History of Mozambique 10 years of sporadic warfare and Portugal's return to democracy through a leftist military coup in Lisbon, which replaced Portugal's Estado Novo regime with a military junta (the Carnation Revolution of April 1974), FRELIMO took control of the territory. Within a year, most of the 250,000 Portuguese in Mozambique had left—some expelled by the government of the nearly independent territory, some fleeing in fear—and Mozambique became independent from Portugal on 25 June 1975. A law had been passed on the initiative of the then relatively unknown Armando Guebuza of the FRELIMO party ordering the Portuguese to leave the country in
Mozambique into 405 "postos". "Postos administrativos" (administrative posts) are the main subdivisions of districts. This name, in use during colonial times, was abolished after independence and was replaced by "localidades" (localities). However, it was re-established in 1986. Administrative posts are headed by a "Secretários" (secretaries), which before independence were called "Chefes de Posto" (post chiefs). Administrative posts can be further subdivided into localities, also headed by secretaries. Mozambique operates a small, functioning military that handles all aspects of domestic national defence, the Mozambique Defence Armed Forces. The official currency is the New Metical (as of March 2018, US$1 is roughly equivalent