By J.C. Lewis
The Republic of Mozambique is a nation on
Africa's southeastern coast. It borders the Indian Ocean and six other African nations.
Geography
Mozambique has six bordering nations: South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania. It is divided by the Zambezi River.
Colony
Mozambique was a Portuguese colony for nearly 500 years. Portuguese is still its official language although it is only spoken by about 40% of the population.
Independence
After it achieved independence in 1975, Mozambique was a socialist-ruled state allied with the Soviet Union, until Marxism was denounced by the government in 1989. Mozambique became the only nation that was never a British colony to join the Commonwealth of Nations in 1996.
Life in Mozambique
The life expectancy at birth in Mozambique is 41 years. Mozambique's illiteracy rate is very high--about two-thirds of the population over the age of 15 can not read or write.
Economy
Four out of every five workers in Mozambique work in small-scale agriculture. Mozambique's exports include cashews, sugarcane, citrus and tropical fruits, sunflowers, cotton and tea.
Disaster
In 2001, Mozambique suffered flooding that killed 700 people, displaced half a million people, and caused half a billion dollars worth of damage to infrastructure.
Fun Fact
Mozambique is home to the Limpopo River, which is where the Elephant got its trunk in Rudyard Kipling's "Just So Stories".
About the Author:
J.C. Lewis is the editor and co-owner of a weekly newspaper, as well as a staffer and regular contributor to a group of three newspapers in Los Angeles, Calif. Her writing has appeared on USAToday.com, Hotels.com and various other websites. Lewis holds a Bachelor of Science in politics from the University of Bristol, England.
