5 May 2009

Fact File

Official Name: Republic of Mozambique
Size: 309,494 square miles (about twice the size of California)
Population: 19,406,703 (July 2005 estimate)
Population Under Age 14: Mozambique's population is young.

Malnutrition, disease and lack of clean water take a heavy toll on the people of Mozambique. Life expectancy is low. The average person lives to be only 40.
Capital: Maputo (formerly known as Lourenço Marques)
Official Language: Portuguese, tribal languages are also spoken.
Currency: Metical
Religion: Catholic 23.8%, Zionist Christian 17.5%, Muslim 17.8%, other 17.8%, none 23.1% (1997 census)
Literacy: 48%
Climate: Ranging from tropical to subtropical. It gets hottest in the north, and the rainy season causes flooding in the south from November to March.
Agricultural Products: Cotton, cashews, sugarcane, tea, cassava, corn, citrus and tropical fruits
Industrial Products: Food, beverage, chemicals (fertilizer soaps, paints), textiles, cement


Did you know?:
Though the official language of Mozambique is Portuguese, it is spoken by only about one-quarter of the population. Most Mozambicans speak their native languages.
Dogs and rats are trained to sniff out landmines. Although Mozambique's civil war ended in 1992, thousands of explosives placed below the ground during the war remain a danger today.
Thirty years ago, 65,000 elephants could be found in Mozambique. Today there are about 15,000.
Mozambican cooking often blends African, Indian and Portuguese influences. Piri-piri is a spicy red pepper sauce that tops many dishes.
Artwork decorates many of the walls in Maputo. The largest of Maputo's murals is 310 feet long. Its images tell the story of the country's revolution.

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