Mozambique History, Geography, Economy and Important Events

Between the 7th and 11th centuries, a series of Swahili port cities developed here, which contributed to the development of a separate Swahili (Kiswahili) culture and language. In medieval times, merchants from Somalia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Arabia, Persia and India used to visit these cities. The visit of Vasco de Gama in 1498 marked the arrival of the Portuguese, who began a gradual process of colonization and settling in 1505. After four centuries of Portuguese rule, Mozambique gained independence in 1975, soon after it became the People's Republic of Mozambique. After only two years of independence, the country plunged into an intense and prevalent civil war lasting from 1977 to 1992. In 1994, Mozambique held its first multilateral election, and has remained a relatively stable presidential republic since then.

Mozambique has a total area of ​​309,475 square miles, and for this reason Mozambique is the 36th largest country in the world. It is almost equal in size to Turkey. Mozambique is located on the southeastern coast of Africa. It is bounded 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 east to the Indian Ocean. The Zambezi River divides this country into two topographic regions. To the north of the Zambezi River, the narrow coastal strip runs to inland hills and low plateaus. The country has five major rivers and several small rivulets, the largest and most important being the Zambezi. Mozambique has a tropical climate with two seasons, a rainy season from October to March and a dry season from April to September.

Mozambique is one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world, but between 1994 and 2006, its average annual GDP growth was around 8%. The official currency of Mozambique is New Metical. Mozambique is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The country's economy is largely agrarian, but industries such as food and beverage, chemical manufacturing and aluminum and petroleum production are in progress. The tourism sector is also expanding. South Africa is Mozambique's main trading partner and source of foreign direct investment, while Belgium, Brazil, Portugal and Spain are also among the country's most important economic partners.

In the first to the fifth century AD, Bantu-speaking people settled here from the north and west, followed by the influence of Swahili-speaking and then Arab people. Portuguese is the country's official and most widely spoken language, spoken by 50.3% of the people.

Comoros [M] , France [M] , Madagascar [M] , Malawi [L] , South Africa [LM] , Swaziland [L] , Tanzania [LM] , Zambia [L] , Zimbabwe [L] ,
Definition of international border: L = Land Border | M = Maritime Border