Mozambique
Fact File
Get to know Mozambique! Get the facts about its land, products and culture.
Official name: Official Name: Republic of Mozambique
Size: 309,494 square miles (about twice the size of California)
Population: 19,406,703 (July 2005 estimate)
Population Under Age 14: Mozambique's population is young. Malnutrition, disease and lack of clean water take a heavy toll on the people of Mozambique. Life expectancy is low. The average person lives to be only 40.
Capital: Maputo (formerly known as Lourenço Marques)
Official Language: Portuguese, tribal languages are also spoken.
Currency: Metical
Religion: Catholic 23.8%, Zionist Christian 17.5%, Muslim 17.8%, other 17.8%, none 23.1% (1997 census)
Literacy: 48%
Climate: Ranging from tropical to subtropical. It gets hottest in the north, and the rainy season causes flooding in the south from November to March.
Agricultural Products: Cotton, cashews, sugarcane, tea, cassava, corn, citrus and tropical fruits
Industrial Products: Food, beverage, chemicals (fertilizer soaps, paints), textiles, cement
Did you know?:
- Though the official language of Mozambique is Portuguese, it is spoken by only about one-quarter of the population. Most Mozambicans speak their native languages.
- Dogs and rats are trained to sniff out landmines. Although Mozambique's civil war ended in 1992, thousands of explosives placed below the ground during the war remain a danger today.
- Thirty years ago, 65,000 elephants could be found in Mozambique. Today there are about 15,000.
- Mozambican cooking often blends African, Indian and Portuguese influences. Piri-piri is a spicy red pepper sauce that tops many dishes.
- Artwork decorates many of the walls in Maputo. The largest of Maputo's murals is 310 feet long. Its images tell the story of the country's revolution.
