With an Indian Ocean shoreline stretching more than 2000 km, from South Africa to Tanzania. "Mozambique is not easy to miss on a map!" But due to its troubles in the past, it was mostly overlooked in the greater scheme of African safaris. The voyage of Vasco da Gama in 1498 marked the arrival of the Portuguese, which resulted in their settlement by 1505. After over four centuries of Portuguese control and civil war, Mozambique gained independence in 1975, becoming the- 'People's Republic of Mozambique'. After only two years of independence, the country descended into an intense and protracted civil war lasting from 1977 to 1992. In 1994, Mozambique held its first multiparty elections, and has since remained a relatively stable presidential republic. Frelimo -The Mozambique Liberation Front, (popularly known as Frelimo) was formed in 1962. Frelimo waged a successful guerrilla war against the Portuguese colonisers from 1964 to-1974. Frelimo received support from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Algeria, Egypt, Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Israel. The Portuguese Armed Forces staged a bloodless coup in Portugal in 1974, which ended the dictatorship in Portugal and instituted democracy in that country. General Antonio Spinola became Portugal's first president after democracy. The coup also meant freedom for overseas colonies!
Mozambique is a scenic country, endowed with rich and extensive natural resources. The country's economy is based largely on agriculture, but industry is growing, mainly food and beverages, chemical manufacturing, aluminium and petroleum production. The tourism sector is also expanding. South Africa is Mozambique's main trading partner and source of foreign direct investment, while Belgium, Brazil, Portugal and Spain are also among the country's most important economic partners, since 2001.
Between the 1st and 5th centuries AD, waves of Bantu-speaking people migrated from the west and north through the Zambezi River valley and then gradually into the plateau and coastal areas. They established agricultural communities or societies based on herding cattle. They brought with them; the technology for smelting iron. Mozambique traded with merchants from both the African interior and the broader, Indian Ocean world. Particularly important were the gold and ivory caravan routes. Inland states like the Kingdom of Zimbabwe and the Kingdom of Mutapa provided the coveted gold and ivory. These were then exchanged up the coast to larger port cities like: 'Kilwa and Mombasa'.
Portuguese is the only official language of Mozambique, which is spoken mostly as a second language by about half the population. Common native languages include: 'Makhuwa; Sena, and Swahili'. Sena people arrived from Malawi and Zimbabwe and settled in Mozambique in the early 20th century. They worked mainly as migrant laborers. They speak the Sena language is also called Chisena or Cisena, which is part of the Bantu language family. The Sena language has many dialects, it is spoken by over 2.8 million people, primarily in Mozambique and as a recognized minority language in Malawi and Zimbabwe. Therefore, the country's population is composed overwhelmingly of Bantu people. The largest religion in Mozambique is Christianity, with significant minorities following Islam and African traditional religions. Human beings were bought and sold by African tribal chiefs, first to Arab Muslim traders and then sent to Middle East and various other Asian cities and plantations. Later they were also sold to Portuguese and other European traders. Many 'Mozambican' slaves were supplied by tribal chiefs and sold their captives to Portuguese land owners.
The Country was named Mozambique by the Portuguese, after the Island of Mozambique. Mozambique's capital and largest city of is Maputo (formerly known as "Lourenco Marques"- from 1876 to 1976). The central regions of Mozambique, the provinces of Zambezia and Nampula, are the most populace, with almost 50% of the population. The southern regions, with the capital Maputo, are also fairly heavily populated. The far north of the country' is the least populated due to its remoteness and vast area.
Patrick Chamusso was born in Mozambique in 1949 (or 1950) into a rural family, with his father working as a migrant miner in South Africa, which led Patrick to move to South Africa as a teenager for work. He followed his migrant worker father to South Africa, working odd jobs before getting involved with the ANC and being deported, only to return and settle in Secunda.
Cahora Bassa Dam, (also spelled 'Cabora Bassa') and hydroelectric facility on the Zambezi River in the Western part of Mozambique. The Cahora Bassa hydroelectric Dam was the last megaproject constructed in Africa during the era of decolonization and, at the time of its construction, was the fifth largest dam in the World.
The Dam was built by a consortium of Portuguese, German, British, and South African companies; construction of the Dam began in 1969 and was completed in 1974. The last of the five 425-megawatt generators was installed in 1979. Cahora Bassa Dam supplies power primarily to South Africa by using a power line over a 1 400 Kilometers long. This Dam is one of the largest dams ever constructed specifically to export energy.
Mozambique has received global acclaim for setting aside the Maputo National Park as the country’s second World Heritage Site, further strengthening its commitment to conserving a large area of its southern coastline for future generations.
The decision was announced in Paris on 13 July 2025 at a meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which oversees the protection of natural and cultural heritage sites deemed to be of “outstanding universal value”.
The new 154,000ha Maputo Heritage Park forms an extension to South Africa’s 240,000ha, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, enlarging the total area of this transboundary World Heritage Site, to almost 4 000 square kilometers!