Mozambique (2005) | British Virgin Islands (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city (cidade)*; Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Cidade de Maputo*, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 43.1% (male 4,206,654/female 4,157,898)
15-64 years: 54.1% (male 5,088,250/female 5,416,573) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 224,682/female 312,646) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years:
22.77% (male 2,399; female 2,339) 15-64 years: 72.31% (male 7,741; female 7,309) 65 years and over: 4.92% (male 555; female 469) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers; beef, poultry | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish |
Airports | 158 (2004 est.) | 3 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 22
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
total:
2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 136
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 34 under 914 m: 87 (2004 est.) |
total:
1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 801,590 sq km
land: 784,090 sq km water: 17,500 sq km |
total:
150 sq km land: 150 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the island of Anegada |
Area - comparative | slightly less than twice the size of California | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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 Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) 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 between FRELIMO and rebel Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO) forces ended the fighting in 1992. In December 2004, Mozambique underwent a delicate transition as Joaquim CHISSANO stepped down after 18 years in office. His newly elected successor, Armando Emilio GUEBUZA, has promised to continue the sound economic policies that have encouraged foreign investment. | First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were soon after (1672) annexed by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency. |
Birth rate | 35.79 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 15.18 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $1.186 billion
expenditures: $1.398 billion, including capital expenditures of $479.4 million (2004 est.) |
revenues:
$121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
Capital | Maputo | Road Town |
Climate | tropical to subtropical | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds |
Coastline | 2,470 km | 80 km |
Constitution | 30 November 1990 | 1 June 1977 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique
conventional short form: Mozambique local long form: Republica de Mocambique local short form: Mocambique former: Portuguese East Africa |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
Currency | - | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | 20.99 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $966 million (2002 est.) | $36.1 million (1997) |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Helen LA LIME
embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo telephone: [258] (1) 492797 FAX: [258] (1) 490448 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Armando PANGUENE
chancery: 1990 M Street NW, Suite 570, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146 FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $632.8 million (2001) | $2.6 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | At independence in 1975, Mozambique was one of the world's poorest countries. Socialist mismanagement and a brutal civil war from 1977-92 exacerbated the situation. In 1987, the government embarked on a series of macroeconomic reforms designed to stabilize the economy. These steps, combined with donor assistance and with political stability since the multi-party elections in 1994, have led to dramatic improvements in the country's growth rate. Inflation was reduced to single digits during the late 1990s although it returned to double digits in 2000-03. Fiscal reforms, including the introduction of a value-added tax and reform of the customs service, have improved the government's revenue collection abilities. In spite of these gains, Mozambique remains dependent upon foreign assistance for much of its annual budget, and the majority of the population remains below the poverty line. Subsistence agriculture continues to employ the vast majority of the country's workforce. A substantial trade imbalance persists although the opening of the MOZAL aluminum smelter, the country's largest foreign investment project to date has increased export earnings. Additional investment projects in titanium extraction and processing and garment manufacturing should further close the import/export gap. Mozambique's once substantial foreign debt has been reduced through forgiveness and rescheduling under the IMF's Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and Enhanced HIPC initiatives, and is now at a manageable level. | The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, which generates an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1997. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. An estimated 250,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 1997. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959. |
Electricity - consumption | 5.046 billion kWh (2002) | 39.1 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 7.1 billion kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 3.907 billion kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 8.859 billion kWh (2002) | 42 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
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 | limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchment) |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
Ethnic groups | indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08% | black 90%, white, Asian |
Exchange rates | meticais per US dollar - 22,581 (2004), 23,782 (2003), 23,678 (2002), 20,704 (2001), 15,227 (2000)
note: effective October 2000, the exchange rate is determined as the weighted average of buying and selling exchange rates of all transactions of commercial banks and stock exchanges with the public |
the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Armando GUEBUZA (since 2 February 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Luisa DIOGO (since 17 February 2004) cabinet: Cabinet elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Armando GUEBUZA elected president; percent of vote - Armando GUEBUZA 63.7%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 31.7% |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Francis J. SAVAGE (since NA) head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May 1995) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council |
Exports | NA | $6.2 million (2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | aluminum, prawns, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber; bulk electricity | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand |
Exports - partners | Netherlands 60.9%, South Africa 12.9%, Malawi 3.3% (2004) | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black superimposed on an open white book | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful) |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 21.1%
industry: 32.1% services: 46.9% (2004 est.) |
agriculture:
1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2004 est.) | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 8.2% (2004 est.) | 6% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 18 15 S, 35 00 E | 18 30 N, 64 30 W |
