Niassa is a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

with an area of 129,056 km² and a population of 1,810,794 (2017). It is the most sparsely populated province in the country.

Lichinga Lichinga is the capital city of Niassa Province of Mozambique. It lies on the Lichinga Plateau at an altitude of , east of Lake Niassa (Lake Malawi). The town was founded as Vila Cabral as a farming and military settlement. It is served by L ...

is the capital of the province. There are a minimum estimated 450,000

Yao people The Yao people () or Dao () is a classification for various ethnic minorities in China and Vietnam. Their majority branch is also known as Mien. They originated in the areas around Changsha, which today is the capital of Hunan province. They s ...

living in Mozambique. They largely occupy the eastern and northern part of the Niassa province and form about 40% of the population of Lichinga, the capital of this province. The Ruvuma River forms much of the northern boundary of the province with Ruvuma Region,

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, while Lake Niassa forms the western border of the province, separating it from

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

. 75% of the province remains untouched by development, and remains free of landmines. The province shares the Niassa National Reserve with neighboring

Cabo Delgado Province Cabo Delgado is the northernmost province of Mozambique. It has an area of and a population of 2,320,261 (2017). It borders the Mtwara Region in the neighbouring country of Tanzania, and the provinces of Nampula and Niassa. The Province is ri ...

Districts

Niassa Province is divided into the 16 districts of: * Cuamba District * Lago District *

Lichinga District Lichinga District is a district of Niassa Province in north-western Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Ma ...

* Majune District * Mandimba District * Marrupa District * Maúa District * Mavago District * Mecanhelas District * Mecula District * Metarica District * Muembe District * N'gauma District * Nipepe District * Sanga District * Chimbunila District and the municipalities of: * Cuamba *

* Metangula

Demographics

Languages

After the 2007 Census it was found that native speakers of Makhuwa were 42%, speakers of the

Yao language Yao is a Bantu language of Malawi and Mozambique. In Malawi, the main dialect is Mangochi, mostly spoken around in Mangochi District. In Mozambique, the main dialects are Makale and Massaninga. In Malawi, most Yao speakers live in the Southe ...

31%, speakers of the

Nyanja Chewa ( ; also known as Nyanja ) is a Bantu language spoken in Malawi and a recognised minority in Zambia and Mozambique. The noun class prefix ''chi-'' is used for languages, so the language is often called or Chinyanja. In Malawi, the name wa ...

or Chewa language a 11%, and Portuguese speakers 9%.

Religion

The majority in Niassa province practice Islam. Monotheist religion adherence was asked in the 2007 census (Protestant / Catholic / Muslim / Zion) leaving aside so-called traditional religion followers. Answers provided a majority of protestants (74%) in the administrative post of Cobue, bordering Lake Niassa and inhabited mostly by the Nyanja. The majority of the Yao are nominal Muslim (a fact that can be recognized in a map's administrative posts north of the river Messalo). South of the river, the Makhuwas follow the Catholic or Islamic faith.

Education

In 1998, a provincial college was built in Lichinga to train teachers. Partially financed by the Irish Embassy in Maputo, it graduates 60 teachers per year. Apart from training teachers for local schools, the college offers primary school education to the local Lichinga community and works towards reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS in Niassa province.

References

External links

Niassa Province landmine assessment

External links

*
Province of Niassa official site
*
including information about districts
{{Authority control Provinces of Mozambique