Chama District

Last updated
Chama District
Chama District, Zambia 2022.png
District location in Zambia
CountryFlag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
Province Eastern Province
Capital Chama
Area
  Total17,472.8 km2 (6,746.3 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)
  Total140,326
  Density8.0/km2 (21/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+2 (CAT)

Chama District with the headquarters at Chama is the largest district of the Eastern Province in Zambia and includes a large wilderness in the Upper Luangwa valley just north-east of the North Luangwa National Park. It is made up of two constituencies, namely Chama North and Chama South.

Contents

Much of the population of Chama District lives close to the Malawi border and shares tribal and cultural links with the people of the northern highlands of that country. The people of Chama belong mostly to the Senga tribe. Members of the Tumbuka tribe also live in Chama. Chisenga, a language similar to ChiTumbuka and Chichewa or Nyanja, is the predominant language spoken.[ citation needed ]

Agriculture is the leading industry, and maize is the most common crop. Chama is also known as a rice-growing area. Cotton is a lucrative crop for some. Sorghum and soyabeans are also grown. Other common food crops include groundnuts, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cabbage, sunflowers.[ citation needed ]

As of the 2022 Zambian Census, the district had a population of 140,326 people. [1]

History

In 2012, President Michael Sata created a new province in Zambia, namely Muchinga Province. Every district of Muchinga Province was formerly part of the Northern Province, except for Chama District, which was formerly part of the Eastern Province. [2]

Nine years later, on 17 November 2021, President Hakainde Hichilema announced his intention to reverse the decision to move Chama District from Eastern Province. [3] President Hichilema officially declared Chama District as part of Eastern Province (no-longer part of Muchinga Province), thereby returning the district to its original province. [3]

Geography

Map of Chama's Ward Wards of Chama District (2010).png
Map of Chama's Ward

As of 2010, Chama District's two constituencies consist of 22 wards. [4]

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Chama is a small town in the Eastern Province of Zambia, and is headquarters of Chama District. It is one of the most remote district headquarters in the country, lying just inside the eastern edge of the upper Luangwa Rift Valley, at the foot of the highlands dividing Zambia and Malawi. It is served by only one gravel road which comes from Lundazi and the provincial capital of the Eastern Province, Chipata, 300 km to the south. A dirt track connects the town to the South Luangwa National Park 200 km south-west, running parallel to the Luangwa River. A little-used dirt track follows the Malawi border further north and crosses into Isoka District west of the Nyika Plateau. The Road Development Agency is also developing a road from Chama westwards across the Luangwa River to the town of Matumbo, where the road will end at a junction with the T2 Road, Zambia's Great North Road. It is meant to be the 2nd main road out of Chama after the Lundazi-Chipata Route and is meant to provide access for Chama Residents to the headquarters of Muchinga Province, which is Chinsali.

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References

  1. 2022 Census of Population and Housing - Preliminary Report (PDF)
  2. "Muchinga Province: Stop Sata's breeding of tribalism". Zambian Watchdog. 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  3. 1 2 "Zambia : President Hichilema to give back Chirundu and Itezhi Districts to Southern Province" . Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  4. "Chama (District, Zambia) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2023-04-24.

11°15′S32°50′E / 11.250°S 32.833°E / -11.250; 32.833