Zambezia Province

Zambezia Zambézia (Portuguese)
Province
Location of Zambezia in Mozambique
Country	Mozambique
Capital	Quelimane
Area
• Total	103,478 km2 (39,953 sq mi)
Population  (2017 census)
• Total	5,110,787
• Density	49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (CAT)
Postal code	24xx
Area code	(+258) 24
HDI (2019)	0.426[1] low · 9th of 11
Website	www.zambezia.gov.mz

Zambezia (Portuguese: Zambézia [zɐ̃ˈbɛzjɐ]) is the second most-populous province of Mozambique, located in the central coastal region south-west of Nampula Province and north-east of Sofala Province. It has a population of 5.11 million, according to the 2017 census.^[2] 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 Mozambique before emptying into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Zambezia. Mangroves are predominant along the coast and five of the 10 islands archipelago are offshore of the region. 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. This string of islands is 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 local artisanal fishers.^[3] 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.^[4]

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.^[5] 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 many years the farthest inland European presence (although over time there was much intermarrying, and few residents were of purely Portuguese descent).