History of Mozambique facts for kids
Mozambique was once a colony of Portugal. It became an independent country in 1975.
Mozambique is a country in southeastern Africa. Its history is very old, going back thousands of years to early humans. Later, different groups of people lived there, and then traders from other parts of the world arrived. Eventually, Portugal took control, and Mozambique was part of the Portuguese Empire for a long time before gaining its freedom.
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Early History of Mozambique
Ancient Times
Scientists have found very old tools in Mozambique, some as old as 100,000 years! These tools show that early humans, called Homo sapiens, lived there. They ate wild plants like sorghum, which is a type of grain, and other foods like wild oranges and African "potatoes." This is one of the earliest signs of humans using wild grains anywhere in the world.
The first people to live in what is now Mozambique were San hunter-gatherers. They moved around to find food. Later, between the years 1 AD and 500 AD, groups of Bantu-speaking people moved into the area from the north. These Bantu people were farmers and knew how to work with iron.
Meeting New Cultures
Around the year 1498, a Portuguese explorer named Vasco da Gama arrived on the coast of Mozambique. Before he came, Arab traders had already set up settlements along the coast for hundreds of years. Local leaders, called sultans, were in charge of these areas. Many local people had also become Muslims. This region was an important part of a big trading network that connected the Red Sea, Arabia, and India.
Portuguese Rule (1498–1975)
After Vasco da Gama's arrival, Portugal started to build trading posts and forts. They slowly took over the trade that the Arab merchants had controlled. These posts became regular stops for European ships traveling to Asia.
In the early 1500s, Portugal gained control of the Island of Mozambique and the city of Sofala. By the 1530s, Portuguese traders and gold seekers moved further inland. They set up small military bases and trading posts along the Zambezi River, trying to control the gold trade.
To strengthen their control, the Portuguese created prazos. These were large pieces of land given to Portuguese settlers. Over time, these landholders often married local people. Their lands were protected by large armies of local people, sometimes including enslaved people. Historically, slavery existed in Mozambique, practiced by African tribal chiefs, Arab traders, and European traders. Many enslaved people were captured by tribal chiefs during wars and then sold.
Portuguese influence grew slowly, but their power was often limited. Individual settlers and officials had a lot of freedom. Portugal took over much of the coastal trade from Arab Muslims between 1500 and 1700. However, after Arabs took back a key Portuguese fort in Kenya in 1698, Portugal focused more on trade with India, the Far East, and Brazil.
By the early 1900s, Portugal handed over the management of much of Mozambique to large private companies. These companies, like the Mozambique Company, were mostly owned by British investors. They built railroads to connect Mozambique with neighboring colonies like South Africa and Rhodesia. Even though slavery was officially ended, these companies made local Africans work for very low pay, often by force. They sent these workers to mines and farms in nearby British colonies and South Africa. The companies also built roads and ports to move their goods to market.
Later, the Portuguese government, under a new system called the Estado Novo, wanted more direct control. So, when the companies' agreements ran out, they were not renewed. In 1951, Portugal changed the name of its African colonies to "Overseas Provinces" to show they were part of Portugal.
War for Independence (1964–1974)
Across Africa, many people wanted to be free from colonial rule. In Mozambique, groups formed to fight for independence. They felt that Portugal's plans mostly helped the Portuguese people living in Mozambique, and not the local communities. Many local people faced unfair treatment and pressure.
In September 1964, a group called the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) started fighting against Portuguese rule. This conflict was part of a larger war called the Portuguese Colonial War, which also involved Angola and Portuguese Guinea. The Portuguese army controlled the cities, while FRELIMO tried to gain power in the countryside. In response, the Portuguese government started to focus more on improving life and the economy in Mozambique.
Independence (1975)
After 10 years of fighting, a military coup in Portugal changed the government there. This led to FRELIMO taking control of Mozambique. Within a year, most of the 250,000 Portuguese people living in Mozambique left. Some were asked to leave by the new government, and others left because they were afraid. Mozambique officially became independent from Portugal on June 25, 1975. A law was passed that required Portuguese people to leave quickly with very few belongings. Many returned to Portugal with nothing.
Civil War (1977–1992)
In 1975, a new group called the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO) was formed. This group was against communism and received support from Rhodesia and South Africa. RENAMO started attacking roads, schools, and health clinics, and the country fell into a civil war.
In 1984, Mozambique and South Africa signed an agreement called the Nkomati Accord. Mozambique agreed to stop supporting the African National Congress (ANC), and South Africa agreed to stop supporting RENAMO. At first, both sides tried to follow the agreement, but the war continued. In 1986, Mozambican President Samora Machel died in a plane crash in South Africa. Many people suspected the South African government was involved, but it was never proven. Joaquim Chissano became the new president. Both RENAMO and FRELIMO were responsible for many serious human rights violations during the war.
As support for RENAMO from South Africa ended, direct talks between the FRELIMO government and RENAMO began in 1990. In November 1990, Mozambique adopted a new constitution. It became a country with multiple political parties, regular elections, and guaranteed democratic rights. On October 4, 1992, a peace agreement was signed in Rome. This agreement officially ended the civil war on October 15, 1992. A UN peacekeeping force helped Mozambique transition to democracy over two years. The UN forces left in early 1995.
Democratic Era (1994–Present)
Mozambique held its first elections after the civil war in 1994. Most parties agreed the elections were fair, even though some people still had doubts. FRELIMO won, with Joaquim Chissano as president. RENAMO became the main opposition party.
In 1995, Mozambique joined the Commonwealth of Nations. At that time, it was the only member country that had never been part of the British Empire.
By mid-1995, over 1.7 million refugees who had fled to neighboring countries returned to Mozambique. Millions more who had been displaced within the country also returned home.
In December 1999, Mozambique held elections again. FRELIMO won once more. RENAMO claimed there was fraud and threatened to restart the civil war, but they backed down after losing their case in the Supreme Court.
In early 2000, a cyclone caused terrible flooding in the country. Hundreds of people died, and the country's buildings and roads were badly damaged. There were suspicions that foreign aid money was stolen by powerful FRELIMO leaders. A journalist named Carlos Cardoso was investigating these claims and was murdered. His death was never fully explained.
In 2001, President Chissano said he would not run for a third term. He criticized leaders who stayed in power for too long. In the presidential elections on December 1-2, 2004, FRELIMO candidate Armando Guebuza won with 64% of the votes. His opponent, Afonso Dhlakama of RENAMO, received 32%. Armando Guebuza became President of Mozambique on February 2, 2005.
Since the end of the civil war, Mozambique's economy has been growing. Investors and tourists from South Africa and East Asia are helping with this growth. Some Portuguese and Italian groups have also invested in the country. Coal and gas industries have become very important. The average income per person has tripled in the twenty years since the civil war ended.
Mozambique was declared free of landmines in 2015. This was after a 22-year effort to remove explosive devices left over from the War of Independence and the Civil War.
Filipe Nyusi of the ruling Frelimo party has been the President of Mozambique since January 2015. He won the election in October 2014.
President Filipe Nyusi was re-elected in the 2019 elections. Frelimo won a large majority of seats in parliament. The opposition did not accept the results, claiming there was fraud. However, Frelimo's large win meant they could change the constitution without needing the opposition's agreement.
See also
In Spanish: Historia de Mozambique para niños
- History of Africa
- History of Southern Africa
- List of heads of state of Mozambique
- Politics of Mozambique
- Cities in Mozambique:
- Beira history and timeline
- Maputo history and timeline
