| Mozambique |
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| Language | Currency | Time | Geography | Climate | Health | Transport | Tips | Holidays | Top 10 Attractions in Mozambique |
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| General |
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The Republic of Mozambique with its around 812 km2 and 22,9 million inhabitants lies in south-eastern part of Africa. Its capital is Maputo.
Mozambique is divided into 10 provinces:
Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Niassa, Manica, Sofala, Maputo, Nampula, Zambezia and Tete. |
| Language |
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- Official: Portuguese
- Other: Makua-Lomwe, Swahili, Sena
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| Money/Currency |
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| 1 metical (plural meticals). 100 centavos equal 1 metical.
All major towns have ATMs, accepting Visa, but not MasterCard.South African rands are widely accepted in southern Mozambique. |
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| Time |
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GMT/UTC +2 hours |
| Geography |
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Mozambique borders Tanzania to the north, Zambia and Malawi to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It is also bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east.
Zambezi River (the most important and largest in the country) divides Mozambique into two regions. The northern region changes from a narrow coastline hills, plateaus into highlands such as Niassa, Namuli or Shire highlands. Southern part of the river is mostly lowlands with the Mashonaland plateau and Lebomo mountains further to the south.
There are 3 lakes in Mozambique: Lake Malawi, Lake Chiuta and Lake Shirwa. |
| Climate |
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Mozambique has a tropical climate that varies depending on the area. Coast is characterised by heavier rainfalls and higher temperature as inland. During the rainy summer season (October-March) temperatures along the coast reach 31°C.
From April to September the coast is warm and dry characterised by sea breezes. Average temperatures in Maputo are 13-24°C in July and 22°C-31°C in February.
The tropical cyclone season in Mozambique normally last from November to April so it can be risky to visit coastal parts of the country at that time. |
| Health |
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There’s a high risk of malaria in Mozambique due to the malaria carrying mosquitoes. Medical facilities are rare. It is advisable to carry basic medical supplies including medications and sterile syringes. |
| Transport |
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Some airlines offer domestic flights linking Maputo with Beira, Chimoio, Inhambane, Lichinga, Nampula, Pemba, Quelimane and Tete. Air-taxi services are also available, and are the safest means of transport outside the cities.
There´s a rail connection between some major cities such as Beira and Tete, from Maputo to Goba and Ressano Garcia and others but it is advised to reach some information about availability before the journey.
One can also travel by road but in southern part of the country roads can be damaged by flood. Cars can be hired from international and local agencies in Maputo and Beira.
There are regular bus connections covering most of the country. Bus travel is the cheapest form of transport in the country. Taxi is barely available outside large towns. |
| Tips for the tourist |
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Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from infected areas.
An immigration tax of US$2 is required from all overland travellers. Visas are required by everyone except citizens of South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Botswana.
It is obligatory to carry identity documents at all times and show them, when required, by the authorities. |
| Mozambique has 12 public holidays |
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| Date |
English Name |
| January 1 |
New Year's Day |
| 3 February |
Heroes' Day |
| 7 April |
Womens Day |
| 1 May |
Workers' Day |
| 25 June |
Independence Day |
| 7 September |
Lusaka Agreement Day |
| 25 September |
Armed Forces Day |
| 4 October |
Peace Day |
| 25 December |
Family Day |
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| The top 10 tourist attractions in Mozambique: |
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1. Maputo
2. Tofo
3. The Gorongosa National Park
4. Ilha de Moçambique
5. Pemba
6. Bazaruto Archipelago
7. Quirimbas National Park
8. Inhaca Island
9. Lago Niassa
10. Marromeu National Park |
| References: |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambique
http://www.worldtravelguide.net |
