Chokwé, previously known as Vila Trigo de Morais, is a rural town and capital of
Chokwe District in the
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Gaza in
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
. It is located about north of the capital city of
Maputo
Maputo () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed ov ...
. This agricultural town is noted for its
tomato
The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...
es.
Floods of 2000 and 2013
Despite the relative safety, in 2000 the town and its surroundings were particularly hard hit by rising flood waters from the
Limpopo River
The Limpopo River () rises in South Africa and flows generally eastward through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers led by Hosi Rivombo who settled in the mou ...
.
In 2013, the city "was devastated by the flooding of the Limpopo River. Most of its 70,000 residents escaped with whatever they could grab." Many evacuated to the
Chiaquelane accommodation center.
Demographics
Transport
Chokwe is served by a station on the southern line of
Mozambique Railways.
See also
*
Transport in Mozambique
Modes of transport in Mozambique include rail transport, rail, road transport, road, water transport, water, and air transport, air. There are rail links serving principal cities and connecting the country with Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa. ...
*
Railway stations in Mozambique
References
External links
Chokwe Airport (TGS){{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220120807/http://www.fao.org/Wairdocs/ILRI/x5491E/x5491e0r.htm , date=2019-02-20
Chókwè District
Populated places in Gaza Province