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, municipa ...

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 to ...

in south-western

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, Mala ...

. Its principal town is

Chokwe Chokwe may refer to: *Chokwe people, a Central African ethnic group ** Chokwe language, a Bantu language * Chokwe or Tshokwe, Botswana, a village * Chokwe, Malawi * Chókwè District, Mozambique **Chokwe, Mozambique Chokwé, and earlier known a ...

. The district is located in the south of the province, and borders with

Mabalane District Mabalane District is a district of Gaza Province in south-western Mozambique. The administrative center of the district is Mabalane. The district is located at the center of the province, and borders with Chicualacuala District in the north, Chi ...

in the north,

Guijá District Guijá District is a district of Gaza Province in south-western Mozambique. The administrative center of the district is Caniçado. The district is located at the south of the province, and borders with Chigubo District in the north, Chibuto Dis ...

in the east,

Chibuto Chibuto is a city located in the province of Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governor ...

Xai-Xai Xai-Xai () is a city in the south of Mozambique. Until 1975, the city was named João Belo. It is the capital of Gaza Province. As of 2007 it has a population of 116,343. History Portuguese rule Xai-Xai, formerly João Belo, developed in the e ...

, and

Bilene Macia District Bilene Macia District is a district of Gaza Province in south-western Mozambique. Its principal town is Macia. The district is located at the south of the province, and borders with Chókwè District in the north, Xai-Xai District in the east, a ...

s in the southeast,

Magude District Magude District is a district of Maputo Province in southern Mozambique. The principal town is Magude. The district is located in the north of the province, and borders with Massingir and Chókwè Districts of Gaza Province in the north, Manhi� ...

Maputo Province Maputo Province 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 ...

in the south, and with

Massingir District Massingir District is a district of Gaza Province in southwestern Mozambique. The administrative center of the district is in Massingir. The district is located in the west of the province, and borders with Chicualacuala District in the north, ...

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 mount ...

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) i ...

. 58% were analphabetic, mostly women.

Administrative divisions

The four administrative divisions ('' posto administrativo'') are: *

Chókwè Chokwé, and earlier known as Vila Trigo de Morais, is a rural town and capital of Chokwe District in the province of Gaza in Mozambique. It is located about north of the capital city of Maputo. This agricultural town is noted for its tomatoes. ...

, 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'', 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 a ...

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 i ...

, 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

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 (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the 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 1,08 ...

and

Chicualacuala Chicualacuala is a town located in the province of Gaza in Mozambique. The town is better known by this unofficial name (and the name of the district to which the town belongs) than by its official toponym Vila Eduardo Mondlane. History The co ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chokwe District Districts in Gaza Province