Mansa is the capital of the

Luapula Province Luapula Province is one of Zambia's ten provinces located in the northern part of the country. Luapula Province is named after the Luapula River and its capital is Mansa. As per the 2010 Zambian census, the Province had a population of 991,92 ...

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

, and headquarters of Mansa District. It takes its name from the local Chief Mansa and the small Mansa River which flows west to the

Luapula River The Luapula River is a section of Africa's second-longest river, the Congo. It is a transnational river forming for nearly all its length part of the border between Zambia and the DR Congo. It joins Lake Bangweulu (wholly in Zambia) to Lake Mwe ...

. During British rule the city was named ''Fort Rosebery''.

Situation and character

In a province of beautiful rivers,

waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

, lakes and

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

, Mansa serves administrative and commercial functions, being situated on a relatively featureless plateau between the

to the west and

Lake Bangweulu Bangweulu — 'where the water sky meets the sky' — is one of the world's great wetland systems, comprising Lake Bangweulu, the Bangweulu Swamps and the Bangweulu Flats or floodplain.Camerapix: ''Spectrum Guide to Zambia.'' Camerapix Internation ...

to the east. It is connected to the

Congo Pedicle road The Congo Pedicle road (at one time referred to as the 'Zaire Pedicle road') crosses the Congolese territory of the Congo Pedicle and was constructed by and is maintained by Zambia to connect its Copperbelt and Luapula Provinces. Both the road ...

(and eventually the

Copperbelt Province Copperbelt Province is a province in Zambia which covers the mineral-rich Copperbelt, and farming and bush areas to the south. It was the backbone of the Northern Rhodesian economy during British colonial rule and fuelled the hopes of the immed ...

) in the south and to Luwingu and Kasama in the north-east by the M3 road. It is also connected to

Kawambwa Kawambwa is a town in the Zambian province of Luapula located on thedge of the northern Zambian plateau above the Luapula valley at an altitude of 1300 m. It was chosen as an administrative district of the same name by the British colonial author ...

by the M13 road. So, it is well-positioned.

Origins

colonial times The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...

Mansa was called Fort Rosebery, named for

Lord Rosebery Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1st Earl of Midlothian, (7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895. Between the death of ...

, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 5 March 1894 to 22 June 1895. The town was also the capital of the province. The first Fort Rosebery, however was situated in the Luapula Valley around 1900, where most of the province's population live, near Mambilima. After an outbreak of

sleeping sickness African trypanosomiasis, also known as African sleeping sickness or simply sleeping sickness, is an insect-borne parasitic infection of humans and other animals. It is caused by the species ''Trypanosoma brucei''. Humans are infected by two typ ...

in the valley some years later it was moved to the present site in the belief that the higher plateau site would be more healthy. The Luapula Province developed in the mid-20th century on the supply of fish, agricultural produce and labour to Zambia's industrial centre, the Copperbelt, and Mansa developed with it as an administrative and distribution centre.

Recent history

Over the last twenty years the town has grown considerably in population but not in prosperity since a decrease in employment in the mines of the Copperbelt forced a return to the land in areas such as the Luapula Province. Mansa lacks industries since the

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

factory closed in 1994, and in the absence of employment opportunities, ''

chitemene Chitemene (also spelled citemene), from the ciBemba word meaning “place where branches have been cut for a garden”, is a system of slash and burn agriculture practiced throughout northern Zambia. It involves coppicing or pollarding of standin ...

'' (a form of

subsistence A subsistence economy is an economy directed to basic subsistence (the provision of food, clothing, shelter) rather than to the market. Henceforth, "subsistence" is understood as supporting oneself at a minimum level. Often, the subsistence econo ...

farming) has degraded the surrounding woodlands appreciably. Nevertheless, as a commercial hub serving the whole province, the town is home to a daily market, banks, warehouses, a number of large stores and dealers, and a Shoprite supermarket.

Climate

Proximity to the Congo

Although only 50 km east from the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, and cut off from the Copperbelt by the

Congo Pedicle The Congo Pedicle (at one time referred to as the Zaire Pedicle; in French ', meaning 'Katanga boot') is the southeast salient of the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which divides neighbouring Zambia into two lobes. In a ...

, Mansa does not have direct trade links to that country. Wars and frequent conflict in the Congo over the past fifty years have frequently hindered the development of Mansa. The Luapula which forms the border is crossed by a passenger ferry to the north-west at Kasenga, and by a bridge to the south at

Chembe Chembe is a border town in Chembe District in the Luapula Province of Zambia. It once had the Chembe Ferry as a means of crossing the Luapula River from DR Congo to Zambia; but now, it is the home of the Mwanawasa Bridge, named after former preside ...

