Mozambique

Capital: Maputo
Native Tribes: Bantu
Languages: Portuguese
Most Poplar Music: Marrabenta

*Explored by Vaso da Gama in 1498, and colonized by the Portuguese in 1505.
Independence: 25 June 1975
President: Ex President was Samora Moises Machel (died 1986) he played an important part in the Liberation of his country and also received the Lenin Peace Prize. He is preceeded by Joaquim Chissano (ruled for 19 years) and succeeded by Armando Guebuza, whom has been in power since 2005.

Main Resources: Cashews, Shrimp, Copra, Sugar, Citrus Fruits, Cotton & Tea.

Tourist Attraction: The Bazaruto Archipelago

CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries)

Formed in 1996 by seven member countries, (Africa) Angola, Cape Verder, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Rome & Principe, (America) Brazil, (Oceania) Timor-Leste(joint 2002) & (Europe) Portugal.

The CPLP is a bloc in the process of construction and the societies of the eight member nations have little knowledge of each other. One of the unique features of the CPLP is that its members are linked by a common language and shared cultural features, which form a bridge among countries separated by great distances and on different continents.

In 2005, during a meeting in Luanda, the ministers of culture of the eight countries declared the May 5th as the Lusophone (a Portuguese speaker either natively or by adoption) Culture Day (Dia da Cultura Lusófona in Portuguese).

In July 2006, during the Bissau summit, Equatorial Guinea and Mauritius were admitted as Associate Observers along with 17 International associations and organizations considered as Consultative Observers.

Since its formation, the CPLP has helped to solve problems in São Tomé and Príncipe and in Guinea-Bissau. These two problems were solved, and in fact, have helped these two countries to take economic reforms (in the case of São Tomé) and democratic ones (in the case of Guinea-Bissau).

The leaders of the CPLP believe that peace in Angola and Mozambique as well as East Timor's independence will favour the further development of the CPLP and a strengthening of multilateral cooperation.

Since many children in rural areas of Lusophone Africa and East Timor are out-of-school youth, the education officials in these regions seek help from Portugal and Brazil to increase the education to spread Portuguese fluency as Portuguese is becoming one of the main languages in Southern Africa, where it is also taught in Namibia & South Africa.

The Bazaruto Archipelago

Pestana Bazaruto Lodge

Mozambique Floods

In early 2000 a cyclone swept across southern Africa leading to three weeks of severe floods which devastated Mozambique.

Now in February 2007, Cyclone Favio struck Mozambique.

Unicef and the Save the Children Alliance said it would be distributing tents and school kits.
It said it was helping local authorities with cholera and malaria prevention and sending in equipment to treat water and improve sanitation.