Muchinga Province is one of the ten
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
of
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 ...
. It is located in the northeast of the country and borders with
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
in the north,
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
in the east,
Eastern Province in the south,
Central Province in the southwest,
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 ...
in the west, and
Northern Province in the northwest. The administrative center of the province is
Chinsali
Chinsali is a town in Zambia, which is both the district headquarters of Chinsali District and provincial headquarters of Muchinga Province.
Location
It lies just off the road between Mpika and Isoka (Tanzam Highway; Zambia's Great North Roa ...
.
The name of the province originates from the
Muchinga Escarpment, on which it predominantly sits.
Geography
The province is elongated from southwest to northeast and is located on both sides of the
Muchinga Mountains (Muchinga Escarpment), which serve as a divide between the
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
s of the
Zambezi River
The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...
(Indian Ocean) and the
Congo River
The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...
(Atlantic Ocean). The main rivers of the province are the
Luangwa River
The Luangwa River is one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi River, and one of the four biggest rivers of Zambia. The river generally floods in the rainy season (December to March) and then falls considerably in the dry season. It is one of ...
, a major left tributary of the Zambezi, and the
Chambeshi River
The Chambeshi (or Chambezi) River of northeastern Zambia is the most remote headstream of the Congo River (in length) and therefore it is considered the source of the Congo River. (However, by volume of water, the Lualaba River provides a greater ...
, a tributary of
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 ...
, in the drainage basin of the Congo. The source of the Luangwa is located in the province.
Three national parks are located in the province. There are
Lavushi Manda National Park
Lavushi Manda National Park is a national park in the Muchinga Province of Zambia with an area of 1,500 sq km. It is the 11th largest of the 20 National Parks in Zambia. The park was initially gazetted as a Game Reserve in 1941, and was ...
,
North Luangwa National Park
North Luangwa National Park is a national park in Zambia, the northernmost of the three in the valley of the Luangwa River. Founded as a game reserve in 1938, it became a national park in 1972 and now covers 4,636 km².
Like the South Luangw ...
, and
South Luangwa National Park
South Luangwa National Park is in eastern Zambia, the southernmost of three national parks in the valley of the Luangwa River. It is a world-renowned wildlife haven which is known to locals simply as "the South Park."Concentrations of game along ...
. The latter is shared with Eastern and Central Provinces.
History
The creation of a province was announced by President
Michael Sata
Michael Charles Chilufya Sata (6 July 1937 – 28 October 2014) was a Zambian politician who was the fifth president of Zambia, from 23 September 2011 until his death on 28 October 2014. A social democrat, he led the Patriotic Front (PF), a maj ...
in October 2011. In November 2011, the president appointed
Malozo Sichone as Muchinga Province Minister. The parliament approved the creation of the province at some later date.
The province consisted originally of five districts.
Chama District
Chama District with the headquarters at Chama is the largest district of the Eastern Province in Zambia and includes a large wilderness in the Upper Luangwa valley just north-east of the North Luangwa National Park. It is made up of two constitue ...
was transferred from the
Eastern Province, and the
Chinsali
Chinsali is a town in Zambia, which is both the district headquarters of Chinsali District and provincial headquarters of Muchinga Province.
Location
It lies just off the road between Mpika and Isoka (Tanzam Highway; Zambia's Great North Roa ...
,
Isoka
Isoka is a town located in the Muchinga Province of Zambia near the borders with Tanzania and Malawi. It lies on the T2 Road (Tanzam Highway; Great North Road).
Area
The area of the district now (2020) is 5,091 km2. The entire country is ...
,
Mpika
Mpika is a town in the Muchinga Province of Zambia, lying at the junction of the M1 Road to Kasama and Mbala and the Tanzam Highway ( Great North Road) to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in the north-east and Lusaka in the south-west. It also has a ra ...