, but this connects through Congolese territory via Zambia's notorious and frequently impassable

only to the Copperbelt. Other roads on the Congolese side are severely degraded, consequently some Congolese trade passes on Zambian roads through Mansa, such as the output of the Dikulushi Copper Mine west of

Lake Mweru Lake Mweru (also spelled ''Mwelu'', ''Mwero'') is a freshwater lake on the longest arm of Africa's second-longest river, the Congo. Located on the border between Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, it makes up of the total length of th ...

. Otherwise, trade with the Congo is restricted to local produce and smuggling across the river.

Transport

Mansa Airport Mansa Airport is an airport serving Mansa, a city in the Luapula Province in Zambia. The airport is north of the city. The Mansa non-directional beacon (Ident: MA) is located on the field. See also * * *Transport in Zambia *List of airports in ...

is a paved airstrip servicing Mansa twice a week by

Proflight Zambia Proflight Zambia is an airline based in Lusaka, Zambia that serves the business community and tourism industry. It is a trading name of Proflight Commuter Services Ltd. Proflight Zambia operates the largest fleet of aircraft in Zambia, operating ...

. Public transport is restricted to buses traveling between towns on the main highways listed above. With peace in the Congo, a bridge named after the late President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was constructed across the

to by-pass the Chembe ferry. Currently the

Congo Pedicle Road The Congo Pedicle road (at one time referred to as the 'Zaire Pedicle road') crosses the Congolese territory of the Congo Pedicle and was constructed by and is maintained by Zambia to connect its Copperbelt and Luapula Provinces. Both the road ...

is being tarred to improve Mansa's access to the

Copperbelt The Copperbelt () is a natural region in Central Africa which sits on the border region between northern Zambia and the southern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is known for copper mining. Traditionally, the term ''Copperbelt'' includes the ...

, and may also increase trade between Kasama and the Copperbelt. The road to the Mwanawasa Bridge at Chembe (and eventually the Congo Pedicle road) in the south and to Luwingu and Kasama in the north-east is designated as the M3 road. The road to the resort town of

Samfya Samfya is a town located in the Zambian province of Luapula. It is the centre of Samfya District. The town is located on the south-western shore of Lake Bangweulu, on the longest stretch of well-defined shore of that lake (the northern, eastern ...

(and eventually the Luapula Bridge to Central Province) in the east is designated as the D94 road.

Attractions

*Mansa Catholic Cathedral *Mansa Hotel *Mansa Teacher Training College *

Mumbuluma Falls Mumbuluma Falls is a set of waterfalls just outside Mansa, Zambia in the Luapula Province Luapula Province is one of Zambia's ten provinces located in the northern part of the country. Luapula Province is named after the Luapula River and ...

*Mansa School of Nursing *Mansa Trades Training Institute (M.T.T.I)

PLARD I and II

Program for Luapula Agriculture and Rural Development-Phase I Program, programme, programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program management, the process of managing several related projects * Time management * Program, a part of planning Arts and entertainment Audio * Programm ...

(PLARD I) (2007-2011) The programme was based at the ZARI (agricultural research station), Mansa, 5 km outside Mansa and managed by a Programme Management Unit (PMU). The PMU was managed by a Finnish Consultancy with main offices being located at the research station. PLARD I was a programme run in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Government of Finland.

Program for Luapula Agriculture and Rural Development-Phase II Program, programme, programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program management, the process of managing several related projects * Time management * Program, a part of planning Arts and entertainment Audio * Programm ...

(PLARD II) (2011-2015). The aim of PLARD II is to help increase income and food security for the people of Luapula Province by improving the institutional capacity of MAL at the provincial and district levels. It is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) with technical support from a small Programme Support Unit (PSU) located close to the MAL Provincial Offices. The programme is jointly funded by the Government of Zambia and Government of Finland. The province covers more than 50,000 km2 and has a population approaching one million people. MAL provincial and district structures implement the programme in the seven original districts of Luapula (four additional districts were created in 2012) working in 87 out of 179 agricultural camps, and 137 VFMCs. PLARD II overall objective is: ''To achieve an efficient, competitive and sustainable agricultural and fisheries sector, ensuring increased income and food security for the people of Luapula Province''. The programme has five components plus a crosscutting issues component: 1. Agribusiness, 2. Agriculture, 3. Capture Fisheries, 4. Livestock and Aquaculture, 5. Institutional and Organisational Development of MAL at provincial and district levels, and 6. Crosscutting Objectives that focuses particularly on gender, HIV/AIDS, vulnerable groups and environment/climate change.

References

* Camerapix: ''Spectrum Guide to Zambia.'' Camerapix International Publishing, Nairobi, 1996. * Terracarta/International Travel Maps, Vancouver Canada: ''Zambia, 2nd edition'', 2000.

External links

Google Earth

A Tourist's Gallery of Mansa, Zambia
*http://www.luapulaprovince.gov.zm/districts/mansa.html *https://www.mindat.org/loc-234360.html *https://www.lusakatimes.com/2018/07/31/two-hospitals-launched-in-mansa-district/
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{{Authority control Populated places in Luapula Province Provincial capitals in Zambia