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

Geography and Environment

Location: Sub-Saharan Africa

Mozambique is situated between latitudes 10o7'S and 26o52'S and between longitudes 30^o12'E and 40^o51'E. It has a land size of 799,380 km² and a shoreline to the Indian Ocean of 2,470 km in length, which is generally sandy and bordered by lagoons, shoals and strings of coastal islets in the north [1]. It is bordered by Tanzania to the north, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to the west, and the Republic of South Africa and Swaziland to the south. The country is characterized by a wide diversity of habitats.

Geophysical:
The country can be divided into four main land zones:

(a) From the coast to the interior, the plains lie at an elevation of under 200 m and cover more than 40% of the land area. North of the Zambezi River, the plains are between 60 km and 100 km wide. In the Zambezi Valley the plains extend upstream about 600 km. South of the Zambezi River the plains are up to 100 km wide. The coastal area is divided into different sections. The northern part is composed of craggy coasts. In the Zambezi Delta and in the southern area, beaches interrupt mangroves.
(b) A lower and middle plateau, covering about 30% of the land area, extend from the plains in the west (elevation 200 m to 500 m). The biggest area is located in the north of the country.
(c) The middle plateau (elevation 500 m to 1,000 m) covers approximately 26% of the land area and is located in the western part of northern and middle Mozambique.
(d) The remaining area is mountainous (with elevations above 1,000 m) and accounts for about 5% of the land area. The mountains of Alto Niassa, Alta Zambézia and Agonia are of importance. The highest point in Mozambique is Monte Binga at 2,436 m.

About 25 main rivers flow through the country to the Indian Ocean. The largest and most important is the Zambezi River in central Mozambique, the fourth longest river in Africa. Of a total length of 820 km in Mozambique, 420 km are navigable. North of the Zambezi River, important sources of water are the Rovuma (650 km), Liganha, Lúrio (605 km), and Lugenda Rivers. South of the Zambezi River, the Pungue, Buzi (320 km), Limpopo, Save, and Komati Rivers are important resources.

During the colonial period the Limpopo dam was erected to control flow and provide irrigation. The Cabora Bassa, one of the largest hydro-electric dams in the world, was completed in 1974. Another important source of water and transport is Lake Niassa, located in the northwestern part of the country, which forms the border to Malawi.

Geographic coordinates:
Latitude 10^o07' - 26^o52' South
Longitude 30^o12' - 40^o51' East

Time zone: GMT +2

Land area and land boundaries:
Total land area: 799,380 km²
Water: 17,500 km²
Total land boundaries: 5,571 km
Coastline: 2,470 km

Maritime claims:
Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: The climate can be described as semi-arid and subtropical in the south and tropical in the north. The climate is strongly influenced by altitude, proximity to the sea and the latitude. The country is affected by seasonal air circulation of the Indian Ocean and is characterized by one rainy and one dry season per year. The northern provinces are characterized by monsoon climate with rainfalls that arrive in October and linger through March. The rest of the time the winds blow from the opposite direction which results in the dry season. The southern part of the country is generally drier and has strong fluctuations in temperature and precipitation, with the heaviest rainfall from October to March (see Figure).

Rainfall varies between 1,400 mm a year near the Zambezi Delta to about 300 mm a year in the lowlands of the southern interior. Mountainous areas have around 2,000 mm of rainfall. The driest areas of the country lie in the interior of Gaza Province. Average temperature along the coast is 18oC in the extreme south, while in the hot season most coastal areas average 28oC. The hottest region is the interior Zambezi valley. The coldest temperatures are usually recorded in one of the western mountain ranges, where frosts are common during winter.

Figure: Meteorological patterns in Mozambique, average 1961-90. (©1999-SADC/FSTAU-FAO/GIEWS). Available at http://www.fao.org/giews/english/basedocs/moz/mozmet1e.stm

Vegetation types and terrestrial biomes:
The vegetation of lowland Mozambique is predominantly light forests and grassland, while on the coast, mangroves grow in the swamps and palm trees line the beaches. Forests become denser in the higher elevations, particularly along the border to Zimbabwe. This includes open forests, dense subtropical and tropical rainforests and savannah.

Before independence, Mozambique was famous for its large and varied animal population. Elephants, water buffalo, hippopotamus, crocodiles, baboons, giraffes, lions, cobras, adders, flamingos, herons, buzzards, and other animals thrived throughout much of the region. But during the civil war in the 1980s, the reserves, national and game parks established earlier suffered nearly complete losses of stock. Although the animal habitat was destroyed, this period of civil strife allowed other parts of the country to recover from human encroachment. Since the peace agreement, efforts have been underway to reintroduce many animal species to the country and to conserve the diverse wildlife, including bird species, reefs and larger animals.

Natural resources: Coal, titanium, natural gas, timber, and stones

Natural hazards: Prolonged periods of drought (severe drought struck the country in 1974, 1983 and 1984, and in 1992); severe floods (the last were in February/March 2000, and since the rainy season in late 2000); devastating cyclones

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

Water use, deforestation, and protected areas:
Freshwater resources: 12,746 m³ per capita, 1998 [8]
Annual freshwater withdrawal: [8]

0.6 billion m³ in any year from 1980 to 1998
0.3% of total resource any year from 1980 to 1998
89% for agriculture, estimated for 1987
2% for industry, estimated for 1987
9% for domestic use, estimated for 1987

Annual deforestation, 1990-95 [6]: 4290 km2, 0.3% average annual change
Nationally protected areas, 1996 [6]: 106.2 km2, 13% of total land area

Sources and background readings for the sections General and Environment:

[1] Gaspar, Manuel da Costa and H.A. Cossa, C.R. dos Santos, R.M. Manjate and J. Shoemaker. 1998. Moçambique Inquérito Demográfica e de Saúde 1997 (Mozambique Demographic and Health Survey 1997). Maputo, Mozambique and Calverton, Maryland, USA: Instituto Nacional de Estatística and Macro International Inc.

[2] CIA - The World Factbook, Mozambique, http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mz.html

[3] U.S. State Department, Background Notes, Mozambique, 1996, http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/bgnotes/af/mozambique9607.html

[4] Meteorological patterns in Mozambique, average 1961-90. Available through the FAO, http://www.fao.org/giews/english/basedocs/moz/mozmet1e.stm

[5] Weber, Peter. 1971. Die agrargeographische Struktur von Mittel-Moçambique. Natur- und sozialräumliche Grundlagen der Bantu Landwirtschaft. Marburg/Lahn, Germany: Geographisches Institut der Universität Marburg (Marburger Geographische Schriften, Band 48).

[6] MSN, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2000, Mozambique, http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?ti=04D2F000

[7] Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/seo/h/history-of-mozambique/

[8] The World Bank. 2000. World Development Report 2000/2001. Attacking Poverty. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press. The complete report is available on-line: http://worldbank.org/poverty/wdrpoverty/report/

- 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