, and
Nakonde District
Nakonde District is a district of Zambia, located in Muchinga Province. The capital lies at Nakonde
Nakonde is a town in the Muchinga Province of Zambia, on the border with Tanzania. It is at the northern end of Zambia's Great North Road ( T2 ...
s were transferred from the
Northern Province. In 2013,
Mafinga District
Mafinga District is one of the eight districts of Muchinga Province in Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referre ...
was created by splitting
Isoka District
Isoka District is a district of Zambia, located in Muchinga Province
Muchinga Province is one of the ten provinces of Zambia. It is located in the northeast of the country and borders with Tanzania in the north, Malawi in the east, Eastern Provi ...
and
Shiwang'andu District
Shiwang'andu District is a district of Muchinga Province, Zambia. It was created in February 2013 by splitting Chinsali District
Chinsali District with headquarters at Chinsali is located in Muchinga Province, Zambia.
It lies on the watershed b ...
was created by splitting
Chinsali District
Chinsali District with headquarters at Chinsali is located in Muchinga Province, Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typical ...
bringing the total number of districts to seven.
In 2017, President
Edgar Lungu
Edgar Chagwa Lungu (born 11 November 1956) is a Zambian politician who served as the sixth president of Zambia from 25 January 2015 to 24 August 2021. Under President Michael Sata, Lungu served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Defence. Fo ...
announced the creation of two districts, which were created by splitting Mpika District into three (north, east and south-west). With Mpika in the east, the two new districts are named
Kanchibiya District (north of Mpika) and
Lavushimanda District (south-west of Mpika; named after the
Lavushi Manda National Park
Lavushi Manda National Park is a national park in the Muchinga Province of Zambia with an area of 1,500 sq km. It is the 11th largest of the 20 National Parks in Zambia. The park was initially gazetted as a Game Reserve in 1941, and was ...
), bringing the total number of districts to nine. Also in 2017, Chilinda District was proposed to be created by splitting
Chinsali District
Chinsali District with headquarters at Chinsali is located in Muchinga Province, Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typical ...
, but the creation of the district hasn't occurred.
On 17 November 2021, President
Hakainde Hichilema
Hakainde Hichilema (born 4 June 1962) is a Zambian businessman, farmer, and politician who is the seventh and current president of Zambia since 24 August 2021. After having contested five previous elections in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2016 ...
officially declared Chama District as part of
Eastern Province (no-longer part of Muchinga Province), thereby returning the district to its original province.
So, Muchinga Province has eight Districts as of 2022.
Demographics
As per the
2010 Zambian census, Muchinga Province had a population of 711,657 accounting to 5.42% of the total Zambian population of 1,3,092,666. There were 349,872 males and 361,785 females, making the sex ratio to 1,034 for every 1,000 males, compared to the national average of 1,028. The literacy rate stood at 63.50% against a national average of 70.2%. The rural population constituted 82.99%, while the urban population was 17.01%. The total area of the province was 87,806 km
2 and the population density was 8.10 per km
2. The population density during
2000 Zambian census stood at 8.10. The decadal population growth of the province was 3.10%. The median age in the province at the time of marriage was 20.1. The average household size was 5.1, with the families headed by females being 4.1 and 5.4 for families headed by men. The total eligible voters in the province was 63.80%. The unemployment rate of the province was 6.40%. The total fertility rate was 7.0, complete birth rate was 6.4, crude birth rate was 40.0, child women population at birth was 854, general fertility rate was 175, gross reproduction rate was 2.8 and net reproduction rate was 2.1. The total labour force constituted 61.90% of the total population. Out of the labour force, 67.9% were men and 56.3% women. The annual growth rate of labour force was 3.6%.
Bemba was the most spoken language with 46.90% speaking it. The total population of persons with
Albinism
Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino.
Varied use and interpretation of the term ...
in the province stood at 1,634. The life expectancy at birth stood at 53 compared to the national average of 51.
Administration
Muchinga is a province formed after 2000 from the existing provinces. Provincial administration is set up purely for administrative purposes. The province is headed by a minister appointed by the
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
and there are ministries of central government for each province. The administrative head of the province is the Permanent Secretary, appointed by the President. There is a Deputy Permanent Secretary, heads of government departments and civil servants at the provincial level. Muchinga Province is divided into eight
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 counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
s, namely
Chinsali District
Chinsali District with headquarters at Chinsali is located in Muchinga Province, Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typical ...
,
Isoka District
Isoka District is a district of Zambia, located in Muchinga Province
Muchinga Province is one of the ten provinces of Zambia. It is located in the northeast of the country and borders with Tanzania in the north, Malawi in the east, Eastern Provi ...
