History of Mozambique

Pre-colonial (0 - 1498)

Early Bantu-speakers moved into Mozambiqu in the 1st century, bringing iron and agriculture

Communities form around the Zambezi river and chiefdoms begin to form, trading with coastal communities

Arab and Persian traders begin to establish trade networks along the Indian Ocean Coast in the 700s. Bringing Islam to Mozambique

The Swahili culture emerges on the coast in the 10th century and as Great Zimbabwe grows, Mozambique is for its ports to trade gold and ivory

Mwene Mutapa Empire (Monomotapa) extends its influence into Nothern Mozambique in the 13th century

Swahili city states florish as part of the Indian Ocean trade network

Portuguese (1498- 1975)

Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama lands in 1498. The Portuguese settle in 1505 in Sofala. They begin building forts and gain control of gold, ivory and slave trade

Portuguese influence expands further inland over the centuries. Land grants a granted to settlers

Mozambique becomes a Portuguese colony in

Coastal cities grow in wealth as they export slaves to Brazil and the Americas

Conflicts between settlers and natives grow in the 19th century

Rise of Zulu kingfom in 1840s destablises Mozambique, while Portuguese exploitation rises

Portuguese settlers expand plantations and mines, exploiting African labour brutally.

Mozambique Liberation Front in founded in 1962 and uses guerrilla warfare starting the Mozambican War of Indpendance in 1964. Independence is gained in

Modern Mozambique (1975 - )

Mozambican civil war begins in 1977 and democratic government formed in 1992. Suffers major climate catastrophes and civil unrest