Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique is a third world country that gained its independence from Portugal in 1975. It is situated in East Africa and many people there are poor. Over half of the 24 million people that live there are below the poverty line (“The”).

Mozambique is located in South East Africa between South Africa and Tanzania. It 313,661 sq. miles in area, as a comparison that is slightly more than five times the size of Georgia and slightly less than twice the size of California. Mozambique has 2,470 miles of coastline (“The”). The terrain in this country is described as having mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in the northwest and mountains in the west. The climate varies from tropical to either subtropical. Some natural

Before the Portuguese arrived the people had formed small complex groups based on agriculture, cattle raising, mining, crafts and trade (Sheldon). In 1891, Portugal handed over the region to the Mozambique Company, a private business which operated in Portugal. From 1962-74 they fought for their independence. They formed the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique. They finally gain their independence in 1975 and were lead by the Frelimo. They initiate a civil war from the years 1976-92. And finally in 2011 they declare their country free of landmines as a result of the same civil war

The Tsonga people are located in southern Mozambique and are closely related to other neighboring ethnic groups such as the Nguni and Bosono. They still speak their native tongue despite most of Mozambique speaking Portuguese. There language is called Xitsonga and is also loosely spoken by neighboring tribes. The waYao people, also called Yao, are located near the southern end of Lake Malawi and played an important part in 19th century african history. They speak five different languages, Chiyao, Chitumbuka, Kiswahili, English and Portuguese. The Ngoni people consider themselves closely related with the Nguni and Zulu people. They are currently living in many South African countries, one of them being Mozambique. They speak four different languages and they are Tumbuka, Ngoni, Chewa and Zulu. The last ethnic group that is well known by many is the Swahili people. They are exclusively found in East Africa and reside in the Northern part of Mozambique. They speak multiple languages, Swahili, English, Portuguese and Islam