Zambezia Province

Zambezia
Province
Location of Zambezia in Mozambique
Location of Zambezia in Mozambique
CountryMozambique
CapitalQuelimane
Government
 • GovernorPio Augusto Matos[1]
Area
 • Total
103,478 km2 (39,953 sq mi)
Population
 (2017 census)
 • Total
5,110,787
 • Density49.3901/km2 (127.920/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (CAT)
Postal code
24xx
Area code(+258) 24
HDI (2019)0.426[2]
low · 9th of 11
Websitewww.zambezia.gov.mz

Zambezia (Portuguese: Zambézia [zɐ̃ˈbɛzjɐ]) is the second most-populous province of Mozambique. It is located in the central coastal region, and it borders the provinces of Niassa to the north, Nampula to the northeast, Sofala to the southwest, Tete to the west and the country of Malawi to the northwest. It has a population of 5.11 million, according to the 2017 census.[3] The provincial capital is Quelimane.

Zambezia has a total area of 103,478 km2. The 2,574 kilometre Zambezi River runs through Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and the Tete, Manica and Sofala provinces of Mozambique before emptying into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Zambezia, constituting its western border. Mangroves are predominant along the coast and considerable forests can be found inland, with a scattering of estuaries and rivers.

Zambezia's islands lie in the Primeiras e Segundas Environmental Protection Area. These islands split into the Primeiras Islands and Segundas Islands (First Islands and Second Islands in Portuguese) and are largely uninhabited, aside from providing a stop-off for artisanal fishers.[4] At present, only Ilha do Fogo, one of the Primeiras Islands, has infrastructure. It runs solely on clean energy, using solar power, and offers ecotourism retreats.[5]

Drone footage of Ilha do Fogo, Zambezia, showing the island's solar plant.
Drone footage of Ilha do Fogo, Zambezia, showing the island's solar plant.

Agricultural products include rice, maize, cassava, cashews, sugarcane, soybeans, coconuts, citrus, cotton, and tea. The country's largest tea estates are at Gurúè, while Lioma is a centre of soybean production.[6] Fishing 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 numerous years the furthest inland European presence (although over time there was much intermarrying, and few residents were of purely Portuguese descent).

Districts

Mount Ile, Zambezia

Zambezia Province is divided into 16 districts:

In addition, there is one municipality - the city of Quelimane - with an area of 117 km2 and a population of 192,876.

The above district populations are from the provisional results of the September 2007 census.

Demographics

Chapel in Gurue
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
19802,500,200—    
19973,096,400+1.27%
20073,890,453+2.31%
20175,164,732+2.87%
20205,567,252+2.53%
sources:[7][8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mozambique: The Netherlands and Germany launch a new €20 million investment in urban resilience in Zambezia Province". Mozambique. 24 March 2026. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  2. ↑ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  3. ↑ "censo-2017". INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTATÍSTICA - Moçambique. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "WWF Projects – The Primeiras and Segundas Archipelago". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "Accommodation". Unfound Africa. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  6. ↑ Di Matteo, Otsuki & Schoneveld (2016), p. 68.
  7. ↑ Cameroon: Administrative Division population statistics
  8. ↑ populationu

Bibliography

17°0′S 37°0′E / 17.000°S 37.000°E / -17.000; 37.000

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