MOZAMBIQUE

Joaquím Alberto Chissano
President

(pronounced "wah-KEEM al-BAIR-toh shih-SAH-no")

"Leaders should step down while they're still friends of the people."

Officially known as the People's Republic of Mozambique and formerly known as Portuguese East Africa, Mozambique is situated in southern Africa. Mozambique is a long country that straddles the Indian ocean to the east; to the south are Swaziland and South Africa; to the west, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi; and to the north, Tanzania. Its total area is approximately 801,590 sq km (309,493 sq mi), and its population was estimated at 19,600,000 in July of 2002. The Mozambique unit of currency is the metical . Portuguese is the national language with at least nine local languages spoken widely. Ethnically, Mozambique is comprised of nine large and 20 small ethnic groups. Mozambique's religion is about 50% traditional, 25% Christian (mainly Catholic), and 25% Muslim. Mozambique is a low-income country with GNP per capita of US $900. Its primary exports are prawns, cashews, tea, cotton, sugar, and refined oil.