Geography - note | the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico |
Highways | total: 30,400 km
paved: 5,685 km unpaved: 24,715 km (1999 est.) |
total:
132 km paved: 132 km unpaved: 0 km (1997) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 31.7% (1997) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | Southern African transit point for South Asian hashish and heroin, and South American cocaine probably destined for the European and South African markets; producer of cannabis (for local consumption) and methaqualone (for export to South Africa); corruption and poor regulatory capability makes the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | NA | $220 million (2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery |
Imports - partners | South Africa 41.4%, Netherlands 11%, Portugal 3.3% (2004) | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US |
Independence | 25 June 1975 (from Portugal) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3.4% (2000) | 4% (1985) |
Industries | food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), aluminum, petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center |
Infant mortality rate | total: 130.79 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 135.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 125.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
20.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 12.8% (2004 est.) | 2% (2000) |
International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMISET, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO | Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 16 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 1,070 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (the court of final appeal; some of its professional judges are appointed by the president and some are elected by the Assembly); other courts include an Administrative Court, customs courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts
note: although the constitution provides for a separate Constitutional Court, one has never been established; in its absence the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases |
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction |
Labor force | 9.2 million (2000 est.) | 4,911 (1980) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 81%, industry 6%, services 13% (1997 est.) | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
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 |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 5.1%
permanent crops: 0.3% other: 94.6% (2001) |
arable land:
20% permanent crops: 7% permanent pastures: 33% forests and woodland: 7% other: 33% (1993 est.) |
Languages | Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8% (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe 7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%, other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census) | English (official) |
Legal system | based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law | English law |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (250 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on a secret ballot to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Frelimo 62%, Renamo 29.7%; seats by party - Frelimo 160, Renamo 90 |
unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 40.32 years
male: 39.9 years female: 40.75 years (2005 est.) |
total population:
75.64 years male: 74.74 years female: 76.59 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 47.8% male: 63.5% female: 32.7% (2003 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | South-eastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,125 GRT/7,024 DWT
by type: cargo 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Belgium 2) (2005) |
total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285 GRT/6,946 DWT ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Mozambique Armed Defense Forces: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Logistics Command | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $117.3 million (2004) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.2% (2004) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 25 June (1975) | Territory Day, 1 July |
Nationality | noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican |
noun:
British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander |
Natural hazards | severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods in central and southern provinces | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) |
Natural resources | coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite | NEGL |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 11.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 649 km; refined products 292 km (2004) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de Mocambique) or FRELIMO [Armando Emilio GUEBUZA, president]; Mozambique National Resistance-Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana-Uniao Eleitoral) or RENAMO-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA, president] | Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Institute for Peace and Democracy (Instituto para Paz e Democracia) or IPADE [Raul DOMINGOS, president]; Etica [Abdul CARIMO Issa, chairman]; Movement for Peace and Citizenship (Movimento para Paz e Cidadania); Mozambican League of Human Rights (Liga Mocambicana dos Direitos Humanos) or LDH [Alice MABOTE, president]; Human Rights and Development (Direitos Humanos e Desenvolvimento) or DHD [Artemisia FRANCO, secretary general] | NA |
Population | 19,406,703
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 2005 est.) |
20,812 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 70% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.48% (2005 est.) | 2.22% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Beira, Maputo, Nacala | Road Town |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 13, FM 17, shortwave 11 (2001) | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 9,000 (1997) |
Railways | total: 3,123 km
narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2004) |
0 km |
Religions | Catholic 23.8%, Zionist Christian 17.5%, Muslim 17.8%, other 17.8%, none 23.1% (1997 census) | Protestant 86% (Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of God 7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 6%, none 2%, other 6% (1981) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.18 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: fair system but not available generally (telephone density is only 16 telephones for each 1,000 persons)
domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines and trunk connection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter international: country code - 258; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean) |
general assessment:
worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: submarine cable to Bermuda |
Telephones - main lines in use | 83,700 (2002) | 10,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 428,900 (2003) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2001) | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly |
Total fertility rate | 4.7 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 1.72 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 21% (1997 est.) | 3% (1995) |
Waterways | 460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2004) | none |