Mabalane (District)

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Mabalane District
Location of the Mabalane district in Mozambique
Location of the Mabalane district in Mozambique
Basic data
Country Mozambique
province Gaza
surface 8922 km²
Residents 36,121 (2013)
density 4 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2 MZ-G

Coordinates: 23 ° 51 ′  S , 32 ° 36 ′  E

Mabalane is a district in the province of Gaza in Mozambique with the administrative seat in the city of Mabalane . Mabalane borders the districts Chicualacuala and Chigubo in the north, the districts Chicualacuala and Massingir in the west, the districts Guijá and Chokwé in the south and the districts Guijá and Chigubo in the east.

geography

Mabalane is located in the north of the province of Gaza and has an area of ​​8,922 square kilometers and 36,121 inhabitants (as of 2013). This gives a population density of 4 people per square kilometer.

Limpopo in 1999 (before the flood)
Limpopo during the flood in 2000

The main river is the Limpopo , which flows through the district in the western part of the country from north to south. Other major rivers in the district are the Chigombi in the north, the Sungutanu in the center, and the Chichakware and Mbalavala in the south. The Limpopo repeatedly overflows its banks, one of the largest floods was in 2000.

The climate is a tropical savanna climate with an average annual temperature of over 24 degrees Celsius and an average annual rainfall of less than 500 millimeters. The water shortage is exacerbated by the fact that it rains very irregularly. About half of the annual precipitation falls in the three months of December to February.

There are fertile alluvial soils along the Limpopo plain, otherwise the land is slightly hilly with a height of less than 200 meters.

history

In 1957, the Portuguese colonial government set up an administrative office at Pinto Teixeira station. A prison was built next to the train station. After independence, Pinto Teixeira was renamed Mabalane.

population

The population is very young, 49 percent are under fifteen years old (as of 2013). The most common mother tongue is Tsonga , only 14 percent of the population over five years of age speaks Portuguese. The illiteracy rate is particularly high among women, with only a third of residents attending primary school.

Illiteracy in percent of the age group (as of 2007)

Facilities and services

In the district there are (as of 2012) 63 elementary schools ( Primárias) and two secondary schools (Secundárias) . Of the primary schools, 46 are public schools and 17 are private schools, and of the secondary schools, both are public. In elementary schools the student-teacher ratio is 36: 1, in secondary schools 17: 1.

There are three health centers and four health stations in Mabalane (as of 2012).

Administrative division

The district of Mabalane is divided into three administrative posts ( postos administrativos );

Economy and Infrastructure

In 2007, 48 percent of households had a radio and 6 percent a television. 35 percent owned a bicycle and 3 percent a car.

Agriculture

Agriculture is the most important source of income for the population. In 2010 there were 4,978 small and 8 large farms growing staple foods. The small ones averaged two and the large 180 acres. There were also 5,110 cattle breeders, twelve of them large, who cultivated more than ten percent of the total area of ​​11,000 hectares. Most of the cultivation areas are in the Limpopo Valley, the most important fruits are cassava , corn, beans, peanuts and rice. Because of the abundance of grass growth, livestock is the most important agricultural activity. Cattle are the most common, but there are also goats, sheep and pigs. The district is also rich in forests. The ecosystem is threatened by uncontrolled fires and the exploitation for the production of firewood and charcoal. Since many rivers only have periodic water, fishing is limited to the Limpopo.

Natural resources

The district has no natural resources.

traffic

  • Street; The main road link is the national road EN208, which connects Chókwè with Mabalane and Chicualacuala. Many roads are impassable in the rainy season , so cycling is a common mode of transport.
place km Type
Mabalane - Chókwè 73 National road (EN)
Mabalane - Chicualcuala 61 National road (EN)
Mabalane - Guijá 53 Regional road (ER)
Mabalane - Chigubo 80 Regional road (NC)
Combomune - Djasy 37 Regional road (NC)
Psitima - Chicondzo 135 Regional road (NC)
  • Rail: The main mode of transport is the Limpopo railway line, which connects Maputo with Zimbabwe . It crosses the district from north to south and also touches Chókwè, Guijá, Chigubo and Chicualacuala.
Silk plant family (Orbea maculata)

National park

The district of Mabalane has a share in two national parks that cover more than a third of the area of ​​the district.

  • Limpopo National Park : This national park with a total area of ​​35,000 square kilometers was established in 2002 on the territories of Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The proportion of Mabalane is 1,500 square kilometers.
  • Banhine National Park : With an area of ​​7,000 square kilometers, it includes the districts of Chicualacula, Chigubo and Mabalane, the proportion of Mabalane is 1,600 square kilometers.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatístic, Estatísticas do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2013, p. 10 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  2. ↑ International Research Institute for Climate & Society, Flood Management in Mozambique. (pdf) 2007, accessed on September 5, 2019 (English).
  3. ↑ Climate-Data, Gaza climate table, Mabalane. Retrieved September 4, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Perfil do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2005, pp. 2–3 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  5. ↑ Perfil do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2005, pp. 6–7 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  6. ↑ Perfil do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2005, p. 9 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  7. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatístic, Estatísticas do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2013, p. 18 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  8. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatístic, Estatísticas do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2013, pp. 19–22 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  9. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatístic, Estatísticas do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2013, p. 24 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  10. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatístic, Estatísticas do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2013, p. 14 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  11. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatístic, Estatísticas do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2013, p. 26 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  12. ^ University of Edinburgh, Understanding Land Use and Land Cover and Woodland-Based Ecosystem Services Change, Mabalane, Mozambique. (pdf) 2017, accessed on September 5, 2019 (English).
  13. ↑ Perfil do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2005, pp. 4–6 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  14. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estatístic, Estatísticas do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2013, p. 10 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  15. ↑ Perfil do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2005, p. 3 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  16. ↑ Perfil do Distrito de Mabalane. (pdf) 2005, p. 42 , accessed on September 4, 2019 (Portuguese).
  17. ↑ Africa Guide, Mozambique National Parks and Game Reserves. Retrieved September 5, 2019 .