,
Mafinga District
Mafinga District is one of the eight districts of Muchinga Province in Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referre ...
,
Mpika District
Mpika District is a district of Zambia, located in Muchinga Province. The capital lies at Mpika
Mpika is a town in the Muchinga Province of Zambia, lying at the junction of the M1 Road to Kasama and Mbala and the Tanzam Highway ( Great North ...
,
Nakonde District
Nakonde District is a district of Zambia, located in Muchinga Province. The capital lies at Nakonde
Nakonde is a town in the Muchinga Province of Zambia, on the border with Tanzania. It is at the northern end of Zambia's Great North Road ( T2 ...
,
Shiwang'andu District
Shiwang'andu District is a district of Muchinga Province, Zambia. It was created in February 2013 by splitting Chinsali District
Chinsali District with headquarters at Chinsali is located in Muchinga Province, Zambia.
It lies on the watershed b ...
,
Kanchibiya District and
Lavushimanda District. All the district headquarters are the same as the district names (except for Mafinga). There are eight councils in the province, each of which is headed by an elected representative, called councilor. Each councilor holds office for three years. The administrative staff of the council is selected based on Local Government Service Commission from within or outside the district. The office of the provincial government is located in each of the district headquarters and has provincial local government officers and auditors. Each council is responsible for raising and collecting local taxes and the budgets of the council are audited and submitted every year after the annual budget. The elected members of the council do not draw salaries, but are paid allowances from the council. Muchinga is a predominantly rural district and hence there are no city or municipal councils. The government stipulates 63 different functions for the councils with the majority of them being infrastructure management and local administration. Councils are mandated to maintain each of their community centres, zoos, local parks, drainage system, playgrounds, cemeteries, caravan sites, libraries, museums and art galleries. They also work along with specific government departments for helping in agriculture, conservation of natural resources, postal service, establishing and maintaining hospitals, schools and colleges. The councils prepare schemes that encourage community participation.
Transportation
The
TAZARA Railway
The Tazara Railway, also called the Uhuru Railway or the Tanzam Railway, is a railway in East Africa linking the port of Dar es Salaam in east Tanzania with the town of Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia's Central Province. The single-track railway is ...
, which connects
Kapiri Mposhi
Kapiri Mposhi is a Zambian town, seat of the Kapiri Mposhi District, Central Province. Located north of Lusaka, it stands on the Great North Road and is significant for the railway connection between Zambia Railways line from Kitwe to Lusaka ...
and eventually
Lusaka
Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...
with Tanzania crosses the province from southwest to northeast.
A road connecting Kapiri Mposhi and eventually Lusaka with Tanzania (the
Tanzam Highway
The Tanzam Highway leads from Lusaka in Zambia to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The highway was built from 1968 to 1973 in several stages and was intended to provide seaport access for Zambia and to expand the transport options for Zambia, Malawi ...
; the
T2 Route) runs through the province, passing
Mpika
Mpika is a town in the Muchinga Province of Zambia, lying at the junction of the M1 Road to Kasama and Mbala and the Tanzam Highway ( Great North Road) to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in the north-east and Lusaka in the south-west. It also has a ra ...
and
Isoka
Isoka is a town located in the Muchinga Province of Zambia near the borders with Tanzania and Malawi. It lies on the T2 Road (Tanzam Highway; Great North Road).
Area
The area of the district now (2020) is 5,091 km2. The entire country is ...
(and bypassing
Chinsali
Chinsali is a town in Zambia, which is both the district headquarters of Chinsali District and provincial headquarters of Muchinga Province.
Location
It lies just off the road between Mpika and Isoka (Tanzam Highway; Zambia's Great North Roa ...
) (this road is also known as the
Great North Road). In
Mpika
Mpika is a town in the Muchinga Province of Zambia, lying at the junction of the M1 Road to Kasama and Mbala and the Tanzam Highway ( Great North Road) to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in the north-east and Lusaka in the south-west. It also has a ra ...
, another major road branches north to
Kasama and
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. ...
(the
M1 Route).
Notes
References
*
External links
*
{{Authority control
Provinces of Zambia