Mwinilunga is a town in the North-Western Province

North-Western Province, Zambia

North-Western Province is one of Zambia's nine provinces. It covers an area of 125,826 km² and has a population of 583,350 . It is the most sparsely populated province in the country...

 of Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

 and headquarters of a district of that name. It lies on the West Lunga River, not far from the borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

 and Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

.

Overview

The town had a population estimated at 14,500 in 2006. The Chilunda-speaking Kanongesha-Lunda people

Kanongesha-Lunda people

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

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

Bemba language

The Bemba language, ChiBemba , is a major Bantu language spoken primarily in north-eastern Zambia by the Bemba people and as a lingua franca by about 18 related ethnic groups, including the Bisa people of Mpika and Lake Bangweulu, and to a lesser extent in Katanga in the Democratic Republic of the...

 Kazembe-Lunda

Eastern 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 use Kazembe-Lunda or Luunda with an elongated 'u' to...

 of Luapula Province.

The town's elevation is 1387 m and it is one of the wettest places in Zambia with annual rainfall of about 1400 mm falling in the rainy season from October to May. The town is also home to a small airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

.

Schools

Mwinilunga Secondary School, is the largest school to date in town, 1985-1987 Tresford Kampinda Tungati was one of the studends to study at this school, followed by kingston Mwamba Tungati 1994 era, Festus Nkandu Tungati 1999 era and lastely Jeff Mulenga 2001 era.
Government and Community Schools pepper the rural area surrounding the BOMA (British Overseas Management Area) and provide education for children grades 1 to 12.

Industry

Attempts have been made to establish industries in the town such as the TIKA Iron and Steel plant and the pineapple cannery. Neither were commercially successful and have closed due to the distance of the town from the markets of the Copperbelt and the lack of a railway and source of coking coal for the TIKA plant.

In 2006 plans were formulated to extend the proposed railway to Solwezi

Solwezi

Solwezi is the capital of the North Western Province of Zambia. Solwezi has approximately 65,000 inhabitants at an elevation of 1235 m above sea level...

 to the town and even on to the Benguela Railway in Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

 to avoid reliance on the line in the DR Congo, but these plans have not been confirmed and the Benguela Railway has not been re-opened.

Mwinilungu ought to benefit from trade with Angola and DR Congo (which both have considerable Lunda populations too) but wars, poor road conditions and various trade policies between the countries have so far prevented trade developing.

Forest Fruits Ltd. has been operating in Mwinilunga since 1997, successfully working with over 5000 beekeepers in the region to export organic honey to the European market.

There is much work investigating the possibility of nearby copper and uranium deposits. Such mines already exist in various location along the highway between Solwezi and Mwinilunga.

Tourism

The annual Chisemwa cha Lunda ceremony held by Senior Chief Kanongesha

Chief Kanongesha

Chief Kanongesha is a Senior Chieftainship of the Kanongesha-Lunda people in the North-Western Province of Zambia, based about west of the district headquarters, Mwinilunga....

 of the Lunda draws crowds to the district every September.

Mwinilunga lies south east of the rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

 Nchila Wildlife Reserve, known for its sable antelope

Sable Antelope

The Sable Antelope is an antelope which inhabits wooded savannah in East Africa south of Kenya, and in Southern Africa.-Subspecies:There are four subspecies:* H. n. niger which is considered low risk conservation dependent...

 and other large mammals, Luakela Forest Reserve and the Chitunta Plain, known for its birdlife and as the source of the Zambezi River.