Mozambique is an independent state in Eastern Africa, and a member of the United Nations. Its full official name is Republic of Mozambique. Government sits in Maputo.
The population is about 34.6 million, placing it 46th of 250 by population — between Saudi Arabia above it and Ghana below. Within Eastern Africa alone it is the 3rd largest of 20 and the 5th most populous.
The land area is 801,590 km², which ranks it 37th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Namibia and just ahead of Türkiye. For scale, it is almost exactly the same size as Türkiye.
Geography and neighbours of Mozambique
The coordinates the dataset gives are 18.3° S, 35.0° E, which puts it in the southern hemisphere, roughly 2,032 km from the equator, in what geographers would call tropical latitudes.
Bolivia, Fiji and Tonga sit at almost exactly the same latitude on other parts of the globe.
It borders 6 neighbours: Malawi, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The largest of them by area is South Africa, while the most populous is Tanzania. Together those neighbours hold about 193.4 million people.
Unlike its landlocked neighbours it reaches the sea directly, while also sharing land frontiers.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
The people of Mozambique
Spread across 801,590 km², that works out at about 43 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. For comparison, the median entry on this list sits near 90 per square kilometre.
The one official language is Portuguese. Another 9 entries list Portuguese too — among them Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde and Equatorial Guinea.
People from Mozambique are called Mozambicans.
Against Africa as a whole it is the 13th most populous of 59 entries, and it accounts for 7.1% of everyone living in Eastern Africa.
Money, codes and practical details
It uses the Mozambican metical (MT, MZN). It is issued for Mozambique alone.
The top-level domain is .mz. To phone it from abroad you dial +258. Its ISO codes are mz and MOZ, which is what most databases and flag files use.
Maputo is the city to remember for this country.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Mozambique shares borders with 6 countries:
Fun facts about Mozambique
- It is 46th of 250 by population, with about 34.6 million residents.
- Population density works out at roughly 43 people per square kilometre.
- It shares land borders with 6 countries: Malawi, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
- Its capital city is Maputo.
- People from Mozambique are known as Mozambicans.
- Portuguese is official here and in 9 other entries worldwide.
- It lies about 2,032 km from the equator, in tropical latitudes.
Mozambique — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Mozambique?
- The capital of Mozambique is Maputo.
- How big is Mozambique?
- Mozambique covers 801,590 km², ranking 37th of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Türkiye.
- What is the population of Mozambique?
- Mozambique has a population of about 34.6 million, which makes it the 46th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Saudi Arabia sits just above it and Ghana just below.
- What language is spoken in Mozambique?
- The official language of Mozambique is Portuguese. It is also official in 9 other entries on this list.
- Is Mozambique a country?
- Yes. Mozambique is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What currency does Mozambique use?
- Mozambique uses the Mozambican metical, written MT (currency code MZN). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Where is Mozambique located?
- Mozambique is in Eastern Africa, part of Africa. Its reference coordinates are 18.3° south and 35.0° east, roughly 2,032 km from the equator in tropical latitudes.
- Which countries border Mozambique?
- Mozambique borders 6 countries: Malawi, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. South Africa is the largest of them by area.
