Local industries include brewing, shipbuilding and repair, fish canning, iron working, and the manufacture of cement, textiles, and other goods. After the frontier with Rhodesia was closed, and as Mozambique–South African relations became increasingly strained, the port suffered.

Updates? Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Mozambique is rich in natural resources, is biologically and culturally diverse, and has a tropical climate. Handing this torch over to a youth symbolizes our certainty that the combat we wage against poverty will be continued by our young people, guardians of our glorious political, historical and cultural heritage.

Created a city town in 1887, it superseded the town of Moçambique as the capital of Portuguese East Africa in 1907. Yet Mozambique’s turbulent recent history has kept its people from fully enjoying these natural advantages and from developing a stable, diversified economy. It is rich in natural resources, is biologically and culturally diverse, and has a tropical climate. Noronha, born of Indian and African parents, was constantly in conflict with racial prejudice and had to strive hard for an education. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The executive branch of the government comprises of the President of Mozambique, the Prime Minister, and the Council of ministers. The Zambezi valley, the lower section of which is a part of the Eastern (Great) Rift Valley, is Mozambique’s most dramatic geographic feature. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids!

The port, one of the most important in East Africa, before independence handled transit trade from the mines and industries of South Africa, Swaziland, and Rhodesia, with which it has rail and road connections.

Throughout the country the land rises gently from east to west.

In the centre and north it slopes steadily into the high plains and ultimately to the mountainous regions on the northwest border with Malawi and Zambia. Maputo, port city and capital of Mozambique. The capital of Mozambique is Maputo. The 7,936-foot (2,419-metre) peak at Mount Namúli dominates the Mozambican highland, which constitutes much of the northern interior. Its extensive coastline, fronting the Mozambique Channel, which separates mainland Africa from the island of Madagascar, offers some of Africa’s best natural harbours. The capital is Maputo. Maputo City is Mozambique’s smallest province by area but the most densely populated one. A former colony of Portugal, Mozambique provided mineral and agricultural products to its distant ruler while receiving few services in return. Mozambique, a scenic country in southeastern Africa.

Updates? Its fine bathing beaches made it a popular resort for white South Africans and Rhodesians before Mozambique became independent in 1975; thereafter, revenues from tourism, once a major economic factor, virtually ended.

Author of. The Gross Domestic Product per capita in Mozambique was last recorded at 587.30 US dollars in 2019. Tanzania and Zimbabwe are Mozambique’s neighbors to the north and west, respectively. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2020 worldatlas.com, Countries Where The Largest City Is Not The Capital City. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. These have allowed Mozambique an important role in the maritime economy of the Indian Ocean, while the country’s white sand beaches are an important attraction for the growing tourism industry. As the seat of the national government of Mozambique, Maputo houses all the important government offices, ministries, official residences, embassies, etc. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Omissions? In 1877, the town was elevated to the status of a city and in 1898, it became the capital of the Portuguese Mozambique colony. Pop.

In 2005, as part of a torch relay program to mark 30 years of independence, President Armando Guebuza noted that the torch’s flame was a symbol of Mozambique’s history and would light the people’s path “to the consolidation of independence and construction of their well-being.” As the torch was passed to a Mozambican born in the year that the country gained its independence, Guebuza remarked. GDP per capita in Mozambique averaged 339.35 USD from 1980 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 591.40 USD in 2018 and a record low of 164.20 USD in 1986. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.

What Type Of Government Does Mozambique Have? Violence and disunity hindered economic development, especially the broadening of tourism, and discouraged foreign investment. The judiciary comprises a Supreme Court as the highest court and other lower courts at different levels of administration. This article was most recently revised and updated by, Turner Classic Movies - Biography of Tom Cruise, Maputo - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Maputo - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The capital of Mozambique is Maputo. Here, the President of the nation acts as both the head of government and head of state. It lies along the north bank of Espírito Santo Estuary of Delagoa Bay, an inlet of the Indian Ocean. Maputo is also a melting pot of many cultures and as such, hosts numerous cultural attractions and institutions. A dhow sailing near the coast of the Island of Mozambique. Omissions? The town developed around a Portuguese fortress The legislative power is vested in both the Assembly of the Republic and the government. Relationship between the government and Renamo, https://www.britannica.com/place/Mozambique, Mozambique - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Mozambique - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Mozambique is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic. The population density in Mozambique is 28.7 persons per square km. The Southeast African country of Mozambique encompasses an area of 801,590 square km and houses the population of around 28,829,476 inhabitants. Maputo derived its former name from the Portuguese trader who first explored the region in 1544. The country has a coastline on the Indian Ocean to the east. (2007 prelim.)

Mozambique is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic.

Which US City Is Known As "The City of Bridges"? It was then renamed Maputo. Settlement in the area of present-day Maputo initially began in the 1500’s as a fishing village. Maputo is the commercial and cultural centre of the country, and its sidewalk cafés, bars, and discotheques offer some of the liveliest nightlife in southern Africa. Maputo derived its former name from the Portuguese trader who first explored the region in 1544. As an adult he lived an unhappy bohemian existence, which brought him into…. It has a population of around 1,101,170 and a population density of 3,200 individuals per square km. It is also the nation’s most populous city. Four of Mozambique’s five highland regions straddle the west and northwest border areas: the Chimoio Plateau on the border with Zimbabwe, the Marávia highlands bordering Zambia, and the Angónia highlands and Lichinga Plateau, which lie, respectively, west and east of Malawi’s protrusion into Mozambique. By Oishimaya Sen Nag on October 4 2018 in World Facts.

Here, the President of the nation acts as both the head of government and head of state.

The country is bordered by Malawi and Zambia to the northwest and South Africa and Eswatini to the southwest.

Following independence in 1975, Mozambique was torn by internal conflict as the Marxist government, supported in part by the Soviet Union and Cuba, battled anticommunist forces funded by South Africa and the former Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) for control of the country. The Parliament of the country meets here and the government operates from the city. Maputo, formerly (until 1976) Lourenço Marques, port city and capital of Mozambique. Maputo has a total area of 346.77 square km. Finally, it became the capital of the independent nation of Mozambique in 1975 upon Mozambican independence.