Population – 30 million
Land area – 309,500 square miles (twice the size of California)
Population density – 74 per square mile (U.S. is 94 per square mile)
Capital – Maputo, population 1,100,000
Official language – Portuguese (22 tribal languages spoken)
People – 99.5% native Africans from 10 major tribal/ethnic groups, several thousand Europeans and Indians
Adult literacy rate – 56%
Government – Democratic, with president and congress selected by party winning most of the popular vote.
Per capita income – $415 per year (compared to $60,000 per year for the U.S.), still one of the poorest nations in the world
Health – Life expectancy 58 years. High infant and childhood mortality rates (66 per 1000 births and 73 per 1000 children under age 5, respectively). One doctor per 33,300 people. Only five nations have fewer doctors per capita. Seven percent of the population (2.2 million people) has AIDS.
Religious climate – During Marxist years, 1975 to 1992, government policy was “all-out war on the churches” and “destruction of religious superstitions”. However, the democratic constitution adopted in 1992 now guarantees freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom to assemble.
Major religious groups:
Muslims – 20%
Catholics – 30%
Protestant Evangelicals – 40%