The African nation instead traces its colonial past back to Portugal, from which it became independent in 1975.

With Portuguese as the country's official language, communication at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will not be as easy for the Mozambique team as it will be for other countries.

"It's really difficult, for the Commonwealth Games we assume all the countries are English speakers," said Odete Semião, the Mozambique Chef de Mission for Birmingham 2022, to insidethegames.

"At the Olympics you have translations, and someone who can take care of the team who can speak Portuguese. 

"For this, it's only in English, so it's an effort for us. 

"But although we are the only country which speaks Portuguese, if you see our location in the region, we are surrounded by English speaking countries. 

"So we can communicate, which is good." 

Mozambique is expecting to take around 15 athletes to Birmingham 2022 in athletics, swimming, judo, boxing and triathlon, while qualification in beach volleyball remains ongoing.

This will be a smaller team than the 26 athletes who competed at Gold Coast 2018, when numbers were bolstered by the women's basketball side.

Only 3x3 basketball is on the Birmingham programme, in which Mozambique did not have the chance to qualify.

"After the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games is the most known," said Semião.

"It is a well known Games among the community. 

"In our strategic plan at the Olympic Committee, after the Olympics, the second big Games is the Commonwealth Games."

Women's boxing perhaps provides Mozambique with its best chance to win a medal in Birmingham.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, both Alcinda Panguana and Rady Gramane lost quarter-final bouts when victory would have guaranteed them a bronze.

It is hoped that in Birmingham, Panguana, a welterweight, and Gramane, a middleweight, will at least go one step further.

"Those two athletes are champions in southern Africa," Semião said.  

"So that's where we are putting our hopes that they will do something very positive at these Games." 

Mozambique has won two gold medals, two silvers and two bronze since debuting at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

Both of the golds were won by track star Maria Mutola, who won the 800 metres in Kuala Lumpur and then defended her title at Manchester 2002.

Mutola, who also won Commonwealth bronze in Melbourne in 2006, is the only athlete from Mozambique to ever win an Olympic medal.

She won the 800m gold at Sydney 2000 after a bronze at Atlanta 1996, and also boasts 10 world titles across the outdoor and indoor events.

This type of success means she is undoubtedly Mozambique's biggest sports star of recent years, with fame to rival that of football legend Eusebio, who was born in the country but became one of the world's greatest ever strikers while playing for Portugal.

 "In Mozambique's history she [Mutola] is the best known athlete," said Semião.

"Like everywhere, when medals arrive it's always a big party and a reception for her, and all the media surrounding that.

"She stimulates the others to follow in her steps. 

"The young generations see her as someone to follow." 

Mozambique also competes at the Islamic Solidarity Games, which are due to take place this year in Konya.

The Opening Ceremony in Turkey is scheduled for August 9, only a day after the end of Birmingham 2022. This means an exceptionally quick turnaround for athletes wanting to compete in both.

Another event on Mozambique's agenda is the Lusofonia Games for Portuguese speaking countries, although this hasn't been held since 2014.

Semião was also Chef de Mission at the Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, and enjoys the demands of leading the team.

"It's interesting to me, it's a challenge," she said. 

"Normally the teams we take are small, although in Gold Coast we had a basketball team.

"It is a manageable team and because we are not taking a lot of sports, it is easy to manage and it's a really good experience." 

The Queen's Baton Relay came to Mozambique in November and was considered a success.

"The Relay was very good," said Semião.

"We couldn't take it out of Maputo, but we managed to take the baton to different schools and communities, and to traditional leaders. 

"People were excited. Some didn't know and said 'what is that' but then if they touched the baton it was something special for them."

Semião said that the impact of COVID-19 on sport in Mozambique was "really bad", with some athletes opting to call time on their careers.

"For two years it completely stopped as there was no condition for the athletes to train," she said. 

"It was a worldwide issue and it was complicated for the athletes.

"Some had to start training because of the Olympics. Two years is a lot. 

"Some athletes quit and did not come back for training. 

"Some were at the end of their careers, some started university, they were looking for jobs... 

"We had some losses of athletes because of this, but now we are getting back to normal life."

COVID-19 has also dominated the planning for Birmingham 2022, which promises to be a different Games despite the lifting of restrictions in England.

"I'm really excited to see how it will be," said Semião. 

"Because it will be different from the other two Games I have participated in.

"The COVID issue has brought us a lot of challenges, and a lot of changes, and I don't know if it will be good or not.

"The sports community are used to having all the athletes in the same Village, but we will have athletes in different Villages. 

"There are a lot of changes to the way the Games are running, even where the athletes eat...

"Even for the contact between the athletes, it won't be the same.

"So let's see, I'm really excited to see how it will go.

"I think it will be good but different.

"We have to learn the new way of doing things."