Mwinilunga is a town in the North-Western Province 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 the headquarters of

Mwinilunga District Mwinilunga District is a district of Zambia, located in North-Western Province. The capital lies at Mwinilunga Mwinilunga is a town in the North-Western Province of Zambia. It is the headquarters of Mwinilunga District, one of the province's ...

, one of the province's eleven districts.

Location

The town lies on the west bank of the ''West Lunga River'', along the Chingola–Solwezi–Mwinilunga Road ( T5 Road of Zambia), which continues north-westwards to

Caianda Caianda is a town in eastern Moxico province, which is in the northeastern part of Angola, adjacent to the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Location The town in a few kilometers from Zambia. It is located on the road between Lue ...

, in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

. Mwinilunga is located approximately , by road, west of

Solwezi Solwezi is a town in Zambia. It is the provincial capital of the mineral-rich North-Western Province. Solwezi is also the administrative capital of Solwezi District, one of the eleven districts in the North-Western Province. Location Solwezi ...

, the provincial capital. Another tarmacked state road (D286 Road of Zambia), leads south to

Kabompo Kabompo is a town in north-western Zambia, lying on the Kabompo River with a population over 88,000 people. It is surrounded by teak forest and is home to a Roman Catholic mission. Its most significant activity is the production of honey. You als ...

, the capital of

Kabompo District Kabompo District is a district of Zambia, located in North-Western Province. The capital lies at Kabompo Kabompo is a town in north-western Zambia, lying on the Kabompo River with a population over 88,000 people. It is surrounded by teak forest ...

. Kabompo town is approximately south of Mwinilunga. Mwinilunga sits in the extreme north-western corner of the country, close to the international borders with Angola and 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 ...

. The geographical coordinates of Mwinilunga, Zambia are:11°43'02.0"S, 24°25'44.0"E (Latitude:-11.717222; Longitude:24.428889). The average elevation of the town is above

mean sea level There are several kinds of mean in mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. ...

Overview

Due to its proximity with Angola and DR Congo, Mwinilunga would have benefited from trade with the two neighboring countries. Poor roads, human conflict and lack of collective political will in the three countries, have so far prevented any meaningful trade policy from developing. 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 ...

originates in

Ikelenge District Ikelenge District is a district of North-Western Province, Zambia. It was separated from Mwinilunga District in 2011. Ikelenge District is located north of Mwinilunga and contains the Kalene Hills together with the source of the Zambezi River a ...

, in a community called

Kalene Hill Kalene Hill is a community in the northwest of Zambia near a hill by the same name about to the southeast. It is part of the Ikelenge District. Kalene Hill was the site of an early medical mission. The hospital is still important to the region. L ...

, approximately north of Mwinilunga town.

Population

The town had a population estimated at 14,500 in 2006. The

Chilunda Lunda, also known as Chilunda, is a Bantu language spoken in Zambia, Angola and, to a lesser extent, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Lunda and its dialects are spoken and understood by perhaps 4.6% of Zambians (1986 estimate), and ...

-speaking

Kanongesha-Lunda people The Kanongesha-Lunda (also called the ''Western Lunda'') are an ethnic group living mainly in the North-Western Province of Zambia under Senior Chief Kanongesha, around the provincial capital Mwinilunga. The Lunda people of North-Western Province ...

are the largest ethnic group, and are related to the Chibemba-speaking

Kazembe-Lunda The Lunda people of the Luapula River valley in Zambia and DR Congo are called by others the ''Eastern Lunda'' to distinguish them from the 'western' Lunda people who remained in the heartland of the former Lunda Kingdom, but they themselves would ...

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 1990, the census carried out that year, put the town's population at 6,342 people. In 2000, the population was 10,745 inhabitants. During the 2010 national census, the population of Mwinilunga was enumerated at 15,704 people. The table below illustrates the same data in tabular format.

Climate

This is one of the wettest places in Zambia with annual rainfall of about falling in the rainy season from October to May.

Education

''Mwinilunga Secondary School'' is the largest school to date in town. Government and community schools are scattered in the neighborhoods surrounding the metropolitan area, and provide education for children from nursery through high school. Mwinilunga is also home to ''The Sakeji School'', a primary

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

Economy

Forest Fruits Limited has been operating in Mwinilunga since 1998, successfully working with over 7,000 beekeepers in the region to export organic honey to the European market. The company also employs about 100 staff.

Kasenseli Gold Mine

''See: Mining in Zambia Kasenseli Gold Mine'' In early August 2019 gold deposits were discovered and confirmed by experts from the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development. The Government, through its subsidiary,

ZCCM Investments Holdings ZCCM Investments Holdings is a successor company to Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Limited (ZCCM Ltd), of Zambia. History The company, ZCCM, was formed by a gradual process of nationalization and corporate concatenation which began in Janu ...

(ZCCM-IH), intends to set up a gold mine in Chief Chibwika's area where the gold deposits have been discovered.

Kalene Hills Fruit Factory

Commissioned: July 2022 Construction Cost: ZMW 130.0 million (US$ 7.8 million) Ownership
Kalene Hills Fruit Company
a 100% Zambian-owned business set up with support from th
Industrial Development Corporation
Operations: Processing

fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particula ...

as well as other products such as

beans A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

, groundnuts and

tomatoes The tomato is the edible Berry (botany), berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to th ...

supplied by over 1,500 small-scale farmers. Direct Jobs: 150 In-Direct Jobs: 780

Transport

In 2006 plans were formulated to extend the proposed railway to

to the town and even on to the Benguela Railway in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

to avoid reliance on the line in the

DR 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 ...

, but these plans have not been confirmed and the Benguela Railway has not yet been re-opened. However, the Angolan transport ministry plans to build a line branching off the Benguela Railway at

Luacano Luacano is a town and municipality in Moxico Province, Angola. The municipality had a population of 20,755 in 2014. The Luacano River (''Rio Luacano'') flows past the town to the west before entering the Kasai River, which forms the border between ...

and entering Zambia from Macango, Angola. The town is also home to ''Mwinilunga Airport.

Tourism

Mwinilunga lies southeast of the ''Nchila Wildlife Reserve''

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

, known for its

sable antelope The sable antelope (''Hippotragus niger'') is an antelope which inhabits wooded savanna in East and Southern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separate population in Angola. Taxonomy The sable antelope shares the genus ''Hi ...

and other large mammals, ''Luakela Forest Reserve'' and the ''Chitunta Plain'', known for its

birdlife BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

and as the source of the

. The annual ''Chisemwa cha Lunda'' ceremony held by Senior Chief Kanongesha of the Lunda draws crowds to the district every September. Nyaunda Ceremony celebrated by Lundas of Senior Sailunga East of Mwinilunga.

References

External links

Zambia: 3 Illegal Gold Miners Die in Mwinilunga
As at 12 August 2019. {{Districts of Northwestern Province Mwinilunga District Populated places in North-Western Province, Zambia