Zambezia ( pt, Zambézia) is the second most-populous province of

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, located in the central coastal region south-west of

Nampula Province Nampula is a province of northern Mozambique. It has an area of and a population of 5,758,920, making it the most populous province in Mozambique (2017 census). Nampula is the capital of the province. History Under Portuguese rule this provinc ...

and north-east of

Sofala Province Sofala is a province of Mozambique. It has a population of 2,259,248 (2017 census). Beira is the capital of the province, named for the ruined port of Sofala which is to the south. History Portuguese landholder and imperialist Joaquim Carl ...

. It has a population of 5.11 million, according to the 2017 census. The provincial capital is

Quelimane Quelimane () is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais (or "River of the Good Signs"). The river was named when Va ...

. Zambezia has a total area of 103,478 km²; much of it drained by 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 ...

. Much of the coast consists of

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

swamps, and there is considerable forest inland. Agricultural products include

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

, cashews, sugarcane,

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu a ...

s, coconuts,

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

, and

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

. The country's largest tea estates are at

Gurúè Gurúè (also spelt Gurué; known before independence as ''Vila Junqueiro'') is a town located in the northern part of Mozambique, near the center of the province of Zambezia. It serves as the principal town of Gurué District, and is Mozambique' ...

, while

Lioma Lioma, also known as Nihoma in Lomwe, is an administrative post in Zambezia Province, Mozambique. It is a rural community dominated by agriculture, and a centre of soybean production. Lioma has suffered from numerous military conflicts during it ...

is a centre of soybean production.

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

is especially productive of shrimp, and gemstones are mined at several sites. Vasco da Gama landed at the site of Quelimane in 1498. Shortly after, the Portuguese established a permanent presence, and many moved up the Zambezi into the interior, for many years the farthest inland European presence (although over time there was much intermarrying, and few residents were of purely Portuguese descent).

Districts

Zambezia Province is divided into the 16 districts of: *

Alto Molocue District Alto Molocue District is a district of Zambezia Province in Mozambique. It covers, 6,368 km2 and has a population of, 278,064.Mozambique September 2007 census References Further readingDistrict profile(PDF Portable Document Format (PDF) ...

- with an area of 6,386 km² and 278,064 people, *

Chinde District Chinde District is a district of Zambezia Province in Mozambique. The principal town is Chinde. Further readingDistrict profile(PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to prese ...

- with an area of 4,403 km² and 121,173 people, *

Gilé District Gilé District is a district of Zambezia Province in Mozambique. Further readingDistrict profile(PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text for ...

- with an area of 8,875 km² and 168,962 people, * Gurué District - with an area of 5,606 km² and 302,948 people, * Ile District - with an area of 5,589 km² and 292,504 people, * Inhassunge District - with an area of 745 km² and 91,989 people, * Lugela District - with an area of 6,178 km² and 137,040 people, * Maganja da Costa District - with an area of 7,597 km² and 282,173 people, * Milange District - with an area of 9,794 km² and 515,029 people, * Mocuba District - with an area of 8,867 km² and 306,543 people, *

Mopeia District Mopeia District is a district of Zambezia Province in Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa border ...

- with an area of 7,614 km² and 115,614 people, * Morrumbala District - with an area of 12,972 km² and 361,896 people, * Namacurra District - with an area of 1,798 km² and 179,133 people, * Namarroi District - with an area of 3,019 km² and 127,651 people, * Nicoadala District - with an area of 3,582 km² and 232,929 people, and *

Pebane District Pebane District is a district of Zambezia Province in Mozambique. Further readingDistrict profile(PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text f ...

- with an area of 9,985 km² and 186,330 people. In addition, there is one municipality - the city of

- with an area of 117 km² and 192,876 population. The above district populations are from the provisional results of the September 2007 Census.

Demographics

References

Bibliography

External links

* http://www.mozambique.mz/provinc/zambezia/eindex.htm *
Province of Zambezia official site
*
Zambezia Online
{{Authority control Provinces of Mozambique Former Portuguese colonies

Districts

Demographics

See also

References

Bibliography

External links