View from the sky
Mozambique is a large country, twice the size of Germany by comparison. The country is divided into ten provinces, Cabo Delgado, Niassa, Nampula, Zambezia, Tete, Manica, Sofala, Inhambane, Gaza and Maputo. Of these, seven face the ocean. Geographically, what is on the right bank of the Zambezi River is "South" and what is on the left bank is "North". We have adopted an intermediate taxonomy, placing the area of Beira, Quelimane and Tete in a "central" section in this guide. Economically, the South, where the capital Maputo is located, concentrates industrial activities. The tertiary and cultural sector has been developing dynamically for several decades. The North, producer of cotton, cashew nuts, rice, sugar cane, copra, sisal, tea or millet remains the agricultural granary of the country. The center, which includes the Gorongosa National Park, is centered on the country's second largest city, Beira, 90% of which was destroyed in 2019 by Cyclone Ida and is struggling to rebuild. The coast reigns supreme in tourist activity, especially in the southern region, from Ponta do Ouro to Vilankulos.
A relatively flat country
Mozambique is generally quite flat, with only 5% of the landscape being hilly, while almost 45% of the country is below 200 m in altitude, from the Rovuma River on the border with Tanzania to the Zambezi River delta and south to the Save River.
The coastline is carved with beaches, unspoiled coastal forests, wild dunes and lagoons, while the entire swampy valley along the Zambezi River is even below sea level. The plateaus, between 200 and 1,000 m in altitude, mostly in the north of the country, account for half of the territory. In the provinces of Niassa, Nampula, Zambezia especially, Tete and Manica, numerous "sugar loaves" of varying altitude are scattered across the landscape.
Some mountain ranges in the west
Only a mountainous strip decreases from west to east to the coastal plains. It is 80 km south of Manica that the most important massif of Mozambique is located, a rectangle of 35 km by 10 km: "the Chimanimani Cordillera", whose Mount Binga culminates at 2,436 m. Zambezia is characterized by scattered peaks: Mount Namúli (2,414 m), not far from Lake Niassa, Mount Chissingo (1,579 m) and Mount Txitongo (1,848 m). To the north of Tete province are the Domue and Chirobue mountains (1,400 m). The western part of the provinces of Gaza and Maputo contains a chain of small mountains above 1,000 m, but without real continuity.
Important geological deposits
The Zambezi Basin region is recognized as a source of mineral wealth. The end of the civil war has put an end to Western apprehensions, but everything remains to be explored. Deposits of uranium, asbestos, iron, bauxite, diamonds and above all natural gas are attracting the interest of Western powers who would like to establish themselves there. The armed conflict following the gas exploitation project by Total that began in 2017 in Cabo Delgado has nevertheless curbed the appetites of the multinationals. Following the armed rebellion's affiliation with Daesh in 2019, the French giant decided to freeze its $20 billion project in 2021. Today, the main resource exploited in Mozambique is coal, in the Maputo and Tete regions. An iron deposit exists in the north and gold is mined in Manica in small family concessions.
Rivers and streams galore
Mozambique is richly endowed with rivers. In the north, the Rovuma forms a natural border with Tanzania. The Messalo River separates the province of Cabo Delgado from that of Nampula. The Ligonha River forms the boundary between the provinces of Nampula and Zambezia. The Pungue River originates in Zimbabwe and flows into the ocean at Beira. The Buzi River has the same destiny, but ends at Pungue. The Save River, 650 km long, originates in Mashonaland, Zimbabwe, as the Sabi River. It represents a natural boundary between the provinces of Sofala and Manica upstream, between the provinces of Gaza and Inhambane downstream. It flows into the ocean at Nova Manbone. The Limpopo River, 1,600 km long, originates in South Africa near Johannesburg, creates a border with Botswana and Zimbabwe and flows into the Indian Ocean 15 km south of Xai-Xai. The Incomati River originates in northeastern South Africa, passes through eSwatini and ends in Maputo Bay. The Maputo River, the natural border with South Africa, originates in the green hills of eSwatini and also ends in the bay that bears its name. As soon as the water flow allows it, especially during the rainy season, they are all used for navigation, in the absence of a sufficient road network. Twenty-five rivers also crisscross the country. Most of them originate in one of the neighboring countries and end in the Indian Ocean. Many locks have been installed for agricultural irrigation purposes.
Mythical Zambezi
The largest remains the Zambezi. At 2,600 km long, it is the fourth largest river in Africa, behind the Nile (6,700 km), the Congo (4,600 km) and the Niger (4,200 km). Born in Zambia at an altitude of 1,700 km, it flows through Angola, crosses Zambia, serves as the border with Zimbabwe, then crosses Mozambique before flowing into the Indian Ocean. Heavily used for commercial navigation when its flow is sufficient, the Zambezi is also a real producer of electrical energy. Built in 1974, the huge Cahora Bassa dam forms an artificial lake of the same name and supplies the country with electricity.
Lake Nyassa
Mozambique has a number of lagoons and medium-sized lakes, both natural and man-made. In the north, shared with Malawi and Tanzania, Lake Niassa (or Lake Malawi) is the largest, covering 28,678 km2, of which 7,000 km2 is in Mozambique. It stretches for 600 km while being rather narrow, between 15 km and 90 km wide. The rectilinear nature of its coasts does not allow the installation of ports. On the Mozambique side, in Metangula, only a small fishing port survives.
