Geography of Mozambique
Location: | Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania |
Geographic coordinates: | 18 15 S, 35 00 E |
Map references: | Africa |
Area: | total: 801,590 sq km land: 784,090 sq km water: 17,500 sq km |
Area - comparative: | slightly less than twice the size of California |
Land boundaries: | total: 4,571 km border countries: Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland 105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km |
Coastline: | 2,470 km |
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Climate: | tropical to subtropical |
Terrain: | mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west |
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m |
Natural resources: | coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite |
Land use: | arable land: 5.43% permanent crops: 0.29% other: 94.28% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 1,180 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: | severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods in central and southern provinces |
Environment - current issues: | a long civil war and recurrent drought in the hinterlands have resulted in increased migration of the population to urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences; desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters; elephant poaching for ivory is a problem |
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: | the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country |