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NAVIGATION
Republic of Mozambique
Republica de Mocambique
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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. Heavy flooding in both 1999 and 2000 severely hurt the economy. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Southern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania |
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Geographic coordinates:
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18 15 S, 35 00 E |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 801,590 sq km
water: 17,500 sq km land: 784,090 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less than twice the size of California |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 4,571 km
border countries: Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland 105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km |
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Coastline:
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2,470 km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical to subtropical |
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Terrain:
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mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m |
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Natural resources:
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coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite |
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Land use:
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arable land: 3.98%
permanent crops: 0.29% other: 95.73% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,070 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods occur in central and southern provinces |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Geography - note:
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the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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19,607,519
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 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 42.5% (male 4,162,413; female 4,176,295)
15-64 years: 54.7% (male 5,313,511; female 5,407,052) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 227,761; female 320,487) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.13% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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36.41 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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25.13 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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138.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 35.46 years
female: 34.65 years (2002 est.) male: 36.25 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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4.71 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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12.6 to 16.4%, estimates vary (2001) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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1,546,643 (2001) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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114,111 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican |
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Ethnic groups:
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indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Shangaan, Chokwe, Manyika, Sena, Makua, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08% |
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Religions:
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indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% |
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Languages:
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Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.3% male: 58.4% female: 27% (1998 est.) |