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About Niassa
| Location | Niassa is located in the north-west of Mozambique and borders with Lake Niassa and Malawi in the West, Tanzania in the North, and the provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula to the east and Zambézia to the South | ||
| Area | 129,056 km2. This is roughly equivalent to a square of 350 x 350 km. | ||
| Population | With 966,579 inhabitants (approximately 5% of the country´s population), Niassa is Mozambique´s least populated province. Population density is 7 inhabitants per km2 (2003). Population densities vary markedly from less than 0.1 people per km2 in the Niassa Reserve to 41 per km2 in Mandimba and 365 per km2 in Lichinga city. Population growth has been estimated at 2.1% | ||
| Ethnic Groups | Primary population groups are the Makua (55%) in the southern and eastern parts, the Yao (37%) in and around Lichinga and the Nyanja (8%) in the Lake Niassa region. | ||
| Capital | Lichinga, with a population of around 60,000 inhabitants. Cuamba is known to be Niassa’s commercial hub. | ||
| Climate | Cuamba in the hot lowlands: average 24oC . Max temp. ranges from 28 oC in the coolest month (June) to 35 oC in the hottest month (October/November). Night temperatures range between 11 oC in June and 20 oC in the hottest months.
Lichinga on the cooler high plateau: Average 19 oC. Max temp. ranges from 22 oC in the coolest month (June) to 28 oC in the hottest month (October). Night temperatures range between 9 oC in June and 15 oC in the hottest months. Niassa enjoys relatively high rainfall. Mean annual rainfall is greater than 800 mm. Highest rainfall is receied on the Lichinga planalto, rising to over 1 800 mm per annum for the highest elevations. |
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| Economy | The majority of Niassa’s residents are rural small scale farmers whose livelihoods depend directly on the utilization and management of natural resources | ||
| Output | Niassa contributes to approximately 3% of Mozambique´s GDP. | ||
| Land | Niassa has abundant land resources. Only 2% is currently cultivated. Land use rights of the communities are protected by customary law. Less than 2% of small holders in Niassa holds a formal land use title (2006). | ||
| Wildlife and Tourism | Niassa supports the largest wildlife population within Mozambique, principally within the Niassa Reserve. The relatively low nutrient status of soils, wildlife densities are relatively low and can not be expected to ever attain the higher densities that occur elsewhere in richer ecosystems.Tourism has been identified as an area of high potential and there are plans to establish additional tourism destinations and linkages to a broader regional tourism industry which involves the Pemba coastline, Lake Malawi, the Selous Game Reserve, The Niassa Reserve and the Luangwa region of eastern Zambia | ||
| Forestry | Niassa currently holds plantations of approximately 1 500 ha of pine and eucalyptus. Niassa has vast tracts of degraded which is suitable for forest plantation. 2.4 million ha has been identified by the Ministry of Agriculture as suitable for Forestry Plantation. Three forestry investors have recently decided to establish forest plantations in Niassa. Their plan is to plant approximately 180 000 ha of eucalyptus, pine, teak and indigenous species such as the Niassa mahogany “mbaua” | ||
| Agriculture | 94% of the Niassa population are subsistence farmers. Average crop yields are about half of the regional averageThe most significant industrial developments in the province are the processing of cotton and tobacco in Cuamba. | ||
| Access to Health Service | 30% | ||
| Access to Financial Services | Less than 2% of population | ||
| Analphabetism | Women 78.3%, Men 50.1% | ||
| HIV prevalence | 16% | ||
| Income per Capita | 16 USD per month | ||