Zambezia Province

Zambezia is the second most populous province of Mozambique, with 5.11 million people at the 2017 census, and it lies in the central coastal region. It borders Niassa to the north, Nampula to the northeast, Sofala to the southwest, Tete to the west and Malawi to the northwest. The provincial capital is Quelimane. The province has an area of 103,478 square kilometres, and the Zambezi River empties into the Indian Ocean off its coast. Mangroves are predominant along the coast and considerable forests can be found inland. Agricultural products include rice, maize, cassava, cashews, sugarcane, soybeans, coconuts, citrus, cotton and tea, and the country's largest tea estates are at Gurúè. Vasco da Gama landed at the site of Quelimane in 1498, after which the Portuguese established a permanent presence. The province is divided into 16 districts.