Relocating to Mozambique

The Land and Its People

The Republic of Mozambique declared its independence in 1975, ending four centuries of Portuguese rule. Located in southeast Africa, it is bordered by a number of different nations, including South Africa and Zimbabwe, and the Indian Ocean.

Its estimated population of 24.5 million in 2014 is spread out across 801,590 km² of land, however most people live in the northern provinces of Zambezia and Nampula. The official language of Mozambique is Portuguese, but this is only spoken by around 10% of the population as their first language. Instead, many people speak native languages, with Emakhuwa and Cisena the most popular.

The country is home to many different ethnic groups, each living in their own unofficial area of the country. The Macua people, for example, are more prominent in the north, whereas the south has mainly Shangaan (Tsonga) people.

There are also large populations of foreign-born Chinese and Indian citizens, as well as a growing number of expatriates living in Mozambique. Mozambique is a cultural melting pot, with European, Asian and African influences throughout its culture, cuisine, music and art.

The Climate in Mozambique

Mozambique has a tropical climate, which may take some adjusting to if you are used to more temperate weather. This means that it has only two seasons: a wet season and a dry season.

The wet season lasts from October to March, during which rain, but also extreme weather conditions like cyclones are frequent. The dry season runs from April to September. The temperature in Mozambique can range from 13 to 24°C in July to 22 to 31°C in February.

However, the country’s varying geography means that the weather and climate depends on where you live in Mozambique. For example, areas with a higher altitude, like those along the coast, experience more rainfall during the wet season than areas inland.

Getting to Mozambique

Mozambique has a large number of airports throughout the country, but many of these do not have paved runways. The main international airport is Maputo International Airport, located in the capital city of Maputo, and is the airport to which many expatriates fly when moving to Mozambique. It handles international flights to and from a number of different countries, and is the home of the national flag carrier, LAM Mozambique Airlines.

The country also has a number of major ports which you can have belongings shipped to when moving to Mozambique including Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, and Nacala, all located on the Indian Ocean.

Compared with many African nations, getting to Mozambique is rather simple and the transport options should make the moving process much easier.