Category: Mozambique

Mozambique won its independence from Portugal in 1975 and installed a Marxist government. The following years had a lot of political instability and civil wars. In 1990, a new constitution allowed for multipartyism, with a more liberal economy. The capital is Maputo and the official language is Portuguese. Around the 10th century, the current territory of Mozambique was inhabited by Bantu tribes, when it was occupied by Arabs who established trading posts. In 1498, the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama landed on the Island of Mozambique and was received amicably by the sultan. On his second trip, Vasco da Gama occupied the territory and returned to Lisbon, in 1503, loaded with gold. In the following years, Mozambique became one of the main Portuguese ports on the route to the Indies. The country’s coastline, with 2,470 km, has paradisiacal beaches and houses important ports for navigation in the Indian Ocean. The main cities are Maputo, Beira, Quelimane, Chimoio, Tete, Nampula and Nacala. The total population is 25 million residents (2014).