Area:

799 380 km2

Population:

23 Million

Climate:

The largest area of Mozambican territory is situated in the inter-tropical zone with four distinct tropical climate of humid tropical, dry tropical, semi-arid tropical and a modified climate due to elevation. The predominant climate is humid tropical, characterized by two seasons, namely a cool and dry climate from April to September and a hot and humid climate between October and March. Rainfall is the most intense between December and February. The average precipitation varies from 400mm in Pafuri in the Gaza province, and up to 2,000mm in Tacuane in the Zambezia province.  Country-wide temperature variations are due to factors such as latitude, continental features and topography. In general, temperatures are higher at lower latitudes and cooler in the higher latitudes and in the west of the county. Temperature distributions are as follows: About 18 to 200C in mountainous areas; 22 to 240C in central and plateau regions of the north and central regions, as well as the eastern and western regions of the southern provinces; and 24 to 260C the whole eastern part of the northern and central regions and the interior of the country’s southern regions.

Natural Resources:

The Mozambique economy is mainly dependent on agriculture that accounts for two-fifth of GDP and the mass of merchandise exports products. Traditional export crops include seafood, tobacco, sugar cane, cashew nuts and cotton. The manufacturing sector is limited more or less to the mining sector, which leads to some 19% of GDP. The major manufacturing sectors that contribute largely to Mozambique GDP include food processing, textiles, tobacco, beverages and footwear.

Agriculture:

Agriculture, livestock and fisheries are the most important sectors of the economy, with agriculture representing 80 percent of the country’s labour force. Cash crops are mainly cashew nuts, sugar-cane, cotton, tea, beans, tropical and fruits.

Climate Vulnerabilities:

Severe droughts, devastating cyclones and floods in central and southern provinces are some of the vulnerabilities so far exhibited. Mozambique is experiencing increases in the frequency and severity of droughts in the interior and floods in coastal regions and riverine areas. For example, the southern region in 2000 and the central region in 2001 both experienced flooding events. Cyclones normally occur along the coastal regions of Mozambique (and in some cases may also affect the interior) due to tropical depressions originating from the Indian Ocean.

Source:

http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/moz01.pdf

Terminologies:

Pafuri: is a wedge of land created by the confluence of the Limpopo and Luvuvhu Rivers at the tripoint Crook's Corner, which forms a border with Zimbabwe along the Limpopo River. It is a natural choke point for wildlife crossing from North to South and back, and forms a distinct ecological region. Pafuri is named after Venda chieftains, the Mphaphuli by the Tsonga people.

Tropical depressions: is an organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined, closed surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of less than 34 knots. It has no eye and does not typically have the organization or the spiral shape of more powerful storms. However, it is already a low-pressure system, hence the name "depression".

Zambezia: is the second most-populous province of Mozambique, located in the central coastal region south-west of Nampula Province and north-east of Sofala Province.