Introduction
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. Political stability and sound economic policies have encouraged recent foreign investment.
Location
South-eastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania
Geographic coordinates
18 15 S, 35 00 E
Area
total: 801,590 sq km
water: 17,500 sq km
land: 784,090 sq km
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
Climate
tropical to subtropical
Terrain
mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m
Natural resources
coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite
Irrigated land
1,070 sq km (1998 est.)
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
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
Population
18,811,731
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 2004 est.)