Lichinga
Capital of Niassa Province, Mozambique
title: "Lichinga" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-niassa-province", "provincial-capitals-in-mozambique", "populated-places-established-in-1931", "lichinga-district"] description: "Capital of Niassa Province, Mozambique" topic_path: "general/populated-places-in-niassa-province" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichinga" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Capital of Niassa Province, Mozambique ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| official_name | Lichinga |
| image_skyline | Conselho Municipal Lichinga.jpg |
| image_caption | Municipal Council of Lichinga |
| pushpin_map | Mozambique |
| pushpin_mapsize | 240 |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | Mozambique |
| subdivision_type1 | Provinces |
| subdivision_name1 | Niassa Province |
| subdivision_type2 | District |
| leader_title1 | |
| area_total_km2 | 280 |
| population_as_of | 2017 census |
| settlement_type | |
| population_total | 213361 |
| population_density_km2 | auto |
| timezone | CAT |
| utc_offset | +2 |
| coordinates | |
| elevation_footnotes | |
| elevation_m | 1398 |
| blank_name | Climate |
| blank_info | Cwb |
| :: |
|official_name = Lichinga
|other_name =
|native_name =
|nickname =
|motto =
|image_skyline =Conselho Municipal Lichinga.jpg
|imagesize =
|image_caption =Municipal Council of Lichinga
|image_flag =
|flag_size =
|image_seal =
|seal_size =
|image_shield =
|shield_size =
|image_blank_emblem =
|blank_emblem_size =
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|pushpin_map = Mozambique
|pushpin_label_position =
|pushpin_mapsize =240
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = Mozambique
|subdivision_type1 = Provinces
|subdivision_name1 = Niassa Province
|subdivision_type2 = District
|subdivision_name2 =
|government_type =
|leader_title =
|leader_name =
|leader_title1 =
|leader_name1 =
|established_title =
|established_date =
|area_magnitude =
|area_footnotes =
|area_total_km2 = 280
|area_land_km2 =
|area_water_km2 =
|area_total_sq_mi =
|area_land_sq_mi =
|area_water_sq_mi =
|area_water_percent =
|area_urban_km2 =
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|area_metro_km2 =
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|population_as_of = 2017 census
|population_footnotes =
|population_note =
|settlement_type =
|population_total = 213361
|population_density_km2 = auto
|population_density_sq_mi =
|population_metro =
|population_density_metro_km2 =
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|population_urban =
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|timezone = CAT
|utc_offset = +2
|timezone_DST =
|utc_offset_DST =
|coordinates =
|elevation_footnotes =
|elevation_m = 1398
|elevation_ft =
|blank_name = Climate
|blank_info = Cwb
Lichinga is the capital city of Niassa Province of Mozambique. It lies on the Lichinga Plateau at an altitude of 1360 m, east of Lake Niassa (Lake Malawi). The town was founded as Vila Cabral as a farming and military settlement. It is served by Lichinga Airport. The province borders Ruvuma Region in Tanzania.
History
Early history
The region that is Niassa province is the ancestral homeland of the Yao and Makua.
Portuguese rule
Founded by the Portuguese colonial administration in 1931 as Vila Cabral, the town was designed to become a fast growth urban centre, its streets and avenues paying attention to a projected future growth. Vila Cabral was upgraded to city status in 1962. In the early 1960s its population was 27,000 inhabitants; by 1970 it had 36,715. The city developed as an agriculture and colonial service centre until the independence of Mozambique from Portugal in 1975. In addition, the town's economy included forestry-based activities and was surrounded by a pine tree plantation.
After independence from Portugal
After independence the new government renamed the city Lichinga. The effects of 17 years of civil war (1975-1992) spread famine and disease in Mozambique resulting in many deaths and refugees in the region around Lichinga.
Climate
Owing to its high altitude location the town experiences a moderate subtropical highland climate (Cwb, according to the Köppen climate classification), with cool weather in the dry season (May to September) and average temperatures of 15.5 C in July. Summertime is October to April with the hottest weather in November: average temperature 22 C. This is also the season of heavy rain especially December to March. The annual rainfall is 1171 mm.
