Mozambique's major ethnic groups encompass numerous subgroups with diverse languages, dialects, cultures, and histories. Many are linked to similar ethnic groups living in inland countries.

The north-central provinces of Zambezia and Nampula are the most populous, with about 45% of the population. The estimated 4 million Makua are the dominant group in the northern part of the country - the Sena and Shona (mostly Ndau) are prominent in the Zambezi valley, and the Shangaan (Tsonga) dominate in southern Mozambique. Other groups include Makonde, Yao, Swahili, Tonga, Chopi, and Nguni (including Zulu). The country has also a small number of Caucasian residents, largely Europeans of Portuguese ancestry. During Portuguese colonial rule, a large minority of Mozamibicans of Portuguese descent lived permanently in almost all areas of Mozambique, and Mozambicans with Portuguese blood at the time of independence was about 250,000. Most of these left the region after its freedom in 1975, returning to Portugal where they were called retornados. There is also a small mestiço minority of Mozambicans with mixed Bantu and Portuguese heritage. The remaining Caucasians in Mozambique claim heritage from India, Pakistan, Portuguese India and Arab countries. There are also some 7,000 Chinese, including Macanese people of mixed Portuguese and Chinese blood from Macau. Zambezia is the second most-populous province of Mozambique, located in the central coastal region south of Nampula and north of Sofala. ... Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Mozambique. ... The Makua are the largest ethnic group in northern Mozambique. ... Shona (IPA: ) is the name collectively given to several groups of people in Zimbabwe and western Mozambique. ... -1... The Shangaan (Vatsonga or Vitsonga) are a large group of people living mainly in southern Mozambique in Maputo and in Gaza Province; there is also a large Shangaan grouping in Limpopo Province in South Africa. ... The Makonde are an ethnic group in southeast Tanzania and northern Mozambique. ... 9 to 10 year old boys of the Yao tribe participating in circumcision and initiation rites (March 2005). ... The Swahili are a people and culture found on the coast of East Africa, mainly the coastal regions and the islands of Kenya and Tanzania. ... The Chopi are an ethnic group of Mozambique. ... For the cattle breed see Nguni cattle. ... Languages Zulu Religions Christian, Animist Related ethnic groups Bantu Nguni Basotho Xhosa Swazi Matabele Khoisan The Zulu (South African English and isiZulu: amaZulu) are a South African ethnic group of about 10 million people who live mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. ... The 4th edition of Meyers Konversationslexikon (1885-1890) shows the Caucasian race (in blue) as comprising Aryans, Semites and Hamites. The Caucasian race (sometimes called the Caucasoid race) is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as, relating to a broad division of humankind covering peoples from Europe, western Asia, Middle... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... History of Portugal series Prehistoric Portugal Pre-Roman Portugal Roman Lusitania and Gallaecia Visigoths and Suevi Moorish rule and Reconquista First County of Portugal Kingdom of Galicia and Portugal Second County of Portugal Establishment of the Monarchy Consolidation of the Monarchy 1383–1385 Crisis Discoveries Portuguese Empire 1580 Crisis Iberian... Mestizo (Portuguese, Mestiço; French, Métis: from Late Latin mixticius, from Latin mixtus, past participle of miscere, to mix) is a term of Spanish origin used to designate people of mixed European and indigenous non-European ancestry. ... Portuguese India (Portuguese: or Estado da Índia) was the aggregate of Portugals colonial holdings in India. ... Languages Arabic other languages (Arab minorities) Religions Predominantly Islam Some adherents of Druze, Judaism, Samaritan, Christianity Related ethnic groups Jews, Canaanites, other Semitic-speaking groups An Arab (Arabic: ); is a member of a Semitic group of people whose cultural, linguistic, and in certain cases, ancestral origins trace back to the... Broadly, Macanese (Traditional Chinese: ; literally people of Macau) refers to the people of Macau. ...

Despite the influence of Islamic coastal traders and European colonizers, the people of Mozambique have largely retained an indigenous culture based on smallscale agriculture. Mozambique's most highly developed art forms have been wood sculpture, for which the Makonde in northern Mozambique are particularly renowned, and dance. The middle and upper classes continue to be heavily influenced by the Portuguese colonial and linguistic heritage. Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ...

