Mozambique’s transportation sector reflects the country’s historical development in relation to its neighbors. The national road, railway, and port sectors were originally developed by the state and chartered companies primarily to service the trade and transport needs of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Malawi—Mozambique’s western neighbors. Because of this, the country has well-developed east-to-west rail and road systems that link its ports with the key industrial and mining regions of these countries. By contrast, there are few hard-surfaced roads and virtually no railroads oriented north-south.

Mozambique’s potential as a transport center for the interior is on par with its energy capabilities, with the international ports at Maputo, Beira, and Nacala among the best on the continent. There are also smaller, less developed ports from Pemba in the north to Inhambane in the south. The port and railway complex at Maputo was established at the end of the 19th century in response to the developing gold- and coal-mining industries of Johannesburg and northeastern South Africa. The colonial state managed to link the mining industry’s access to Mozambican contract labor with a commitment to export a substantial fixed portion of the region’s mineral exports through Maputo, thus guaranteeing service and customs revenues for the port. Subsequent rail lines linked Maputo with Swaziland and, in 1955, with the Gweru mining area of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

Beira provides road and rail access to Zimbabwe through what has come to be called the Beira Corridor. It is also linked by rail to Malawi and to the Moatize coal mines near Tete. The rail links from Beira to Zimbabwe and Malawi were originally developed by the Mozambique Company and taken over by the Portuguese colonial government in 1947. When Zimbabwe became independent in 1980, international investors from the United Kingdom took a renewed interest in rehabilitating and upgrading the corridor, which, though closed briefly during the internal conflict, was reopened in 1987 with support from Zimbabwean military patrols.

Nacala, although damaged by a cyclone in the mid-1990s, has the country’s best natural harbor and newest port facilities and is well placed to serve agricultural development in the north. Malawi has a railway line to connect with Nacala’s port and railway.

Ferry service is available along the lower Zambezi at both Luabo and Marromeu and above Cahora Bassa between Chicoa and Zumbo, an area that lies near the point where Mozambique meets both Zambia and Zimbabwe. Ferries also serve Lake Nyasa, with Mozambican ports at Metangula and Meponda.

Private aircraft were the first to fly regularly in Mozambique, but after World War II Portugal’s national airline opened a route between Beira and Maputo. Eventually colonial Mozambique developed its own airline. It was replaced in 1980 by Mozambique Airlines (Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique; LAM), the national carrier, which also provides international service. Mozambique has a number of domestic airports and international airports at Beira, Vilanculos, and Maputo.

Most of the existing network of internal connecting roads and airstrips in the northern and central areas was developed during the 1960s and ’70s as part of Portugal’s counterinsurgency strategy that emphasized air transportation as an alternate to the less-safe rural roadways. Airline passenger traffic developed in inverse proportion to that of the railways and roads, increasing steadily from the late 1970s as road and railway passage declined in response to the threat of ambush. North-south domestic travel in the country is therefore better served by the airlines than by the more east-west-oriented road or rail system.

Partly in response to long waits for installation of land phone service, the use of cellular telephones expanded rapidly in the early 21st century; Internet use and access, however, were limited and increased at a far slower pace.

Constitutional framework

The Mozambique Liberation Front (Frente de Libertação de Moçambique; Frelimo) led the armed insurgency against Portuguese colonial rule and came to power in 1975, at which time Mozambique became a people’s republic. Under the 1975 constitution, produced by the Central Committee of Frelimo, the party’s president served as the president of the country. The president was also the head of the Council of Ministers, the People’s Assembly, and Frelimo’s Central Committee, as well as the commander in chief of the armed forces. Since membership in Frelimo was a prerequisite for any political office, the most powerful national and provincial offices tended to circulate among a fairly small group of trusted party members.

Colonial legislation was allowed to stand unless it was specifically judged to contradict the spirit of the new constitution. Legislation and judicial principles and practice evolved piecemeal through the work of popular assemblies and popular tribunals. In the early 1980s, for example, capital offenses were expanded to include political and nonviolent crimes such as hoarding and smuggling, and public flogging was reintroduced.

A new constitution, which introduced major changes in the government—multiparty elections, universal adult suffrage, and the secret ballot—was adopted in November 1990. Presidential term limits were outlined; a parliament was established with limited ability to veto executive action; the death penalty was abolished; and freedom of the press, the workers’ right to strike, and the concept of habeas corpus were confirmed.

Under the 1990 constitution, which has been amended, the president serves as the head of state and government, is elected to a five-year term through universal suffrage, and can be reelected to a consecutive term only once. The president is assisted by the prime minister and the Council of Ministers. The president may also seek counsel from the Council of State, an advisory body provided for by a 2004 amendment to the constitution.

Members of the legislature, the Assembly of the Republic, are elected to five-year terms by universal suffrage. Among the Assembly’s powers are the ability to ratify the suspension of constitutional guarantees, approve the appointment of the president and deputy president of the Supreme Court, and grant amnesties and pardons.

Local government and justice

For administrative purposes, Mozambique is divided into 10 provinces (Cabo Delgado, Niassa, Nampula, Zambézia, Tete, Sofala, Manica, Maputo, Inhambane, and Gaza) and the capital city of Maputo. The provinces are headed by governors who are chosen by the political party that wins the majority of seats in provincial assemblies. The provinces, in turn, are divided into districts and localities.

The judicial system consists of the Supreme Court, the Administrative Court, and lower courts. Judges are appointed by the president after consultation with the Superior Council of the Judiciary or the Superior Council of the Administrative Judiciary.