Arab traders who made their way down the East African coast mingled with African peoples, creating a hybrid culture and language called Swahili. This culture still predominates in several East African countries and exerts a strong influence in northern Mozambique. The name "Mozambique" is thought to come from the Swahili Musa al Big, the name of an ancient Arab sheikh, ("chief") who lived on the northern Ilha de Moçambique.
Guerrilla activity began in 1963 and became so effective by 1973 that Portugal was forced to dispatch 40,000 troops to fight the rebels. A cease-fire was signed in Sept. 1974, and after having been under Portuguese colonial rule for 470 years, Mozambique became independent on June 25, 1975.
One of the early leaders in the struggle for independence from Portuguese rule was the Democratic National Union of Mozambique (Udenamo), whose flag was adopted in November 1961. It had a diagonally divided field of green (for the country’s forested mountains and plains) and black (for the majority population). Its white central disk suggested the rivers and the Indian Ocean, and its central red star indicated the common blood of all struggling for liberation.
The flag of Mozambique consists of three equal width horizontal stripes - the top stripe is green; the middle one black; and the bottom stripe is yellow. The black stripe is bordered above and below by a thin white stripe. On the left side of the Mozambique, a flag is a red horizontal triangle pointing towards the flag's center. In the center of the triangle is a yellow, five-point star which has a part of the country's coat of arms in it. The emblem consists of a rifle and a hoe crossed over an open book.
The feature colors are green, black and yellow and were derived from the flag of the African National Congress in South Africa. The Mozambican flag today has green, black, and yellow horizontal stripes separated by white fimbriations with a red triangle in the hoist. The star of Marxism on the left has overlaid a hoe, rifle, and a book.
A yellow star was added to the red triangle, surmounted by an open book and a crossed hoe and assault rifle, standing, respectively, for education, the peasantry, and defense of the native country. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Mozambique flag for the future.
Guerrilla activity began in 1963 and became so effective by 1973 that Portugal was forced to dispatch 40,000 troops to fight the rebels. A cease-fire was signed in Sept. 1974, and after having been under Portuguese colonial rule for 470 years, Mozambique became independent on June 25, 1975.
One of the early leaders in the struggle for independence from Portuguese rule was the Democratic National Union of Mozambique (Udenamo), whose flag was adopted in November 1961. It had a diagonally divided field of green (for the country’s forested mountains and plains) and black (for the majority population). Its white central disk suggested the rivers and the Indian Ocean, and its central red star indicated the common blood of all struggling for liberation.
The flag of Mozambique consists of three equal width horizontal stripes - the top stripe is green; the middle one black; and the bottom stripe is yellow. The black stripe is bordered above and below by a thin white stripe. On the left side of the Mozambique, a flag is a red horizontal triangle pointing towards the flag's center. In the center of the triangle is a yellow, five-point star which has a part of the country's coat of arms in it. The emblem consists of a rifle and a hoe crossed over an open book.
The feature colors are green, black and yellow and were derived from the flag of the African National Congress in South Africa. The Mozambican flag today has green, black, and yellow horizontal stripes separated by white fimbriations with a red triangle in the hoist. The star of Marxism on the left has overlaid a hoe, rifle, and a book.
A yellow star was added to the red triangle, surmounted by an open book and a crossed hoe and assault rifle, standing, respectively, for education, the peasantry, and defense of the native country. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Mozambique flag for the future.