Niassa Province

Niassa Province is the northwestern province of Mozambique, with an area of 129,056 square kilometres and a population of 1,810,794 at the 2017 count, which makes it the most sparsely populated province in the country. Its capital is Lichinga. The Ruvuma River forms much of its northern boundary with Tanzania, and Lake Niassa separates it from Malawi on the west. About 75 percent of the province remains untouched by development, and it shares the Niassa National Reserve with Cabo Delgado Province. Makhuwa and Yao are the most widely spoken languages, most of the Yao are nominally Muslim, and the province is divided into 16 districts.