Contents

- General Information
- Geography and Environment
- Population and HIV/AIDS
- Economy
- Agriculure: General Description of the Family Farm Sector
- Communications, Information, Science and Technology
- Chronology of History

General Information

Country name:
Conventional long form: República de Moçambique (Republic of Mozambique)
Conventional short form: Moçambique (Mozambique, MOZ)

Government type: Republic, multi-party democracy

Major cities: Maputo (capital); Beira, Nampula, Quelimane, Tete, Nacala and Chimoio. Administrative division: 10 provinces (províncias); the capital; 128 districts (distritos); 23 cities; 387 administrative posts, 68 towns.

Provinces and the capital* in alphabetical order: Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo City*, Maputo Province, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambézia

To view detailed administrative district maps go to: Maps:Mozambique

Independence Day, National Holiday: 25 June (1975 from Portugal)

Constitution: 30 November 1990.
The Constitution defines the separation of powers between the Government, the Assembly and the Judiciary. It defines the state as unitary, democratic, secular and for social justice.

Legal system: Based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Branches:
Executive branch:
Chief of state is President Joaquim Alberto Chissano (since 6 November 1986);
Head of government: Prime Minister
Cabinet: Cabinet
Elections: The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term; the last election was held 3-4 December 1999; the Prime Minister is appointed by the President.

The government was formed in January 2000 after the second multi-party general elections of December 1999 (the first multi-party elections were held in October 1994). Joaquim Chissano won the presidential election with 52.29% of the votes. He is the President of the FRELIMO Party and had been head of state since October 1986. In second place was Afonso Dhlakama, President of RENAMO, with 47.71%. Before the multi-party elections were introduced, Chissano was popularly elected president by FRELIMO's Central Committee on November 4, 1986 and re-elected by the Committee on July 30, 1989.

Legislative branch: Unimerical National Assembly of the republic (Assembleia da Republica) consists of 250 seats. The members are directly elected by popular vote by secret ballot to serve five-year terms. The last elections were held in December 1999 (with 133 seats for the FRELIMO and 117 seats for the RENAMO). None of the opposition parties received the 5 % requirement to gain parliament seats.

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; provincial, district, and municipal courts.

Political parties and leaders: Front for Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Liberação de Moçambique - FRELIMO; J. Chissano), Mozambique National Resistance - Electoral Union (Resistência Nacional Moçambicana - União Eleitoral - RENAMO; A. Dhlakama, president)

Latest population census: 1997

Latest household or demographic survey: DHS 1997; Inquérito Nacional aos Agregados Familiares Sobre Condições de Vida - 1996-97 (National Survey on Living Conditions of Households)

Latest agricultural survey: Inquérito Agrícola ao Sector Familiar, 1996 (National Agricultural Survey of the Family Farm Sector); forthcoming 2001 National Agricultural Survey

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, UFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

- General Information
- Geography and Environment
- Population and HIV/AIDS
- Economy
- Agriculure: General Description of the Family Farm Sector
- Communications, Information, and Science and Technology
- Chronology of History