MOZAMBIQUE

 

Quick Facts

• Continental region – East Africa
• Currency symbol of Mozambique-Metical (MT)
• Capital City –Maputo
• Official languages – Portuguese is the official language, although this is generally only spoken by the more educated amongst Mozambique’s population. Beside this, more than 60 different dialects of Bantu languages can be found in Mozambique.
• Population – 29.5 million (2018)
• Country dialling code  –  (+258 )
• Official website – Mozambique
• Top 3 biggest industries  –Cement, Textile and Tobacco
• Google Maps link –Mozambique
• Where is it? –Mozambique is located on the southeast coast of Africa. It is bound by Swaziland 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 In Pictures

---

Mozambique History

• How did the country get its first name? – The country was named Moçambique by the Portuguese after the Island of Mozambique
• When and by whom the country was first discovered? – Bantu-speaking people have frequented the island since 4th century BC. The Island was first explored by Europeans in the late 15th century.
• Who were the first Inhabitants? – The first inhabitants of what is now Mozambique were the San hunters and gatherers, ancestors of the Khoisani peoples. Between the 1st and 5th centuries AD, waves of Bantu-speaking peoples migrated from the north through the Zambezi River valley and then gradually into the plateau and coastal areas.
• When it was first recognized as a country? – After the 1974 revolution in Portugal, the new government soon started negotiations with the liberation movements in the overseas provinces on self- determination. Mozambique became independent on 25 June 1975.
• Who was the first leader of the country? – Samora Moisés Machel (29 September 1933 – 19 October 1986) was a Mozambican military commander, politician and revolutionary. A socialist in the tradition of Marxism–Leninism, he served as the first President of Mozambique from the country’s independence in 1975.

---

Five Significant Events 

1. 1974 – Military coup in Portugal, new government agrees independence with Frelimo. More than 250,000 Portuguese inhabitants leave.

2. 1975 – Mozambique becomes independent under Frelimo one-party rule of President Samora Machel.

3. 1986 – President Machel is killed in an air crash. Joaquim Chissano becomes president.

4. 1992 – President Chissano and Renamo leader Afonso Dhaklama sign peace deal in Rome.

5. 1995 – Mozambique joins Commonwealth.

---

Five Places to Visit in Mozambique

1. Bazaruto Archipelago: There’s nothing quite like the Bazaruto Archipelago. A speckling of elongated isles in the Indian Ocean, they are a patchwork of shimmering, aquamarine seas and coral gardens, windblown sand dunes and ochre-hued coastal hills that come peppered with scrub and swaying coconut palm groves.

2. Maputo: Mozambique’s handsome capital is a lesson in all things colonial. It was raised to the place of first city after the Portuguese drained the surrounding swampland.

3. Pemba: Pemba crowns the tip of its very own peninsular on the coastal reaches of Cabo Delgado. Known for its gorgeous colonial architecture and pretty Portuguese-style frontispieces, it does well to conceal the more industrial areas that have popped up here of late.

4. Gorongosa national park: Marking the deep southern reaches of the East African Rift Valley, the dry and dusty landscapes of the Gorongosa National Park occupy the very heart of Mozambique. In fact, the rolling savannah and grassy hills here have been a designated reserve since the days of Portuguese rule, when they were a private game reserve for the colonial luminaries of the day.

5. Tofo: A wide and sunny arc of powdery beige sand carves its way along the shoreline to the north and south of tropical Tofo. Meanwhile, the turquoise-blue rollers of the Indian Ocean buffet the bays, snorkelers and swimmers whiz through the shallows, and bobbing fishing skiffs house smiling locals.

---

References: 

• https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/mozambique/history
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13890720
• https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-mozambique/5/