| Asunto: | [CeHuNews] 207/03 - Geography of Mozambique | | Fecha: | Viernes, 27 de Junio, 2003 13:06:38 (-0300) | | Autor: | Humboldt <humboldt @............ar>
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CeHuNews 207/03
Mozambique
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Background: |
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. |
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Location: |
Southern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South
Africa and Tanzania |
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Geographic coordinates: |
18 15 S, 35 00 E |
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Map references: |
Africa |
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Area: |
total: 801,590 sq km
water: 17,500 sq km
land: 784,090 sq km |
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Area - comparative: |
slightly less than twice the size of California |
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Land boundaries: |
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: |
2,470 km |
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Maritime claims: |
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial
sea: 12 NM |
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Climate: |
tropical to subtropical |
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Terrain: |
mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in
northwest, mountains in west |
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Monte Binga 2,436 m |
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Natural resources: |
coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite
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Land use: |
arable land: 3.98%
permanent crops: 0.29%
other: 95.73% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land: |
1,070 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards: |
severe
droughts; devastating cyclones and floods occur in central and
southern provinces |
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Environment - current issues: |
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: |
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: |
the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile
part of the country |
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Population: |
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: |
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: |
1.13% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate: |
36.41 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate: |
25.13 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
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: |
138.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 35.46 years
female: 34.65
years (2002 est.)
male: 36.25 years |
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Total fertility rate: |
4.71 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
12.6 to 16.4%, estimates vary (2001) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
1,546,643 (2001) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
114,111 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality: |
noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican
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Ethnic groups: |
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: |
indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% |
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Languages: |
Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects |
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Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 42.3%
male: 58.4%
female: 27% (1998 est.) |
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Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique
conventional short form: Mozambique
local short
form: Mocambique
former: Portuguese East Africa
local long form: Republica de Mocambique |
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Government type: |
republic |
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Capital: |
Maputo |
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Administrative divisions: |
10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city*; Cabo
Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Maputo City*, Nampula,
Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia |
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Independence: |
25 June 1975 (from Portugal) |
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National holiday: |
Independence Day, 25 June (1975) |
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Constitution: |
30 November 1990 |
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Legal system: |
based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law |
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Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch: |
chief of state: President Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO (since
6 November 1986); note - before being popularly elected, CHISSANO
was elected president by Frelimo's Central Committee on 4 November
1986 (reelected by the Committee 30 July 1989)
head of
government: Prime Minister Pascoal MOCUMBI (since 17 December
1994)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: president
elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 3-5
December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by
the president
election results: Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO
reelected president; percent of vote - Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO
52.29%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 47.71% |
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Legislative branch: |
unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica
(250 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on a secret
ballot to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3-5
December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results:
percent of vote by party - Frelimo 48.54%, Renamo-UE 38.81%; seats
by party - Frelimo 133, Renamo-UE 117
note: Renamo-UE ran
as a multiparty coalition; none of the other opposition parties
received the 5% required to win parliamentary seats; in September
2000, Renamo-UE member Raul DOMINGOS was expelled from the party, he
continues to hold his parliamentary seat as an independent |
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Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court (the court of final appeal; some of its
professional judges are appointed by the president and some are
elected by the Assembly); other courts include an Administrative
Court, customs courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts
note: although the constitution provides for the creation
of a separate Constitutional Court, one has never been established;
in its absence the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases |
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Political parties and leaders: |
Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de
Mocambique) or Frelimo [Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO, president];
Mozambique National Resistance-Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional
Mocambicana-Uniao Eleitoral) or Renamo-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA,
president] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Institute for Peace and Democracy (Instituto para Paz e
Democracia) or IPADE [Raul DOMINGOS, president]; Etica [Abdul CARIMO
Issa, chairman]; Movement for Peace and Citizenship (Movimento para
Paz e Cidadania); Mozambican League of Human Rights (Liga
Mocambicana dos Direitos Humanos) or LDH [Alice MABOTE, president];
Human Rights and Development (Direitos Humanos e Desenvolvimento) or
DHD [Artemisia FRANCO, secretary general] |
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International organization participation: |
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW,
SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Armando PANGUENE
FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245
telephone: [1] (202)
293-7146
chancery: 1990 M Street NW, Suite 570,
Washington, DC 20036 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Sharon P. WILKINSON
embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo
mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo
telephone: [258] (1) 492797
FAX: [258] (1)
490448 |
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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 |
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Telephones - main lines in use: |
90,000 (December 2001) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
100,000 (June 2001 est) |
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Telephone system: |
general assessment: fair system but not available
generally (telephone density is only 3.5 telephones for each 1,000
persons)
domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines
and trunk connection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric
scatter
international: satellite earth stations - 5
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 13, FM 17, shortwave 11 (2001) |
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Radios: |
730,000 (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations: |
1 (2001) |
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Televisions: |
67,600 (2000) |
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Internet country code: |
.mz |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
11 (2002) |
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Internet users: |
22,500 (2000) |
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Railways: |
total: 3,131 km
narrow gauge: 2,988 km 1.067-m
gauge; 143 km 0.762-m gauge (2001) |
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Highways: |
total: 30,400 km
paved: 5,685 km
unpaved: 24,715 km (1996) |
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Waterways: |
3,750 km (navigable routes) |
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Pipelines: |
crude oil 306 km; petroleum products 289 km
note: not
operating |
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Ports and harbors: |
Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Nacala, Pemba, Quelimane |
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Merchant marine: |
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,125
GRT/7,024 DWT
ships by type: cargo 3
note:
includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Belgium 2 (2002 est.) |
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Airports: |
166 (2001) |
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 22
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to
3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523
m: 3
under 914 m: 5 (2002) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 143
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to
2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 35
under 914
m: 91 (2002) |
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Military branches: |
Army, Naval Command, Air and Air Defense Forces, Special Forces,
Militia |
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Military manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49: 4,711,318 (2002 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military
service: |
males age 15-49: 2,720,583 (2002 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure: |
$35.1 million (2000 est.) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1% (2000 est.) |
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Disputes - international: |
none |
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Illicit drugs: |
Southern African transit point for South Asian hashish, South
Asian 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 makes 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 |
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207/03 - Geography
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