing, who capture its energy for hydro-electric power, who fish for food, and who enjoy its environments for recreation. It also supports an abundant wealth of aquatic and animal life - some are unique to Africa.

The most important lake is the navigable Lake Niassa (Lake Malawi). Lake Malawi provides one the opportunity to forget about the hurried passing of time. Still reasonably untouched by the contemporary world, the lake is an immense quintessence of a thousand picture postcards. Lake Malawi is the ninth largest lake in the world. It is 560km, 80km wide and 700m deep and
forms most of the eastern border between Malawi and Mozambique.

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Economy
Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world with an economy almost completely eliminated by years of mismanagement and civil war. In recent years however the Frelimo Government has adopted free enterprise principles and the economy has grown significantly off a very low base. Financial growth has however been severely curtailed by the flooding of 2000 and 2001 which destroyed recently reconstructed roads and other communication links.

Agricultural activity is once again expanding and major advances made in the rehabilitation of the cashew; tea and copra industries. Commercial fishing is also beginning to have a positive impact on the economy of Mozambique. Tourism facilities are being revived and the beneficial effect of developing the tourist industry is being realised.

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. Pending are tax and much needed commercial code reform, as well as greater private sector involvement in the transportation, telecommunications, and energy sectors.

Since 1996, inflation has been low and foreign exchange rates 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. Still, the country depends on foreign assistance to balance the budget and to pay for a trade imbalance in which imports outnumber exports by five to one or more.

The medium-term outlook for the country looks bright, as trade and transportation links to South Africa and the rest of the region are expected to improve and sizable foreign investments materialize. Among these investments are metal production (aluminum, steel), natural gas, power generation, agriculture (cotton, sugar), fishing, timber, and transportation services. Additional exports in these areas should bring in needed foreign exchange. In addition, Mozambique is on track to receive a formal cancellation of a large portion of its external debt through a World Bank initiative.

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Climate
Mozambique is essentially a hot country as it is mostly situated at low elevations and almost entirely within the tropics. The hot rainy season is from November to March and the dry winter months are cooler but still quite hot during the day; especially along the northern coast.
Average maximum temperatures in centigrade are as follows:

There are two main seasons, one wet and the other dry, divide the climatic year. The wet season, from November to March, has a monthly average
temperature of between 26.6°C and 29.4°C (80°F and 85°F), with cooler temperatures in the interior uplands. The dry season lasts from April to October and has June and July temperatures averaging 18.4° to 20°C (65° - 68°F). The average annual rainfall is greatest (about 56 inches) over the western hills and the central areas, and lowest in the Zambezi lowlands averaging 16 to 32 inches.

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Transportation
Mozambique has some 200 airports, of which 22 are tarred.
There are 30,400 km of highways, of which 5 685 km is paved
There are about 3,750 km of navigable waterways
Ports and harbours include Beira, Inharnbane, Maputo, Macala, Pemba and Quelimane

Plant and animal life
Although Mozambique retains some dense forestlands in the north-central interior and on the Chimoio Plateau, most of the north and east-central areas are open forest. In the south the open forest of the east becomes brush and savanna grassland to the west.

The largest forest reserves are on the Chimoio Plateau west and southwest of Beira and in the northern interior south of the Lürio River. Mozambique maintains four national parks in the central and southern areas, Gorongosa, Zinave, Bazaruto, and Banhine.

Wildlife populations include water Buffalo, Elephant, Warthog, Leopard, Baboon, Giraffe, Zebra, Antelope, Lion, and numerous species of ungulate and cat. Crocodiles and Hippopotamus are still found in slow-moving waterways. Snakes, including impressive pythons and dangerous puff adders, cobras, and vipers, are found throughout the territory.

Flamingos, cranes, storks, herons, pelicans, ibis, and other tropical water birds exist throughout Mozambique but are more numerous in the moister areas of the northeast. Scavengers include crows, vultures, and buzzards, and game birds include guinea fowl, partridge, quail, and a range of geese and ducks.
Game reservations and national hunting areas are located largely in the central and southern areas, with the exception of the important Niassa reserve on the Tanzanian border and the Gilé reserve southwest of Nampula. The largest game areas are just south of the Zambezi bordering the Chimoio highlands. The nation’s five hunting reservations are Niassa, Gilé, Marromeu, Pomene, and Maputo.

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National Parks and Reserves
Various national parks possess the conditions suitable for safaris and other
similar activities. Outstanding because of their importance are Gorongosa (Sofala), Zinave (Inhambane/Gaza), Banhine (Gaza) and Bazaruto (Inhambane). There are also several hunting reserves, such as the Elephant Reserve (Maputo), Pomene (Inhambane), Gile (Zambezia), Marromeu (Sofala), and Niassa (Niassa), as well as other designated hunting areas scattered throughout the country.

The Gorongosa National Park (3,770 sq. km), once regarded as among the richest in Southern Africa, is currently benefiting from rehabilitation work on its infrastructure and restocking of the animal population. The Bazaruto National Park, located on the island of the same name in Inhambane province, is the only marine park and constitutes an important tourist attraction due to the enormous possibilities it offers for diving and underwater fishing.