The Republic of Mozambique and Its Portuguese Ties

The Republic of Mozambique is an island nation located along the southeast coast of the African continent. Mozambique, as it is more commonly referred to as, is a former Portuguese colony that was informally a part of the Portuguese Empire as early as the beginning of the 16th century, though it was formally colonized in the 19th century. It wasn't until 1975 that the small nation declared independence from Portugal, at this time, over 500 years of direct Portuguese influence came to an end. Obviously, after the Portuguese people and government had such direct contact with the Mozambique culture, most of the Portuguese and native Mozambique cultural aspects became intertwined. Thus, to this day, the Portuguese language is widely spoken among the mass population and is the official language of the country. Mozambique is also somewhat disconnected from its fellow African nations as it is separated from the mainland continent by the Mozambique Channel. However, it does indirectly border South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania. The nation is also ethnically diverse as there are numerous indigenous tribes including: the Makonde, Yao, Makua, Thonga, Chewa, Sena, Nyanja, Shona, Tonga, and Swahili.

The Republic of Mozambique is a relatively large island with a total area of approximately 802,000 square miles, making it the 35th largest country in the world in terms of area. Despite being a relatively large country, the nation surprisingly isn't densely populated, with a mere twenty million inhabitants. However, while a majority of the population resides in rural, often desolate villages, the capital and largest city of Mozambique, Maputo, has well over a million people. Unfortunately, the millions of people that reside in Mozambique are among the poorest in the world, and were ranked as the poorest country in the world in 1990. This lack of wealth is largely attributed to the country's underdeveloped economy that is supported primarily by the agricultural sector. Mozambique's main crops include: sugarcane, cashew nuts, cotton, tropical fruits, and tea, and a majority of these items are used for sustaining themselves rather than exports. Farmers also raise cattle and goats, though raising such animals is particularly difficult in Mozambique because of the rampant diseases carried by flies. Along the coastline, near Maputo, there is also a fishing industry that is known for its ability to catch shrimp. Additionally, as it is an island nation, it also has mountainous regions that are now being explored for minerals and raw materials.

The present government in Mozambique is democratic and the government is composed of a president and a national assembly. Both the national assembly members, in which there are 150 of them, and the president are elected by the popular vote of the people to serve five-year terms. The current president of Mozambique is a gentleman named Armando Guebuza who has fulfilled the presidential role since 2005. However, at the time of his election, there was some controversy about the possibility that the election was rigged and didn't follow international election standards.