Geography of Mozambique

Geography Of Mozambique

Location: Southern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania

Geographic coordinates: 18°15′S 35°00′E / 18.25°S 35°E / -18.25; 35

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 801 590 km²
land: 784 090 km²
water: 17 500 km²

Capital

• Maputo (Lourenço Marques)

Major Cities

• Matola
• Nampula
• Beira
• Chimoio
• Nacala
• Quelimane
• Tete
• Lichinga
• Pemba (Porto Amelia)

Other Cities

• Angoche (António Enes)

Area - comparative:
Belarus: slightly less than four times the size of Belarus.
Kyrgyzstan: slightly more than four times the size of Kyrgyzstan.
Iran: slightly less than half the size of Iran.
Pakistan: slightly less than the size of Pakistan.
Paraguay: slightly less than twice the size of Paraguay.
United States: slightly less than twice the size of California.
Zimbabwe: slightly more than twice the size of Zimbabwe.

Land boundaries:
total: 4 571 km
border countries: Malawi 1 569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland 105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1 231 km

Coastline: 2 470 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)

Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Monte Binga 2 436 m

Natural resources: coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite

Land use:
arable land: 5.43% (2005 est.), 3.98% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 0.29% (2005 est.), 0.29% (1998 est.)
other: 94.28% (2005 est.), 95.73% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 1 180 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods occur in central and southern provinces

Environment - current issues: a long civil war and recurrent drought in the hinterlands have resulted in increased migration of the population to urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences; desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters; elephant poaching for ivory is a problem

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Ecoregions

• Eastern Miombo woodlands
• Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest-grassland mosaic
• Maputaland coastal forest mosaic
• Southern Miombo woodlands
• Southern Rift montane forest-grassland mosaic
• Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic
• Zambezian coastal flooded savanna
• Zambezian flooded grasslands
• Zambezian halophytics
• Zambezian and Mopane woodlands
• East African mangroves