Mozambique

Despite being one of Africa's poorest countries, Mozambique is a land of exceptional beauty and variety, combining soft sand, azure waters, palm trees, unspoilt beaches and coral reefs with lakes, open plains, forests and a rich array of wildlife. Mozambique has a tropical climate, which is hot and humid. The wet season is from November to March, when about 80 per cent of annual rainfall falls. Many sizeable rivers, including the Zambezi and Limpopo, flow through Mozambique to the sea and about half the country is made up of coastal plains.

Mozambique won independence from the Portuguese in 1975 after a hard-fought war, however, it wasn't long before the country was engulfed in a long and destructive civil war that cost the lives of thousands. Schools, health-centres, railways, and roads were destroyed and many people left destitute. Since 1992 when the war ended, the country has gone from strength to strength, but a lot more still needs to be done to repair the damage of colonial mismanagement and war. Despite all this, Mozambicans are some of the friendliest and most welcoming people you are likely to meet anywhere!

Beira is one of the country's three main cities, but most Mozambicans live in rural areas, following a traditional way of life and tribal religion. Unfortunately, Beira has had a pretty bad reputation as the central region suffered particularly badly during the civil war. However, this reputation is probably very unfair and there is certainly a lot going on in and around Beira. The town remains famous for peri-peri sauce and fantastic seafood, crumbling colonial villas, beautiful beaches and a railway linking Zimbabwe to the sea.

 
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