The Yao people take their name from the nearby Mt. Yao. The peak serves as a cultural epicenter, and two million Yao radiate from this point into three countries: Mozambique, Tanzania and Malawi. Most of the Yao in Mozambique are concentrated in a northern province called Niassa, where road access, communication technology and industry are limited. Consequently, the Yao are primarily subsistence farmers of beans, corn, cassava, bananas and peanuts. The Yao live in economic poverty, due largely to illiteracy, malaria and a culture of helplessness. The Yao converted to Islam over 200 years ago to escape the slave trade through religious loopholes. Today, the Yao practice folk Islam, which is a peaceful blend of Islam and African animism. (click for map)