Chókwè District

Chókwè
District
Aerial view of Chókwè
Chókwè District on the map of Mozambique
Country	Mozambique
Province	Gaza
Capital	Chokwe
Area
• Total	2,466 km2 (952 sq mi)
Population (2007 census)
• Total	187,422
• Density	76/km2 (200/sq mi)

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).

It is regarded as the economic capital of Gaza Province. Chokwe District has one of the most extensive health networks in Mozambique. It is inhabited by Tsonga-shangaan speaking people. However, in the post independence period it has seen an influx of people from other ethnic groups. Chokwe, being in the Limpopo Corridor, is also home to many Zimbabwean immigrants. It has banks, a community radio station (Radio Vembe), and a train station.

In 2013, singer Stewart Sukuma, National Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Mozambique, visited flood victims at the Chiaquelane accommodation center in Chókwè District, evacuated due to flooding of the Limpopo River.

The whole district is flat, with the maximum altitude below 100 metres (330 ft) above the sea level, and located in the valley of the Limpopo River, which traverses the district from northwest to southeast. A major right tributary of the Limpopo is the Olifants River.

The climate is tropical semi-arid, with the average annual rainfall ranging 500 millimetres (20 in) and 800 millimetres (31 in).