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The new mood and economic reforms in Mozambique are conducive to business and tourists. Visitors to Mozambique discover a country rich in natural resources, steeped in history, where the heritage of African, Asian, Arab and Portuguese influences come together to create a rich and warm culture.

Tourists who come here discover 2500 km of pristine Indian Ocean coastline, azure waters, silver beaches, myriad colours of endless coral reefs, the tropical islands of the Bazaruto Archipelago and historical cities like Maputo. The lush natural beauty, uncrowded coconut palm-lined beaches, remote villages, unique architecture, seafood and sunshine, friendly people and delicious cuisine enchant even the most jaded of travellers.

With lush natural beauty, uncrowded coconut palm-lined beaches, remote villages, unique architecture, seafood and sunshine, friendly people and delicious cuisine, even the most jaded travellers will be enchanted to visit Mozambique!

Historically Speaking

The nomadic tribesmen, who wandered across most of the African continent in search of food and game, were the first known settlers in Mozambique. The Bantu tribes, who followed them in 300 AD, came from the south and brought with them such skills as iron smelting and agriculture. By 600 AD, the area was attracting traders, merchants and seafarers and the ports of Mozambique became regular stopovers for Arabs, Persians, Chinese and Indonesians in search of gold, ivory, amber, animal skins and rhino horn.

When the first European ships led by Vasco da Gama (enroute to India) arrived here in 1498, they found affluent cities with wide streets and imposing edifices and a well-established sea trade. In the beginning, the Portuguese dealt/traded with the reigning authority but by 1692 they had made inroads into the country, established military posts, acquired land and had even begun to collect taxes from the local population. Portuguese trading posts and forts became regular ports of call on the new trade route to the east. Later, traders and prospectors penetrated the hinterland seeking gold and slaves.

By 1752, Mozambique had become a Portuguese colony and the Portuguese Empire prospered as richer and richer profits from the lucrative slave trade accrued to it. The turn of the 19th century saw the human export of more than two million slaves to the Portuguese plantations in Brazil and Cuba. The slave trade accounted for more than 85 % of all exports from Mozambique. But despite the wealth it generated for Portugal, the Portuguese only bled Mozambique dry and did nothing to develop it, leaving its management to individual settlers who were granted extensive powers. Over 200,000 Portuguese had settled here on a permanent basis, establishing plantations and living in feudal style.

This state of affairs came to a head after the World War II, when nationalist sentiments grew and the clamour for independence from colonial rule enveloped most of Asia and Africa. Many European nations read the writing on the wall and granted independence to their former colonies but Portugal continued to treat Mozambique as a distant province of the parent country.

Several anti-Portuguese political groups came together to form the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), and launched an armed insurgency against Portuguese colonial rule in September 1964. Under the leadership of Eduardo Mondlane, the Mozambique Liberation Front liberated the north of the country in 1966 but it took 10 years of constant warfare, the downfall of the fascist dictator Salazar and the return to democratic rule in Portugal before Mozambique gained its independence on June 25, 1975.

The Samora Machel led FRELIMO party established a one party Marxist state and outlawed rival political activity, sparking off a 17 year long civil war. The civil war led to the death of thousands and the displacement of millions of people who became refugees in neighbouring countries. Also in 1990 a cease fire was arranged through negotiations in Rome. A UN brokered Peace Accord was signed by the warring factions in October 1992 and UN peacekeepers (ONUMOZ) oversaw the cease-fire and a two year transition to multi-party democracy.

In 2000, Mozambique suffered the worst flood in its recent history. Almost 1 million people living in riverine areas were directly affected by the emergency which attained significant international attention and support. Mozambique once again experienced flooding a year later, in 2001, affecting an even larger geographical area, but only about half of the number of people due to the low population density in the regions hardest hit and relocation of some populations from the previous year.

In the year 2007 and 2008, over 110,000 people were affected by the floods, with over 107,000 people sheltered in temporary accommodation centers. However, over the past couple of years, UNICEF has been in close collaboration with national and international partners and has responded to a number of natural disasters, including floods and cyclones.

Habitat

Mozambique is located on the southeastern coast of Africa and is bordered by Tanzania to the north, South Africa and Swaziland to the southwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Zambia and Malawi to the northwest. The waters of the Indian Ocean that edge a long coastline of over 2500km make up the eastern frontiers of the country. The coastline is deeply indented with beaches bordered by lagoons and deltas while off shore waters contain coral reefs and strings of islands. A 64 km long archipelago of offshore islands known as the Bazaruto Archipelago lies in the Mozambique Channel; it is made up of four main islands, Bazaruto, Benguerra, Santa Carolina (Paradise Island) and Magaruque.

The coastline changes into a low coastal plain before rising to a plateau that, in turn, transcends from a low-lying tabletop (500 to 2000 ft) to mountains (6000 to 8000 ft) in the west and north. This vast plateau accounts for nearly half the area of Mozambique. The highest mountains are Namuli (7936 ft), Binga (7992 ft) on the Zimbabwean border, and Serra Zuira (7306 ft) in Sofala province. The Zambezi River is the largest and most important of the 25 main rivers that traverse through Mozambique before falling into the Indian Ocean. Other major rivers in the region are the Limpopo River in the south, the Save in the centre and the Lugfenda in the north. Lake Niassa is an important navigable inland water body. Along the coast and in the river valleys in Zambezia and Gaza provinces, the soil is fertile and conducive to agriculture. In the other areas of the country, soil conditions vary from sandy and poor to dry and barren land.

Flora & Fauna: The tropical forests, savannah, coral reefs and wetland ecosystems of Mozambique are a rich treasure house of fauna & flora. The landscape of the plateau is savannah - dry and open woodlands with tracts of short grass steppe. The western and northern highlands have more forest cover mainly consisting of tropical forests. The world's largest remaining area of sand forest (5km by 20km) is in Mozambique, to the north of Ndumo Game Reserve.

The animals endemic to the region include buffalo, hippo, elephants, zebra, blue wildebeest, oribi, waterbuck, eland, kudu, impala, bushbuck, steenbok, suni, and nyala. In Ndumo alone, 416 bird species have been recorded. The 112 species of reptiles found in Mozambique’s wetlands include the loggerhead and leatherback turtles, which nest along the extensive beaches.The Mozambique Channel is famous for record size marlin and sailfish while the Bazaruto Archipelago has an immense amount of marine life. Over 1000 fish species and an assortment of coral types inhabit the surrounding waters, making it a snorkeling and scuba diving paradise. The Bazaruto Archipelago provides diverse habitats for a variety of birds and is an important stopover for migrant bird species. Thousands of Paleartic migrants, waders, swallows, shrikes and warblers flock the shallow waters during the summer months. The archipelago is also home to the dugong, a marine mammal resembling the manatee.