Some Interesting Facts About Mozambique

Public Holidays

Date 2005 Occasion
January 1 New Year's Day  
February 3 Heroes' Day
April 7 Women's Day
May 1 Labour Day
June 25 Independence Day
September 7 Victory Day
September 25 Armed Forces Day
November 2 All Saints Day
December 25 Christmas Day/ Family Day

Weekend - Saturday, Sunday

Customs & Duties

The import of narcotic substances is strictly prohibited and firearms and ammunition can only be brought in under a special permit. Certain items may be brought into the country for personal use without incurring customs duties. They are 200 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco, 0.75 litres of spirits and a reasonable quantity of perfume (opened).

Electricity

Electricity is supplied at 24o/220 Volts at 50Hz and so electrical appliances not on compatible settings will need adaptors or converters. Power surges are frequent and can damage delicate equipment like computers and laptops. They are better off battery operated. Plugs may be round or square 3-pin, fused or unfused.

Post & Communications

A new telecommunications network has replaced the aging system in place earlier. Under the new system, IDD facilities are available at very reasonable cost and cellular telephones may be used in Maputo and Beira. The international dialing code is 258. The postal department is fairly efficient when sending mail abroad but less so with internal mail. In Maputo, the main post office is on Avenida 25 de Setembro; it offers poste restante facilities. The telephone office is also on the same street and remains open from 7.30 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Cyber cafes have become increasingly commonplace in Maputo with many such establishments along the main thoroughfare.

Weights and measures

The Standard Metric system is prevalent which basically means the use of litres instead of pints and gallons for liquids, grams and kilograms instead of ounces and pounds for solids and kilometers in place of miles to measure distance.

Tipping

Tips were not the usual practice and were rarely accepted but with tourism burgeoning and life becoming increasingly tough for locals, a tip of 5-15% is welcome and appreciated. Bargaining for fares and for local handicrafts is commonplace.

English Language Media

Most newspaper dailies and magazines are published in Portuguese in Mozambique and there are no English publications except for 'Time Out', an English language magazine that list every event, happening and venue in the country and is primarily aimed at tourists. BBC and VOA broadcasts can be caught at varying frequencies throughout the country.