Population and religion
Whether from land or sea, Mozambique has been colonized by waves of people from radically different origins. From Bantu-speaking peoples in the 1st and 4th centuries to Arab voyagers and Portuguese explorers in 15th century, Mozambique’s resources have also lured traders and prospectors seeking gold - and slaves.Today, Mozambique is an ethnic patchwork of groups such as the Makua, the Sena and Shona (mostly Ndau) and the Shangaan (Tsonga) among others. Caucasians of Portuguese ancestry, Chinese, a minority of Mozambicans with mixed Bantu and Portuguese heritage, and people of Indian, Pakistan and Arab origins add to a diverse national ethnic portrait.
While Portuguese is the official and most widely spoken language in Mozambique, Bantus speak Swahili, Makhuwa and Sena, which have many Portuguese-origin words. More than 75% of the population engages in small scale agriculture.
Data from 1997 shows that 18% of the population is Muslim, about 19% Zionist, 35% are Christians of different affiliations, 24% are non-religious and the remainder are classified as “other”.