Mozambique is a fascinating African country with nearly 30 million inhabitants. Its capital is Maputo.
The country is rich in natural resources and is a popular tourist destination. Mozambique boasts of world class beaches, rich wildlife, warm locals, exquisite historical architecture, bustling markets and more.
1. There is an AK-47 gun in Mozambique's flag. The country's flag is among the most unique ones in the world.
2. Mozambique is the sole one-word nation name to include all 5 vowels of the English language, namely - a, e, i, o & u.
3. Polygamy is a common practice in this country. Though it is not officially recognized, there are no existing laws against it.
4. Out of a total of 98 airports in the country only a few (21 in all) have paved runways.
5. Over 40 local languages exist in this beautiful nation. Most citizens speak in more than one tongue.
6. More than 1,200 fish species are present off the coast of Mozambique. Incidentally, it is also one of the biggest marine reserves in the planet.
7. The country is thrice the size of the UK with less than half of the latter's population.
8. The tourism infrastructure in this country is not completely developed. Yet tourists frequent Mozambique. Since there is less supply and more demand, several hotels and shopping outlets charge high rates.
9. The capital city of Maputo is dubbed 'the City of Acacias' owing to the abundance of Acacia trees here.
10. The country was ruled by the Portuguese for nearly five centuries before attaining independence in 1975.
11. Certain parts of the Hollywood blockbuster movie 'Blood Diamond' was shot in this country.
12. Greetings are usually lengthy among Mozambicans. The health inquiry of each other's family is an important constituent of the greeting.
13. The nation is drained by 5 principal rivers and umpteen smaller ones with the largest and most significant being the Zambezi river.
14. Chinhamapere Hill in Mozambique has been inhabited by humans for around 8,000 years. The hill boasts of numerous ancient hunter-gatherer rock paintings which even today are in good condition.
15. The nation is named after Mozambique Island. The latter's name is derived from an Arab trader who visited the island and settled there. His name was believed to be 'Mussa Ben Mbiki'.
16. The country is home to Lake Malawi, the 3rd biggest and 2nd deepest lake in the continent. Did you know that the water body contains more fish species than any other lake on the planet?