Mozambique
MozambiqueMozambique- a beautiful stretch of land off the Southeast coast of Africa. It is specifically located at latitude 40�27�S to 26�52�S, and longitude from 30�31E to 40�51�E. It�s east coast shores are some of the most tranquilizing while the west coast is bordered by South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Tanzania coming from south to north. Mozambique is famous for the Zambesi River and its contribution to the power supply of central Africa. Today the capital of Mozambique is Maputo. The whole country is a largely tropical area that is susceptible to both drought and flooding.
Mozambique is so vast that it must be broken up into three regions; the North the Zambesi river basin, and the south. The Zambesi River cuts Mozambique in half and is the heart of the land. The numerous other rivers are important to the economy and it�s livelihood as well. It is because of the rivers and the fertility of the soil, that 80% of the population are in agriculture. The countryside is also densely forested and has been exploited for local building material. This country has everything from high mountains, to low rivers, to beautiful beaches. It is truly underdeveloped and has yet to reveal it�s most mysterious secrets.
The earliest settlers in Mozambique were Muslim traders dating all the way back to the eighth century. Hence, the linguistic diversity is as vast as the land. Three widespread languages; Makna-Lomwe, Tsonga, and Shona are known throughout the land, while each region or subculture may speak a different tongue. For instance, at the Northern tip of Mozambique, the peoples speak Swahili. A Bantu language that originated from the co-mingling of Arabic and African peoples. The peoples of Mozambique are many. Ten separate cultures are nationally recognized, but each culture has many subcultures that were the results of the biological and cultural mixing of several populations. As the ethnicity is diverse, so is the religious connotation. Tribal religious practices account for 70% or more of the ethnic groups north of the Save river. In places, people are associated with the Christian and Muslim faiths� and there is also evidence of Baptist and Protestant groups.
It will be a struggle for these indigene cultures to keep their unity alive during the Portuguese invasion, but their victory will be worth the strife. The Portuguese came to Mozambique in the late fiftieth century. Their justification for this imperialist action was the notion that they were civilizing a backward people. In 1498 Vasco Da Gama was the first Portuguese man to land on the shores of Mozambique and by 1507, the {Portuguese had occupied Ilha de Mocambique. Three short years later they had control of every major port from Sofala to Mogadishu. Their main intention was...
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