The north of the country was the outpost of the Swahili tradesmen, who founded the counter of Sofala. A trade was carried out with the interior, in particular with Monomotapa; African merchants brought on the coast gold, copper and ivory, and the draft of the slaves, especially by Yaos, was very important.

Portuguese domination

In 1498, Vasco de Gama unloaded on the site of future Lourenço Marques. The Portuguese took Sofala in 1525, but they did not control really the country. The strongholds (prazos) which they conceded to the XVII E century in the valley of the Zambezi became slave kingdoms. Come from the south in first half of the XIX E century, with the ngonis groups reinforced the military power of the chefferies. In 1878, Portugal managed only a hundred thousands of inhabitants, on the coast. It was too little to take advantage of historical rights on an empire uniting the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean; England confined the Portuguese at the end of mining countries. Still one needed the many ones and long wars, playing of the oppositions between Africans, to control the territory.  

Portugal conceded a great part of it with three companies with charter: in the extreme north, the Company of Nyassa practiced especially the traffic of the volunteers under contract for other Portuguese colonies; the Company of the Zambezi establishes vast plantations of coconuts and cultivated sugar in the delta of the river; the Company of Mozambique built the railroad between Southern Rhodesia and Beira.

In the south of Save, one was in the area of influence of the South-African Rand: since 1894 the railroad was completed which connects it to Lourenço Marques; the recruitment of minors in country thonga (nearly 60 ' 000 in 1932) was worth in Portugal of important gold re-entries. By an agreement of 1928, Lourenço Marques ensured 47.5 % of the sea traffic of Transvaal.

Economic exploitation

Arrived at the power to Lisbon, Salazar took again in hand the territory. The monopolies of the companies were removed, but they preserved their fields and of new plantations were established on the highlands. When they did not work on the plantations, the Africans, in North, had to practice the culture of cotton (400 T in 1926.23 ' 000 in 1942.140 ' 000 in 1955).

With a less degree than in Angola, one encouraged a small Portuguese colonization on irrigated perimeters (valley of Maputo and especially of Limpopo). Industrial development was stimulated by great work, as the construction of the dam Cahora Bassa, on the Zambezi (1969-1975): a power station of 2000 MW produced a current which, by a line with very high voltage of 1400 km, skirting the border, was to supply South Africa at low prices: it was a manner of interesting this one in the maintenance of the Portuguese presence.

Independent Mozambique

Cahora Bassa was completed when the country reached independence, after a war of liberation led by Samora Machel and its Face of release of Mozambique (Frelimo), especially established in north, in country makonde, and following the “revolution of the eyelets” in Lisbon. The come to power, on on April 25th, 1974, of the Spinola general had raised in the separatists the hope of a new orientation of the Portuguese policy in Africa.

In fact, the new Portuguese government immediately opened negotiations with Frelimo, and, on on June 25th, 1975, the country reached independence under the presidency of Samora Machel independence caused the departure of the near total of the 230 ' 000 Portuguese, who held the stations of framing and the trade, plunging the country in chaos.

The nationalization of industries and the great fields, the creation of Community villages were a need as much as an ideological or tactical choice to reconcile the Eastern European countries. Caused by the nostalgic ones of the colonization, supported by the South-African services, the rebellion of the national Resistance of Mozambique (Renamo) nourishes great awkwardnesses of nationalization, and extended the insecurity to the near total of the country.

In 1985.42 % of the budget were devoted to the war. Disorganization of the trade, drynesses, floods multiplied the famines. The signature, in March 1984, to a treaty of non-aggression with South Africa, the agreement with the international monetary authorities, the abandonment of the Marxism-Leninism, the adoption of a new Constitution had not been enough to bring back the peace (1990) which allowed the efforts of UNO (1992). Following the elections of 1994, Renamo is represented at the Parliament, but not with the government, and it remains on the reserve. But the desire of peace is such as the rebuilding of the country appears to start.