Capital: Maputo
Population: 22,948,858
Area: 309,496 sq mi (about the size of Turkey, or almost twice the size of California)
Government: Presidential republic
Primary religions: Catholic 28.4%, Muslim 17.9%, Zionist Christian 15.5%
Languages: Portuguese (official), Emakhuwa, Xichangana, Cisena, Elomwe, others
GDP per capita: $428
Life expectancy: 51.8 years
Literacy: 47.8%
And a few notes from the CultureGrams file provided by Yale's travel clinic:
The family is considered society's most valuable institution. Parents frequently refer to their children as "my first fortune," "my second fortune," and so on.
Married women usually wear a capulana (wraparound skirt) tied about the waist and a head scarf. In the northern region, a man who cannot provide his wife with at least one capulana each year is not considered deserving of her respect.
When northern men and women meet each other, they clap hands three times before saying "Moni" (Hello).
Men who practice polygamy are supposed to provide a separate hut for each wife and her children. In many cases, several wives will have their houses close together and will share household duties.
It is culturally acceptable for married men to have girlfriends.
More than 80 percent of Mozambicans are engaged in agriculture, especially farming and herding cattle.
The currency is the metical, a name derived from a gold measure used by Arabs before the colonial era.
Schooling is not mandatory. While two-thirds of eligible children enroll in elementary schooll, less than 10 percent pass to the secondary level.
More than half the population has no access to clean drinking water.
Mozambique has one of the world's highest rates of HIV infection: 13 percent of adults aged 15 to 49.
Above is the full extent of my knowledge of Mozambique...
Just one more flight until I'm finally there!
Just one more flight until I'm finally there!
