Brief History

  1. Pre-colonial period
    • Century. IV A.D. – Presence of hunting populations of Bantu origin.
    • Century. VI – Arrival of the first foreign navigators. Presence of Arab, Persian and Swahili cultures, especially in coastal areas.
  2. Portuguese Presence
    • 1498 – 1505 – The Portuguese try to control the monopoly of the spice trade, then in Arab hands.
    • 1692 – The Portuguese Crown establishes a regime of land concessions: “Os prazos”.
    • 1752 – Portugal claims Mozambique as its possession, the latter having a separate administrative status from India under the name of the Government and Captaincy General of Mozambique, Sofala and Rios de Sena.
    • 1885 – 1891 – Portugal begins a process of effective colonization of the territory and large portions of land are ceded in concession to private companies.
    • 1929 – The Portuguese administratively occupy the entire colony. The Estado Novo policy limits the power of large corporations. The plantations are exploited for the export of products such as cotton, sugar, cashews, copra, tea and sisal.
      1. 1951 – Mozambique receives the status of an Overseas Province.
  3. Foundation of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) and beginning of the Armed Struggle for National Liberation
    • 1960 – The massacre of Mueda (Cabo Delgado) is perpetrated by colonial forces.
    • 1962 – Three nationalist movements opposing the colonial regime unite to form FRELIMO in Dar-es-Salaam.1964 – The Mozambique National Liberation Struggle begins.
    • 1972 – Mozambique receives the status of a semi-autonomous state of the Metropolis. The largest profits come from ports and railways.
    • 1974 – Delegations from Frelimo and the Portuguese State meet in the capital of Zambia for the signing of the Lusaka Accords leading to Mozambique’s independence.
    • 1975 – At midnight on June 25, 1975, Mozambique’s independence was proclaimed by the then President of FRELIMO and First President of the Republic, Samora Moisés Machel.
  4. Internal conflicts, peace agreements and multi-party elections
    • Since the early 1980s, the country has experienced an armed conflict perpetrated by RENAMO (National Resistance of Mozambique) supported by the fascist regimes of Ian Smith in Southern Rhodesia and Apartheid in South Africa.
    • 1992 – Signing of the General Peace Agreement between the Government of Mozambique and RENAMO.
    • 1994 – The first general and multi-party elections won by FRELIMO subsequently won the elections held in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024.