Zambezia Province
Encyclopedia
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, located in the central coastal region south-west of Nampula Province
Nampula Province
Nampula is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 81,606 km² and a population of 3.985.285 . Nampula is the capital of the province...
and north-east of Sofala Province
Sofala Province
Sofala is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 68,018 km² and a population of 1.676.131 . Beira is the capital of the province. The province is named for the ruined port of Sofala.- Districts :Districts of Sofala Province include:...
. It has a population of 3,794,509 (2006). The provincial capital is Quelimane
Quelimane
Quelimane is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands 25 km from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais . The river was named when Vasco da Gama, on his way to India, reached it and saw "good signs" that he was on...
on the Bons Sinais River.
Zambezia has a total area of 103,127 km2, much of it drained by the Zambezi River. Much of the coast consists of mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
swamps, and there is considerable forest inland.
Agricultural products include rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
, cashew
Cashew
The cashew is a tree in the family Anacardiaceae. Its English name derives from the Portuguese name for the fruit of the cashew tree, caju, which in turn derives from the indigenous Tupi name, acajú. It is now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew nuts and cashew apples.-Etymology:The...
s, sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
, coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s, citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, and tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
; the country's largest tea estates are at Gurúè
Gurúè
Gurúè is located in the northern part of Mozambique, near the center of the province of Zambezia. It is the country's largest tea estate...
. Fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
is especially productive of shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
, and gemstone
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
s are mined at several sites.
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
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
The sixteen districts of Zambezia Province comprise:- Alto Molocue DistrictAlto Molocue DistrictAlto Molocue District is a district of Zambezia Province in Mozambique. It covers 6,368 km² and has a population of 278,064 .-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 6,386 km² and 278,064 population, - Chinde DistrictChinde DistrictChinde District is a district of Zambezia Province in Mozambique. The principal town is Chinde.-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 4,403 km² and 121,173 population, - Gilé DistrictGilé District-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 8,875 km² and 168,962 population, - Gururé District - with an area of 5,606 km² and 302,948 population,
- Ile District - with an area of 5,589 km² and 292,504 population,
- Inhassunge DistrictInhassunge District-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 745 km² and 91,989 population, - Lugela DistrictLugela District-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 6,178 km² and 137,040 population, - Maganja da Costa DistrictMaganja da Costa District-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 7,597 km² and 282,173 population, - Milange DistrictMilange District-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 9,794 km² and 515,029 population, - Mocuba DistrictMocuba DistrictMocuba District is a district of Zambezia Province in Mozambique. The main town is Mocuba.The district has 214748 inhabitants as of the 1997 census.-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 8,867 km² and 306,543 population, - Mopeia DistrictMopeia District-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 7,614 km² and 115,614 population, - Morrumbala DistrictMorrumbala District-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 12,972 km² and 361,896 population, - Namacurra DistrictNamacurra DistrictNamacurra District is a district of Zambezia Province in Mozambique.-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 1,798 km² and 179,133 population, - Namarroi DistrictNamarroi District-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 3,019 km² and 127,651 population, - Nicoadala DistrictNicoadala District-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 3,582 km² and 232,929 population, - Pebane DistrictPebane District-Further reading:*...
- with an area of 9,985 km² and 186,330 population.
In addition, there is one municipality - the city of Quelimane - with an area of 117 km² and 192,876 population.
The above district populations are from the provisional results of the September 2007 Census.
Stamps and postal history of Zambezia
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s for it starting in 1894, with the standard design depicting King Charles, and likewise in 1898. A provisional issue came in 1902 to reflect changed rates, then after the revolution of 1910 there were several issues overprint
Overprint
An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage stamp or banknote after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purposes such as accounting but they are also employed in public mail...
ed "REPUBLICA".
The postal districts of Quelimane
Quelimane
Quelimane is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands 25 km from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais . The river was named when Vasco da Gama, on his way to India, reached it and saw "good signs" that he was on...
and Tete
Tete
-External links:* *...
were created from parts of Zambezia in about 1913, and then stamps of Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
replaced stamps of Zambezia around 1920.
External links
- http://www.mozambique.mz/provinc/zambezia/eindex.htm Province of Zambezia official site Zambezia Online