desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters

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

@Mozambique:People

Population: 18,641,469 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 4,129,779; female 4,232,091)
15-64 years: 53% (male 4,807,742; female 5,043,299)
65 years and over: 2% (male 177,895; female 250,663) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.57% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 43.52 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 17.81 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 120.26 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 45.37 years
male: 44.22 years
female: 46.55 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican

Ethnic groups: indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Shangaan, Chokwe,
Manyika, Sena, Makua, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans
0.2%, Indians 0.08%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%

Languages: Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 40.1%
male: 57.7%
female: 23.3% (1995 est.)

@Mozambique:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique
conventional short form: Mozambique
local long form: Republica Popular de Mocambique
local short form: Mocambique

Data code: MZ

Government type: republic

National capital: Maputo

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provincias,
singular-provincia); Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo,
Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia

Independence: 25 June 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 June (1975)

Constitution: 30 November 1990

Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO (since 6 November
1986); note-before being popularly elected, CHISSANO was elected