Lichinga
Lichinga
| Lichinga | |
|---|---|
 Lichinga
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| Coordinates: 13°19′S 35°14′E / 13.317°S 35.233°E | |
| Country |  Mozambique |
| Provinces | Niassa Province |
| District | |
| Population (2007) | |
| - Total | 142 253 |
| Time zone | Central Africa Time (UTC+2) |
Lichinga is the capital city of Niassa Province of Mozambique. It lies on the Lichinga Plateau at an altitude of 1360 metre, east of Lake Niassa (Lake Malawi). The town was founded as Vila Cabral as a farming and military settlement. It is served by Lichinga Airport.
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History
Portuguese rule
Founded by the Portuguese in 1931 as Vila Cabral, the town was designed to become a fast growth urban centre, its streets and avenues paying attention to a projected future growth. Vila Cabral was upgraded to city status in 1962. In the early 1960s its population was 27,000 inhabitants; by 1970 it had 36,715. The city developed as an agriculture and colonial service centre until the independence of Mozambique from Portugal in 1975. In addtition, the town's economy included forestry-based activities and was surrounded by a pine tree plantation, which still remains there.
After independence from Portugal
After independence the new government renamed the city Lichinga. The effects of 17 years of civil war (1975-1992) spread famine and disease in Mozambique resulting in many deaths and refugees in the region around Lichinga.
Climate
Owing to its high altitude location the town experiences a modified tropical climate, with cool weather in the dry season (May to September) and average temperatures of 14.6oC in July. Summertime is October to April with the hottest weather in November: average temperature 21oC. This is also the season of heavy rain especially December to March. The annual rainfall is 1150 mm.
Demographics
There are a minimum estimated 450,000 Yao people living in Mozambique. They largely occupy the eastern and northern part of the Niassa province and form about 40% of the population of Lichinga.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1970 | 36 715 |
| 1997 | 89 043 |
| 2007 | 142 253 |
Transport
A railway branch line from the port of Nacala terminates in this town.
- ^ www.niassatourism.com, Retrieved on June 14, 2008
- ^ GISS climate averages for Lichinga 1951 to 1991, GHCN Climate data
- ^ "Mozambique: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". World Gazetteer. http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&geo=-153. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
Coordinates: 13°19′00″S 35°14′00″E / 13.3166667°S 35.2333333°E
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