Portuguese is the official and most widely spoken language of the nation, because Bantus speak several of their different languages (most widely used of these are Swahili, Makhuwa, Sena, Ndau, and Shangaan — these have many Portuguese-origin words and are also spoken by white Portuguese, mestiços, and Indian nd Chinese minorities), but 40% of all people speak it — 33.5%, mostly Bantus, as their second language and only 6.5%, including pure-blooded Portuguese and mestiços, speak it as their first language. Arabs, Chinese, and Indians speak their own languages (Indians from Portuguese India speak any of the Portuguese Creoles of their origin) aside from Portuguese as their second language. Most educated Mozambicans speak English, which is used in schools and business as second or third language. Swahili (also called Kiswahili; see below for derivation) is a Bantu language. ... The Makua language is a language belonging to the Niger-Congo family, spoken by 5 million Makua people, who live north of the Zambezi River in Mozambique. ... Ndau is one of the shona dialects. ... The Tsonga or Xitsonga language is spoken in southern Africa by the Tsonga people, also known as the Shangaan. ... Portuguese creoles are creole languages which have been significantly influenced by Portuguese. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

During the colonial era, Christian missionaries were active in Mozambique, and many foreign clergy remain in the country. According to the national census, about 20%-30% of the population is Christian, 15%-20% is Muslim, and the remainder adheres to traditional beliefs. Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ...

Under Portugal, educational opportunities for poor Mozambicans were limited; 93% of the Bantu population was illiterate, and many could not speak Portuguese. In fact, most of today's political leaders were educated in missionary schools. After independence, the government placed a high priority on expanding education, which reduced the illiteracy rate to about two-thirds as primary school enrollment increased. Unfortunately, in recent years school construction and teacher training enrollments have not kept up with population increases. With post-war enrollments reaching all-time highs, the quality of education has suffered. As a member of Commonwealth of Nations, most urban Mozambicans are required to learn English starting high-school. The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2006 Headquarters Marlborough House, London Leaders  -  Queen Elizabeth II  -  Secretary-General Don McKinnon (since 1999)  -  Ransford Smith Establishment  -  as British Commonwealth 1926   -  as the Commonwealth 1949  Membership 53 sovereign states Website thecommonwealth. ...

Demographics of Mozambique, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population: 17,479,266 (July, 2003 est.), 19,686,505 (July, 2006 est.)
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected; the 1997 Mozambican census reported a population of 16,099,246 Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Possible meanings: Faro Airport (Portugal) Federation of Astrobiology Organizations Financial Aid Office Food and Agriculture Organization This page expands a three-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a word in English, or a word in another language. ... Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ...

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.1% (male 3,634,173; female 3,725,396) (2003 est.), 43% (male 4,079,240; female 4,122,578) (2000 est.)
15-64 years: 55.3% (male 4,712,891; female 4,945,123) (2003 est.), 54% (male 5,123,178; female 5,262,618) (2000 est.)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 189,778; female 271,905) (2003 est.), 3% (male 215,412; female 301,670) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.82% (2003 est.), 1.47% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 38.2 births/1,000 population (2003 est.), 37.99 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 30.04 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.), 23.29 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000, 2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 199 deaths/1,000 live births, 139.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
female: 180.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 216.85 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 31.3 years (2003 est.), 37.52 years (2000 est.)
male: 30.98 (2003 est.), 38.34 years (2000 est.)
female: 31.63 (2003 est.), 36.68 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.87 children born/woman (2003 est.), 4.93 children born/woman (2000 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.1 million (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 60,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican

Ethnic groups: indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Shangana, Chokwe, Manyika, Sena, Makua, Ndau, and others), Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.04%, Arabs 0.02%, Chinese 0.02%, Europeans (entirely Portuguese) 0.06%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%

Languages: Portuguese language (official), 39 indigenous languages according to SIL/Ethnologue (including Makhuwa, Lomwe, Sena, Chopi, Chuwabo, Ndau, Nyanja, Ronga, Tshwa, Ekoti) Portuguese ( , also língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is today Galicia (Spain) and northern Portugal as Latin spoken by romanized Celtiberians about a thousand years ago. ... The Makua language is a language belonging to the Niger-Congo family, spoken by 5 million Makua people, who live north of the Zambezi River in Mozambique. ... Ekoti (pronounced ) is a Bantu language spoken in Mozambique by about 64,200 people, the Akoti. ...

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 47.8% (2003 est.), 40.1% (1995 est.)
male: 63.5% (2003 est.), 57.7% (1995 est.)
female: 32.7% (2003 est.), 23.3% (1995 est.)