History
Between the 1st and 5th centuries AD, Bantu-speaking peoples migrated from farther north and west. Swahili, and later also Arab, commercial ports existed along the coasts until the arrival of Europeans. The area was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498 and colonized by Portugal from 1505. After over four centuries of Portuguese rule, Mozambique gained independence in 1975, becoming the People’s Republic of Mozambique shortly thereafter. After only two years of independence, the country descended into an intense and protracted civil war lasting from 1977 to 1992. In 1994, Mozambique held its first multiparty elections and has remained a relatively stable presidential republic since.
Key Milestones
| 3rd Century | Iron Age Bantu-speaking tribes move into area from west-central Africa. |
| 11th Century | Shona empire develops between Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. |
| 1498 | Portuguese expedition led by explorer Vasco da Gama drops anchor off Mozambican coast. |
| 1500s-1600s | Portuguese venture into interior. Following military campaigns, colonists set up trading posts and mining enterprises and parcel-out land to European settlers. |
| 1700s-1800s | Mozambique becomes major slave-trading centre.. |
| 1842 | Portugal outlaws slave trade from Mozambique, but clandestine trade continues for decades. |
| 1891 | Portugal and Britain define Mozambique’s western and southern borders. |
| 1902 | Lourenco Marques becomes colonial capital. |
| 1932 | Portugal breaks up trading companies and imposes direct rule over colony. |
| 1950s-1960s | Colonial economy thrives, attracting thousands of new Portuguese settlers to Mozambique. |
| 1962 | Exiled activists opposed to Portuguese colonial power meet in Tanzania to form Mozambique Liberation Front – Frelimo – headed by Eduardo Mondlane. |
| 1964 | Frelimo forces begin war of independence. Guerrilla tactics frustrate Portuguese and Frelimo take control of much of north. |
| 1974 | Military coup in Portugal. New government supports autonomy for colonies; start of departure of 250,000 Portuguese inhabitants. |
| 1974 | Portugal and Frelimo sign Lusaka Accord; transitional government is established. |
| 1975 | Mozambique becomes independent. Frelimo rules under single-party system with leader Samora Machel as president. |
| 1976 | Lourenco Marques is renamed Maputo. |
| 1976 | Renamo – an anti-Frelimo resistance group – is set up by white Rhodesian officers as clashes with Frelimo forces escalate and Mozambique imposes economic sanctions against Rhodesia. |
| 1990 | Government amends the constitution to allow a multi-party political system. Initial talks take place between government and Renamo. |
| 1992 | President Chissano and Renamo leader Afonso Dhaklama sign peace deal in Rome. |
| 1995 | Mozambique becomes Commonwealth member. |
| 2005 | Frelimo’s Armando Guebuza inaugurated as president after defeating his main rival, Afonso Dhlakama of Renamo, in November’s presidential poll. |
| 2005 | Work starts on a long-planned “Unity Bridge” over the Ruvuma river, intended to link Mozambique and neighbouring Tanzania.. |
| 2009 | President Guebuza wins re-election with more than 75% of the vote. Main opposition Renamo party alleges widespread fraud, while monitors accuse election commission of lacking independence. |
| 2011 | Italian energy company Eni says it’s made a giant gas discovery off the coast. |
| 2014 | September – Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama emerges from hiding to sign a peace agreement with President Guebuza, ending a two-year insurgency. Mr Dhlakama says he is running for president.. |
| 2014 | October -The ruling Frelimo party and its candidate Filipe Nyusi win presidential and legislative elections. |
source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13890720