Mozambique
Updated: Sep 22, 2022
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Country Name
Mozambique, or officially the Republic of Mozambique.
Location
Mozambique is a country located in Southern Africa. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini (Swaziland) and South Africa to the southwest.
The sovereign state is separated from the Comoros, Mayotte, and Madagascar by the Mozambique Channel to the east.
Capital
Maputo.
The reason for naming the country
The country was named Moçambique by the Portuguese after the Island of Mozambique, derived from Mussa Bin Bique or Musa Al Big or Mossa Al Bique or Mussa Ben Mbiki or Mussa Ibn Malik, an Arab trader who first visited the island and later lived there. The island town was the capital of the Portuguese colony until 1898 when it was moved south to Lourenço Marques (now Maputo).
Flag
The flag of Mozambique was adopted on 1 May 1983.
Mozambique is the only country whose flag has a symbol of a weapon.
The flag consists of three stripes in green, black, and yellow colors, which are separated by narrower white stripes.
On the left side, there is a red triangle where symbols of a yellow star, white book, hoe, and Kalashnikov are layered.
The green color represents the fertile ground of Mozambique, black represents the African population, and the yellow color stands for mineral wealth.
The hoe refers to the agricultural population, the book highlights the importance of education and the weapon commemorates the fights for freedom. White color traditionally symbolizes peace.
Language
Portuguese is the official and most widely spoken language of the nation, spoken by half of the population.
The majority of Mozambican indigenous languages are recognized as Bantu languages.
The most popular of these languages is the Makhuwa language, used by four million Makua people.
Religion
Half of the population are Christians, the Portuguese introduced Christianity to Mozambicans in the 16th century. There are also followers of Evangelical Protestant Christianity. Zionist Protestant Christianity and an Anglican Protestant Christianity. There is a little number of population that follows Islam, especially who lived near the coastline.
Currency
Mozambican metical (MZN).
Time Zone
+02:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary dominant-party semi-presidential constitutional republic.
Climate
In Mozambique, the climate is tropical, with a hot and rainy season from November to March, and a dry season from May to October, during which there is a cooler period from mid-May to mid-August. In inland areas, especially in the north-central, there are highlands and mountain ranges, where the altitude tempers the climate, but in the lowlands, for example in the Zambezi Valley, the heat can be intense in the hot and rainy season of the austral summer, and even more so in the period preceding the rainy season (September to November). Being in the Southern Hemisphere, Mozambique has reversed seasons compared with the Northern hemisphere. During winter, from May to August, the southeast trade winds bring pleasant and sunny weather. From June to October, the rains are very rare almost everywhere, although some brief showers are possible along the central part of the coast. During summer, the northwest monsoon prevails, at least in the center and north, which are affected by humid currents from the Democratic Republic of Congo, while in the south, the trade winds still prevail. In summer, however, unlike in winter, there are enough heat and humidity for the formation of thunderclouds, so the trade winds can bring rainfall as well, even though these rains are less intense than in the center-north. The best time to go to Mozambique, for safaris and trips or to visit cities, goes from mid-May to August it's the coolest, driest, and the sunniest of the year. In September and October, it's hot in the inland lowland areas. Those who don't like the heat can keep in mind that in inland areas the months of June and July are the coolest: by mid-August, the temperature starts to rise, and the first hot days may occur in the interior.