Mozambique is located in Southern Africa
8th to 10th Century
First Arab commercial settlements on the coast.
13th to 15th Century
Heyday of the Monomotapa Empire and trade between Mozambican coastal cities and India and China.
1498
Vasco da Gama reaches the coast of Mozambique on his way to India. Portuguese colonial rule begins in 1508.
1752
Mozambique becomes a Portuguese colony (ruled by a governor-general).
1884 onward
Military occupation of the entire territory by Portugal.
1898
The capital is moved from Ilha de Moçambique (today UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site) to Lourenço Marques.
1904
Barué revolt against colonial rule.
1947/48
Strikes in opposition to colonial rule.
1952
Mozambique is given the status of a Portuguese overseas province.
1957
Ghana is the first colony in Black Africa to win its independence.
1961
Abolition of discriminatory racial legal status for indigenous population, but no improvement in conditions.
1962
Frelimo founded: 1st congress in Tanzania.
1964
Frelimo begins armed struggle for liberation.
1969
Frelimo leader Eduardo Mondlane murdered by a letter bomb. Successor: Samora Machel.
April 25, 1974
'Carnation revolution' in Portugal and end of the fascist dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar.
September 7, 1974
Lusaka armistice agreement. Provisional government in Mozambique led by Joaquím Chissano.
1974 to 1977
Emigration of 250,000 Portuguese (90%). The economic infrastructure collapses.
June 25, 1975
Independence. First President: Samora Machel.
1976
Right-wing Renamo founded, which fought against the Frelimo, initially with support from Rhodesia and then from South Africa. The beginning of the 16-year civil war.
February 3, 1976
Lourenço Marques is renamed Maputo.
1977
Frelimo holds its 3rd conference: party constituted with a Marxist-Leninist programme. Friendship and Cooperation Pact with the Soviet Union.
1979
Renamo steps up guerrilla warfare: escalation of violence.
1980
Fall of the white minority government in Rhodesia. Name changed to Zimbabwe.
1980
Foundation of the 'Southern African Development Coordination Conference' (SADCC), today called the SADC.
1981
AMF founded.
1983
CFF founded.
1984 to1981
Worst drought and famine for decades in southern Africa. 100,000 deaths in Mozambique.
1984
N'Komati Treaty between South Africa and Mozambique. Non-aggression pact and agreement on good neighbourly relations, but South Africa continues its policy of destabilisation.
October 19, 1986
President Samora Machel dies in an aeroplane crash. The aircraft was probably sabotaged by the South African secret service.
1989
5th Frelimo congress: abolition of Marxism-Leninism as the state philosophy. Fall of the Berlin Wall.
1990
New constitution. Nelson Mandela freed in South Africa.
1991
6th Frelimo conference: Democratic Socialism is the new guiding theme.
October 4, 1992
Peace agreement between Frelimo and Renamo in Rome. Final death toll from the civil war (incl. war of independence): 1 million.
October 1994
1st presidential and parliamentary elections. The UN sends 7,000 observers. Elections are 'free and fair'. Frelimo wins under the leadership of Chissano. Nelson Mandela elected President of South Africa.
December 1999
2nd presidential and parliamentary elections. Joaquím Chissano leads Frelimo to victory, capturing 52.3% of the votes as opposed to 47.3% for Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama. Renamo disputes the result, serious political tension. | Spring 2000 Worst floods for decades responsible for hundreds of deaths.
October 22, 2000
Carlos Cardoso (*1952), prominent independent journalist, murdered in Maputo. His most recent investigations included cases of corruption related to the privatisation of the country's largest bank.
February/March 2001
Floods, particularly in the Zambezi region.
October 4, 2002
10 years peace agreement between Frelimo and Renamo
December 2004
Armando Guebuza (Frelimo) wins the presidential elections and substitutes Joaquím Chissano.
Political & Economical Facts
Republic, Parliament with 250 members, Presidential and parliamentary elections every 5 years.
Flag
green = fertile soil, red = war of liberation, black = African continent, yellow = natural resources; symbols = machine gun and an axe crossed in front of an open book.
Surface area
799,380 km2 (20 times the size of Switzerland); length of the coastline 2,470 km (Zurich to Moscow).
Population and population density
16 million (1997); current estimate 19.7 million; 20 inhabitants/km2; around 30% live in cities.
Provinces and most important cities
10 provinces (see map); Maputo (capital) 990,000, Beira 412,000, Nampula 315,000, Chimoio 178000 inhabitants (1997).
Languages
The official language is Portuguese; English is becoming increasingly important. 13 indigenous language groups with over 100 subgroups.
Religious affiliation and culture
50% indigenous religions; 30% Christians (esp. Catholics); 20% Muslim.
Ethic Groups
96% indigenous population (in the north Makhua and others, Makonde and Malawi; in the central provinces Shona and others; in the south Tsonga and others); in the cities European (esp. Portuguese), Indian, Asian and Arabminorities.
Gross National Product (1998)
USD 3.9 billion; public sector investment USD 500 million, 75% financed by foreign entities; debt service USD 73 million.
Per capita Gross National Product (1998)
USD 210 (Black Africa: USD 530); 11 million live in abject poverty.
Economic growth (1996 to1999)
About 10% annually; problematic North-South differential with Maputo as the booming centre.
Economy
Agricultural (cashew nuts, sugar cane, fruit,copra, cotton, etc.) and fishing (provides a living for more the 14 million) are the most important sectors. 1 million people work illegally in South Africa, another 59,000 are registered as mine workers; industry, natural resources (natural gas, gold, coal, minerals), service sector and tourism are becoming more significant.
Life expectancy (1998)
Men: 46 years; women: 49 years; 55% of population under 19 years of age.
lliteracy (1998)
60% (Black Africa 42%)
HIV infection rate (2001)
12% (South Africa: more than 20%) and the trend is upward; AIDS is the largest cause of death.
Anti-personnel mines
Density in Mozambique is one of the highest worldwide: more than 2 million, only 76,000 of which have been cleared; at least 40 deaths per month and many serious injuries.
Sources
Federal Foreign Office, Berlin. CIA World Factbook. SDC, Berne. Fischer World Almanac. Fischer Weltalmanach. Institut für Afrika-Kunde im Verbund der Stiftung Deutsches Übersee-Institut, Hamburg. Instituto Nacional de Estatística Mozambique.