Mozambique

<p>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 they 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. <br><br>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 2016 cease-fire eventually led to the two sides signing a comprehensive peace deal in 2019. <br><br>Since 2017, violent extremists -- who an official ISIS media outlet recognized as ISIS's network in Mozambique for the first time in 2019 -- have been conducting attacks against civilians and security services in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. In 2021, Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community deployed forces to support Mozambique’s efforts to counter the extremist group.</p>

Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania

18 15 S, 35 00 E

Africa

slightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California

2,470 km

tropical to subtropical

mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west

coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite

1,180 sq km (2012)

Rio Zambeze (Zambezi) river mouth (shared with Zambia [s]), Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe) - 2,740 km; Rio Limpopo river mouth (shared with South Africa [s], Botswana, and Zimbabwe) - 1,800 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

three large population clusters are found along the southern coast between Maputo and Inhambane, in the central area between Beira and Chimoio along the Zambezi River, and in and around the northern cities of Nampula, Cidade de Nacala, and Pemba; the northwest and southwest are the least populated areas, as shown in this population distribution map

severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods in central and southern provinces

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

African 99% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Mestizo 0.8%, other (includes European, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese) 0.2% (2017 est.)

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.)

Catholic 27.3%, Islam 19.1%, Pentecostal 16.7%, Saio/Zione 16.3%, no religion 13.5%, other 4.3%, Anglican 1.7%, unknown 1.2% (2017 est.)

2.53% (2025 est.)

36.07 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.34 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-1.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

three large population clusters are found along the southern coast between Maputo and Inhambane, in the central area between Beira and Chimoio along the Zambezi River, and in and around the northern cities of Nampula, Cidade de Nacala, and Pemba; the northwest and southwest are the least populated areas, as shown in this population distribution map

1.852 million Matola, 1.163 million MAPUTO (capital), 969,000 Nampula (2023)

19.2 years (2011 est.)

82 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

4.58 children born/woman (2025 est.)

2.26 (2025 est.)

0.18 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

0.7 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

7.2% (2016)

15.4% (2022 est.)

64.8% (2023 est.)

increased population migration to urban and coastal areas; desertification; soil erosion; deforestation; water pollution from artisanal mining; pollution of surface and coastal waters; wildlife preservation (elephant poaching for ivory)

tropical to subtropical

17.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

217.1 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

presidential republic

10 provinces (<em>provincias</em>, singular - <em>provincia</em>), 1 city (<em>cidade</em>)*; Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Cidade de Maputo*, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia

mixed system of Portuguese civil law and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

Democratic Movement of Mozambique (Movimento Democratico de Mocambique) or MDM<br>Liberation Front of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de Mocambique) or FRELIMO<br>Mozambican National Resistance (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana) or RENAMO

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, UNDP, UNEP,&nbsp; UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, Union Latina, UPU, WCO, WFP, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

25 June 1975 (from Portugal)

Independence Day, 25 June (1975)

<strong>description:</strong> three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow, with a red isosceles triangle based on the left side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a five-pointed yellow star with a crossed black-and-white rifle and hoe, on top of an open white book<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> green stands for the riches of the land, white for peace, black for the African continent, yellow for the country's minerals, and red for the fight for independence; the rifle stands for defense and vigilance, the hoe for agriculture, the open book for the importance of education, and the star for Marxism and internationalism

rifle, hoe, and book

green, black, yellow, white, red

low-income East African economy; subsistence farming dominates labor force; return to growth led by agriculture and extractive industries; Islamist insurgency threatens natural gas projects in north; ongoing foreign debt restructuring and resolution under IMF Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative

$22.417 billion (2024 est.)

cassava, maize, sugarcane, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, coconuts, onions (2023)

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

2.9% (2024 est.)

15.173 million (2024 est.)

62.8% (2019 est.)

22.7% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

India 18%, China 13%, South Africa 9%, UAE 6%, Thailand 4% (2023)

coal, natural gas, aluminum, gold, precious stones (2023)

South Africa 34%, China 14%, India 13%, UAE 6%, Singapore 3% (2023)

refined petroleum, chromium ore, iron alloys, iron ore, palm oil (2023)

1 state-run TV station supplemented by a 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)

.mz

C9

92 (2025)

Armed Forces for the Defense of Mozambique (Forcas Armadas de Defesa de Mocambique, FADM): Army, Mozambique Navy, Mozambique Air Force <br><br>Ministry of Interior: Mozambique National Police (PRM; includes the Rapid Intervention Unit, UIR), the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), Border Security Force; other security forces include the Presidential Guard and the Force for the Protection of High-Level Individuals (2025)

estimated 12,000 active FADM (2025)

the FADM's inventory consists primarily of Soviet-era armaments, although in recent years it has received some secondhand equipment from a number of countries, including India, South Africa, and the UAE, mostly as donations (2025)

registration for military service is mandatory for all men and women at 18 years of age; 18-35 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary service for men and women; initial 60-month service obligation (2025)

the FADM is responsible for external security, cooperating with police on internal security, and responding to natural disasters and other emergencies; the primary focus of the FADM is countering an insurgency in the northern province of Cabo Delgado by militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham terrorist group (ISIS-Mozambique; known locally as Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama&lsquo;a); since 2017, the conflict has claimed an estimated 6,000 lives and displaced an estimated one million persons; at Mozambique's request, Rwanda and several southern African countries under the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) deployed forces to Mozambique to combat the insurgency in 2021; the SADC forces departed in 2024; as of 2025, Rwanda continued to provide approximately 3,000 military and police personnel to assist Mozambican Defense and Security Forces, along with several hundred Tanzanian troops; the EU has also provided training assistance (2025)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - Mozambique (ISIS-M)