Chókwè District is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Gaza Province Gaza is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 75,709 km2 and a population of 1,422,460 (2017 census), which is the least populous of all the provinces of Mozambique. Xai-Xai is the capital of the province. Inhambane Province is t ...

in south-western

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 ...

. Its principal town is Chokwe. The district is located in the south of the province, and borders with Mabalane District in the north, Guijá District in the east, Chibuto, Xai-Xai, and Bilene Macia Districts in the southeast, Magude District of

Maputo Province Maputo is a province of Mozambique; the province excludes the city of Maputo (which comprises a separate province). The province has an area of and a population of 1,968,906 (2017 census). Its capital is the city of Matola. Geography Maputo ...

in the south, and with Massingir District in the west. The area of the district is . It has a population of 187,422 (2007). It is regarded as the economic capital of Gaza Province. Chokwe District has one of the most extensive health networks in Mozambique. It is inhabited by Tsonga-shangaan speaking people. However, in the post independence period it has seen an influx of people from other ethnic groups. Chokwe, being in the Limpopo Corridor, is also home to many Zimbabwean immigrants. It has banks, a community radio station (Radio Vembe), and a train station. In 2013, singer Stewart Sukuma, National Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Mozambique, visited flood victims at the Chiaquelane accommodation center in Chókwè District, evacuated due to flooding of 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 ...

Geography

The whole district is flat, with the maximum altitude below above the sea level, and located in the valley of the

, which traverses the district from northwest to southeast. A major right tributary of the Limpopo is the Olifants River. The climate is tropical semi-arid, with the average annual rainfall ranging and .

Demographics

As of 2005, 44% of the population of the district was younger than 15 years. 54% of the population spoke Portuguese. The most common mothertongue among the population was

Tsonga Tsonga may refer to: * Tsonga language, a Bantu language spoken in southern Africa * Tsonga people, a large group of people living mainly in southern Mozambique and South Africa. * Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (; born 17 April 1985) ...

. 58% were analphabetic, mostly women.

Administrative divisions

The four administrative divisions ('' posto administrativo'') are: * Chókwè, capital (one locality) * Lionde (three localities, includes Conhane and Malau) * Macarretane, (three localities, includes Matamba and Machindo). * Chilembene, (three localities, includes Chiduachine and la villa Chilembene).

Economy

Agriculture

In the district, there are 31,000 farms which have on average of land. The main agricultural products are corn,

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

cowpea The cowpea (''Vigna unguiculata'') is an annual herbaceous legume from the genus '' Vigna''. Its tolerance for sandy soil and low rainfall have made it an important crop in the semiarid regions across Africa and Asia. It requires very few inpu ...

, peanut, sweet potato, and rice.

Transportation

There is a road network in the district of the total length of , including a of national roads. The bridge over the Limpopo River on the road connecting Caniçado and Chokwe was destroyed by Rhodesian forces in 1978, and a new bridge was only completed at the end of 2007. The Limpopo Railroad (Southern System) runs through the district, connecting

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 ...

and Chicualacuala.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chokwe District Districts in Gaza Province