|location = Lichinga, elevation 1365 m, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present) |single line = Yes |metric first = Yes |Jan record high C = 31.0 |Feb record high C = 30.2 |Mar record high C = 29.8 |Apr record high C = 30.3 |May record high C = 32.4 |Jun record high C = 27.6 |Jul record high C = 29.0 |Aug record high C = 29.8 |Sep record high C = 31.0 |Oct record high C = 36.4 |Nov record high C = 35.0 |Dec record high C = 32.3 |year record high C = |Jan high C = 25.3 |Feb high C = 25.0 |Mar high C = 25.4 |Apr high C = 24.2 |May high C = 23.4 |Jun high C = 21.7 |Jul high C = 20.8 |Aug high C = 23.2 |Sep high C = 26.6 |Oct high C = 27.1 |Nov high C = 28.6 |Dec high C = 26.0 |year high C = |Jan mean C = 20.3 |Feb mean C = 20.4 |Mar mean C = 20.0 |Apr mean C = 19.0 |May mean C = 17.7 |Jun mean C = 15.7 |Jul mean C = 15.5 |Aug mean C = 17.1 |Sep mean C = 19.4 |Oct mean C = 21.5 |Nov mean C = 21.9 |Dec mean C = 20.7 |year mean C = 18.4 |Jan low C = 17.0 |Feb low C = 16.6 |Mar low C = 16.1 |Apr low C = 14.8 |May low C = 12.8 |Jun low C = 11.0 |Jul low C = 11.2 |Aug low C = 11.4 |Sep low C = 12.9 |Oct low C = 15.7 |Nov low C = 16.6 |Dec low C = 17.4 |year low C = |Jan record low C = 10.4 |Feb record low C = 11.0 |Mar record low C = 9.0 |Apr record low C = 6.0 |May record low C = 1.9 |Jun record low C = 2.7 |Jul record low C = 1.0 |Aug record low C = 1.8 |Sep record low C = 6.6 |Oct record low C = 8.5 |Nov record low C = 8.9 |Dec record low C = 10.5 |year record low C = |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 222.5 |Feb precipitation mm = 224.1 |Mar precipitation mm = 201.2 |Apr precipitation mm = 91.9 |May precipitation mm = 24.6 |Jun precipitation mm = 2.8 |Jul precipitation mm = 3.6 |Aug precipitation mm = 1.0 |Sep precipitation mm = 3.4 |Oct precipitation mm = 19.4 |Nov precipitation mm = 103.0 |Dec precipitation mm = 234.6 |year precipitation mm = 1132.1 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm |Jan precipitation days = 19.4 |Feb precipitation days = 16.9 |Mar precipitation days = 17.8 |Apr precipitation days = 9.8 |May precipitation days = 2.8 |Jun precipitation days = 0.7 |Jul precipitation days = 0.9 |Aug precipitation days = 0.2 |Sep precipitation days = 0.6 |Oct precipitation days = 2.6 |Nov precipitation days = 9.1 |Dec precipitation days = 17.8 |year precipitation days = 98.6 |Jan humidity = 87 |Feb humidity = 86 |Mar humidity = 85 |Apr humidity = 82 |May humidity = 76 |Jun humidity = 73 |Jul humidity = 67 |Aug humidity = 63 |Sep humidity = 57 |Oct humidity = 52 |Nov humidity = 65 |Dec humidity = 82 |year humidity = 73 |Jan sun = 130.2 |Feb sun = 130.0 |Mar sun = 161.2 |Apr sun = 183.0 |May sun = 232.5 |Jun sun = 222.0 |Jul sun = 213.9 |Aug sun = 241.8 |Sep sun = 246.0 |Oct sun = 279.0 |Nov sun = 201.0 |Dec sun = 139.5 |year sun = |Jan percentsun = 33 |Feb percentsun = 37 |Mar percentsun = 43 |Apr percentsun = 52 |May percentsun = 66 |Jun percentsun = 66 |Jul percentsun = 61 |Aug percentsun = 67 |Sep percentsun = 69 |Oct percentsun = 73 |Nov percentsun = 53 |Dec percentsun = 35 |year percentsun = 54 |source 1 = Deutscher Wetterdienst (precipitation, humidity and sun 1961–1990) | url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_672170_kt.pdf | title = Klimatafel von Lichinga (Vila Cabral), Provinz Niassa / Mosambik | work = Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world | publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst | language = German | accessdate = April 19, 2017}} Starlings Roost Weather{{cite web |url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/worldclimate/graphs.php?climate=9120&code=67217 |title= LICHINGA Climate: 1991–2020 |publisher=Starlings Roost Weather |access-date= 17 February 2025}} |source 2 = NOAA (extremes){{cite web | url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=daily-summaries&stations=MZ000067217&startDate=1700-01-01&endDate=2023-12-31&dataTypes=TMAX,TMIN,PRCP | title = Global Historical Climatological Network - Daily | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | accessdate = January 26, 2023
Demographics
There are a minimum estimated 450,000 Yao people living in Mozambique. They largely occupy the eastern and northern part of the Niassa province and form about 40% of the population of Lichinga.
::data[format=table] | Year | url=http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&geo=-153 |title=Mozambique: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population |accessdate=2008-06-18 |work=World Gazetteer }} | |---|---| | 1997 census | 85,758 | | 2007 census | 142,331 | | 2017 census | 213,361 | ::
Transport
A railway branch line from the port of Nacala terminates in this town, it has been renovated and receives services 3 times per week. Transport into and out of the city is either by private car or the public chapa, or minibus system. Air service is provided by Lichinga Airport with flights to Nampula and Maputo through LAM Mozambique Airlines or Ethiopian Airlines.
Notable people
- Venâncio Mondlane (born 1974), politician
References
References
- [http://www.niassatourism.com/section-uklichinga/ www.niassatourism.com] {{Webarchive. link. (2008-05-09 , Retrieved on June 14, 2008)
- "Do outro lado do tempo: Moçambique antes de 1975 VERSÂO COMPLETA".
- (July 2021). "Mozambique: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". World Gazetteer }}{{dead link.
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