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The Limpopo National Park (Portuguese : Parque Nacional do Limpopo) was born when the status of Coutada 16 Wildlife Utilisation Area in Gaza Province, Mozambique, was changed from a hunting concession to a protected area. It forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park with the Kruger National Park in South Africa and the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe.
Administratively, the park is split between Chicualacuala District (6,400 square kilometres (2,500 sq mi)), Massingir District (2,100 square kilometres (810 sq mi)), and Mabalane District (1,500 square kilometres (580 sq mi)). [1] The park is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a 35,000 km2 peace park that links this park, Kruger National Park in South Africa, Gonarezhou National Park, Manjinji Pan Sanctuary and Malipati Safari Area in Zimbabwe, as well as the area between Kruger and Gonarezhou, the Sengwe communal land in Zimbabwe and the Makuleke region in South Africa. [2]
This park is home to mammalian species including elephant, lion, Cape wild dog, leopard, rhinoceros, blue wildebeest, spotted hyena, Cape buffalo, mongoose, kudu, giraffe, zebra, oribi, and hippopotamus.
With the help of R42 million donated by Germany the new park is being developed with fencing and anti-poaching units. The park is divided up into three separate zones of use: a tourist zone, a wilderness zone, and a resource utilization zone (hunting). In the south is the Massingir Dam and the town of Massingir in Massingir District, which is the administrative headquarters of the new park, while on the northern border is the Limpopo River.
In 2001 the translocation of a large number of animals from the Kruger National Park to new park had got underway. Work on the new Giriyondo Border Post between South Africa and Mozambique has started in March 2004.
The Limpopo River rises in South Africa and flows generally eastward through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers led by Hosi Rivombo who settled in the mountainous vicinity and named the area after their leader. The river has been called the Vhembe by local Venda communities of the area where now that name has been adopted by the South African government as its District Municipality in the north, a name that was also suggested in 2002 as a possible title for the province but was voted against. The river is approximately 1,750 km (1,090 mi) long, with a drainage basin of 415,000 km2 (160,000 sq mi) in size. The mean discharge measured over a year is 170 m3/s (6,000 cu ft/s) to 313 m3/s (11,100 cu ft/s) at its mouth. The Limpopo is the second largest African river that drains to the Indian Ocean, after the Zambezi River.
Kruger National Park is a South African National Park and one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of 19,623 km2 (7,576 sq mi) in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends 360 km (220 mi) from north to south and 65 km (40 mi) from east to west. The administrative headquarters are in Skukuza. Areas of the park were first protected by the government of the South African Republic in 1898, and it became South Africa's first national park in 1926.
Masvingo, previously named Victoria, is a province in southeastern Zimbabwe. It has a population of 1.638 million as of the 2022 census, ranking fifth out of Zimbabwe's ten provinces. Established by the British South Africa Company, it was one of the five original provinces of Southern Rhodesia. In 1982, two years after Zimbabwean independence, it was renamed Masvingo Province. The province is divided into seven districts, including Masvingo District, which contains the provincial capital Masvingo City.
Gaza is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 75,709 km2 and a population of 1,422,460, which is the least populous of all the provinces of Mozambique.
Gonarezhou National Park is a national park located in southeastern Zimbabwe. It is situated in a relatively remote corner of Masvingo Province, south of Chimanimani along the Mozambique border. Owing to its vast size, rugged terrain and its location away from main tourist routes, large tracts of Gonarezhou remain pristine wilderness.
Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park is a 35,000 km² peace park that is in the process of being formed. It will link the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, Kruger National Park in South Africa, Gonarezhou National Park, Manjinji Pan Sanctuary and Malipati Safari Area in Zimbabwe, as well as the area between Kruger and Gonarezhou, the Sengwe communal land in Zimbabwe and the Makuleke region in South Africa.
Luambe National Park is located in the Eastern Province of Zambia. The park is situated north-east of the famous South Luangwa National Park, and south of the North Luangwa National Park. Like its neighbours, it is located in the Luangwa River rift valley.
The wildlife of Zimbabwe occurs foremost in remote or rugged terrain, in national parks and private wildlife ranches, in miombo woodlands and thorny acacia or kopje. The prominent wild fauna includes African buffalo, African bush elephant, black rhinoceros, southern giraffe, African leopard, lion, plains zebra, and several antelope species.
Chókwè District is a district of Gaza Province in south-western Mozambique. Its principal town is Chokwe. The district is located in the south of the province, and borders with Mabalane District in the north, Guijá District in the east, Chibuto, Xai-Xai, and Bilene Macia Districts in the southeast, Magude District of Maputo Province in the south, and with Massingir District in the west. The area of the district is 2,466 square kilometres (952 sq mi). It has a population of 187,422 (2007).
Chicualacuala District is a district of Gaza Province in south-western Mozambique. It has a population of 41,638 (2011) and covers 18,155 square kilometres (7,010 sq mi). The population density of Chicualacuala District 2.1 residents per square kilometers, significantly lower than the average of 17.5 in Gaza Province.
Chigubo District is a district of Gaza Province in south-western Mozambique. The administrative center of the district is Dindiza. The district is located in the east of the province, and borders with Massangena District in the north, Mabote and Funhalouro Districts of Inhambane Province in the east, Chibuto District in the south, Guijá District in the southwest, Mabalane District in the west, and with Chicualacuala District in the northwest. The area of the district is 14,864 square kilometres (5,739 sq mi). It has a population of 20,685 (2007).
Mabalane District is a district of Gaza Province in south-western Mozambique. The administrative center of the district is Mabalane. The district is located at the center of the province, and borders with Chicualacuala District in the north, Chigubo District in the east, Guijá District in the southeast, Chókwè District in the south, and with Massingir District in the west. The area of the district is 9,107 square kilometres (3,516 sq mi). It has a population of 32,040 (2007).
Massingir District is a district of Gaza Province in southwestern Mozambique. The administrative center of the district is in Massingir. The district is located in the west of the province, and borders with Chicualacuala District in the north, Mabalane District in the east, Chókwè District in the southeast, Magude District of Maputo Province in the south, and with South Africa in the west. The area of the district is 5,893 square kilometres (2,275 sq mi). It has a population of 28,470 (2007).
Sengwe Safari Area is an area of protected wilderness in southeast Zimbabwe which forms a transnational corridor between Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe and Kruger National Park in South Africa. It is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.
Banhine National Park is a protected area in northern Gaza Province, Mozambique. The park was established on 26 June 1973. In 2013 the limits of Park were updated to better reflect the realities on the ground, particularly the human presence in the area.
The Zinave National Park is a protected area in Mabote District of Inhambane Province, Mozambique, created by decree on 26 June 1973.
Massingir Dam is a dam on the Rio dos Elefantes, Gaza Province, Mozambique. It is named after the town of Massingir, in Massingir District. The Shingwedzi River flows close to the northeastern side of the reservoir and joins the Rio dos Elefantes about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) downstream from the dam wall.
The Zambezian and mopane woodlands is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of southeastern Africa.
The Peace Park Foundation, founded in 1997 by Dr Anton Rupert, President Nelson Mandela and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, is an organisation that aims to re-establish, renew and conserve large ecosystems in Africa, transcending man-made boundaries by creating regionally integrated and sustainably managed networks of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs). Peace Parks Foundation has been involved in the establishment and development of ten of the 18 TFCAs found throughout southern Africa, all of which are in various stages of development. The establishment of each TFCA, or peace park, is complex and far-reaching, and involves several phases of activity, which can take many years to achieve.