Geography
Situated on the east coast of Southern Africa, Mozambique has a coastline that stretches for nearly 3000 km. The country covers an area of approximately 800,000 sq. km, and its inland waters include a portion of Lake Malawi. Long, winding rivers flow across its territory, including the Zambezi, which has its source in Angola, enters Mozambique at the country's westernmost border in the Tete province, and flows almost 800 km before reaching the sea at Chinde.

The capitol, Maputo, is situated in the south of the country, with a population now exceeding 15 million people. Portuguese is the official language and English is also fairly widely spoken.

The climate of the country varies from tropical to subtropical, with the coastal regions generally hotter and more humid than the inland plateau and mountainous areas. Unfortunately, much of the interior is still not ready for tourists having been ravaged by war and requiring considerable funding to rebuild and restock facilities.

Still, the coastal resorts offer a variety of quality accommodation and activities such as swimming, snorkeling, fishing, scuba diving, yachting, boardsailing and skiing. The islands off the coastline are also popular holiday resorts, particularly well known for their deep-sea fishing and scuba diving. They include Inhaca, Magaruque, Benguela and Bazaruto. Access to the islands is relatively easy by air.

Road systems are also good. There is a road linking the town of Vilancoulos, on the coast, to Mutare in Zimbabwe and Nelspruit in South Africa. The road from South Africa passes through the capital city of Maputo, which offers a range of hotel accommodation. Alternatively there are twice weekly flights from Johannesburg via Nelspruit to the international airport at Vilancoulos. The various lodges on the islands collect guests from the airport and provide boat transfer to the lodges.

Capital City
Maputo, formerly named Lourenço Marques, has wide avenues lined with red acacia and lilac jacaranda flowering trees. It offers the tourist innumerable historical, cultural and scenic spots.

Maputo can be reached from South Africa via the Komatipoort/ Ressano Garcia border (120 km from Maputo), or from Swaziland crossing the Namaacha border (80 km from Maputo).

There are daily fights from Johannesburg and others direct from Europe (3 flights per week from Lisbon and 1 flight from Paris).

The city has many hotels and boarding houses accessible to a wide range of travelers.

Things to see
The Catholic Cathedral, located on the Praça da Independência, is an imposing white building with a beautiful tower. The City Council Chambers is a neo-classical building, also found on the Praça da Independência. Tunduro Gardens is located off Avenue Samora Machel, where you can admire the fine cycad collection and other indigenous and exotic plants.

The Railway Station, built in 1910, is a green and white building with a metal dome on top designed by Gustav Eiffel. It is located on the Praça dos Trabalhadores. The Fortress, found on the Praça 25 de Junho, is one of the oldest buildings in Maputo. It is now a Military Museum.

There are several other museums in the town. The Museu de História Natural (Natural History Museum) is particularly recommended. Located on the Praça da Travessia do Zambeze and housed in a gothic style building, this museum displays many of the animal species of Mozambique.

Beaches
Praia da Macaneta is a beach with strong, big waves. To reach Macaneta you can go by boat from Maputo or by road to Marracuene. The 117 km road to Ponta do Ouro from Maputo requires a 4x4 vehicle. From the South African side, the Ponta do Ouro border post can be reached by taking the road to Kosi Bay and turning left at the fork after the Manguzi Spar. There are accommodation facilities at Motel do Mar or at the caravan and camping site.

Ponta Malongane, 5 km to the north of Ponta do Ouro, is a beautiful beach with white sand and a blue-green sea. There is a motel and camping site at Malongane. And Inhaca Island, 34 km from Maputo in the bay, is an island accessible by both boat and plane. Organized tours to various parts of the island such as Ponta de Santa Maria or to Portuguese Island are possible. Inhaca Hotel is the local lodging.

Surrounding Countryside
The village of Marracuene lies 30 km to the north of Maputo, and overlooks the Incomati River. It is possible to catch the ferry across to the other side and then to drive for 8 km along a sandy/muddy road to the beach. Pequenos Libombos Dam is 40 km from Maputo. The reservoir is a tranquil spot for bathing and sunbathing. Accommodation is available in a mini-resort.

Namaacha is at the border with Swaziland, 80 km west from Maputo and at an altitude of 600m. This is the ideal spot to rest. It is surrounded by pine and eucalyptus forests and has a scenic waterfall and picnic site 3 km from the town. The Hotel dos Libombos offers excellent accommodation and meals.

Wildlife
The Maputo Elephant Reserve is situated 79 km south of Maputo on the road to Ponta do Ouro via the ferry to Catembe, or 112 km from Maputo via the Boane road. The Maputo Reserve is famous for its elephant herds. Flamingos can also be seen on the large inland lakes near the sea.

Location: Southern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania

Area-comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California

Coastline: 2,470 km

Climate: tropical to subtropical

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

Population: 19,124,335 (July 1999 est.)
note: the 1997 Mozambican census reported a population of 16,542,800; other estimates range as low as 16.9 million

Nationality:
noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican

Ethnic groups: indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Shangaan, Chokwe, Manyika, Sena, Makua, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%

Languages: Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique
conventional short form: Mozambique
local long form: Republica de Mocambique
local short form: Mocambique

Government type: republic

Capital: Maputo

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

Economy—overview: 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 achieved one of the highest growth rates in the world in 1997-98. Still, the country depends on foreign assistance to balance the budget and to pay for a trade imbalance in which imports outnumber exports by three to one. 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.

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

Agriculture—products: cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, rice, tropical fruits; beef, poultry

Exports—commodities: shrimp 40%, cashews, cotton, sugar, copra, citrus (1997)

Imports—commodities: food, clothing, farm equipment, petroleum (1997)

Currency: 1 metical (Mt) = 100 centavos

Telephone system: fair system of tropospheric scatter, open-wire lines, and microwave radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter
international: satellite earth stations—5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)

Railways:
total: 3,131 km
narrow gauge: 2,988 km 1.067-m gauge; 143 km 0.762-m gauge (1994)

Highways:
total: 30,400 km
paved: 5,685 km
unpaved: 24,715 km (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors: Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Nacala, Pemba, Quelimane

Airports: 174 (1998 est.)

Military branches: Army, Naval Command, Air and Air Defense Forces, Militia