Local young people dancing at Micael's Restaurant, Maputo City -- Photo courtesy of Linda Ledford-Miller

Located in southeast Africa, the Republic of Mozambique contains a long coastline of sandy beaches facing the Mozambique Channel and the Indian Ocean. A Portuguese colony from 1752 until 1975, Mozambique's culture is now a blend of both indigenous and Portuguese traditions, revealed through the country's unique architecture, literature, poetry, and music. Artwork produced in Mozambique is celebrated as some of the finest on the continent, including the renowned wood sculptures and masks of the Makonde people and the country's famously large and colorful murals.

The capital city of Maputo, formerly named Lourenço Marques, is located in the far southern end of Mozambique, situated on Delagoa Bay (Baía do Espírito Santo). Maputo has numerous beaches and several museums including the Museu de História Natural. Nearby wildlife reserves are famous for their elephants and flamingos.

Portuguese is the official language of Mozambique, although numerous local languages are spoken as well. The vast majority of Mozambicans belong to ethnically diverse indigenous groups such as the Makua, the Makonde, the Sena, the Chokwe, the Manyika, and the Shanagaan. A small number of Portuguese, other European, and Asian residents make up the expatriate population. About half of the Mozambican population practices traditional indigenous religions, while the remaining half practice either Islam or Christianity.

Town of Quelimane, on the Zambezi River. -- Photo courtesy of Linda Ledford-Miller

Eduardo Mondlane University, located in Maputo, is the major institution of higher education in Mozambique. Originally established as the University of Luanda in 1962 under the Portuguese colonial administration, the university was renamed in 1975 in honor of the leader of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO).

Since 1970, over 25 Fulbright grants have been awarded to U.S. scholars to conduct research and/or lecture in Mozambique - approximately 60 percent for lecturing, 20 percent for research, and 20 percent for a lecturing/research combination. Fulbright grant packages for Mozambique include support for tuition and fees for accompanying children. More than one-third of grantees have been accompanied by their spouses and/or children.

CIES encourages interested applicants to make use of the following links to complement their research into potential opportunities available in Mozambique. Please also feel free to use the contact information to get in touch with CIES program personnel.

Embassy of Mozambique in Washington D.C.
http://www.embamoc-usa.org/
General information and contact information for the Mozambique Embassy in Washington D.C.

U.S. Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique
http://www.embamoc-usa.org/
U.S. Embassy site with consular information, current issues in Mozambique, and links to U.S. government, press, academic, and cultural sites.

Embassy World website
http://www.embassyworld.com/maps/Maps_Of_Mozambique.html
Links to a variety of standard and interactive maps of Mozambique.

Página de Moçambique
http://www.mozambique.mz/
English and Portuguese versions. Basic facts and statistics on Mozambique, with sections on tourism, economics, health, environment, and sports.

The Africa Guide
http://www.africaguide.com/country/mozamb/index.htm
Useful information for visitors to Mozambique. Also includes a number of links to books and other information pertaining to Mozambique.

Mbendi - Information for Africa
http://www.mbendi.co.za/land/af/mz/p0005.htm
News reports, upcoming events, political and economic outlooks, industry information, and general information pertaining to Mozambique.

Lonely Planet
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/mozambique/
Traveler's information on Mozambique, including sections on events, activities, culture, and history.

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/7035.htm
Background information on Mozambique including political conditions, foreign relations, relations with the U.S., history, people, government, economy, and business.

Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo
http://www.uem.mz/
In Portuguese.

Mozambique News Agency
http://www.poptel.org.uk/mozambique-news/
In English. Bi-weekly news reports on current events in Mozambique.

Mozambique News
http://www.mozambiquenews.com/
In English.

All Africa
http://allafrica.com/mozambique/
News stories pertaining to Mozambique.

Africa Online
http://www.africaonline.com/site/
General news for all of Africa including business and discussions, including country-specific information.

Listservs / Discussion Groups
Mozambique Study Group Discussion List
http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/mozambique-study-group/
Discussion board pertaining to research and policy issues in Mozambique.

Africa Focus - Sights and Sounds of a Continent
http://africafocus.library.wisc.edu/
An Online collection of photographs and digitized sound recordings from every country in Africa, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries and the University of Wisconsin-Madison African Studies Program.