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Luapula Province

Coordinates:11°00′S29°00′E/ 11.000°S 29.000°E/-11.000; 29.000
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Luapula
Province
Luapula Province showing its districts
Luapula Province showing its districts
CountryZambia
CapitalMansa
Government
• TypeProvincial Administration
• Provincial MinisterDerricky Chilundika (Formerly)
Area
• Total50,567 km2(19,524 sq mi)
Population
(2022 census)
• Total1,519,478
• Density30/km2(78/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2
HDI(2018)0.520[1]
low·8th

Luapula Provinceis one ofZambia's tenprovinceslocated in the northern part of the country. Luapula Province is named after theLuapula Riverand its capital isMansa.As per the2022 Zambian census,the Province had a population of 1,519,478, which accounted for 7.72 per cent of the total Zambian population.[2]

The province has an international border alongDemocratic Republic of the Congo(DR Congo) and domestically extends along the northern and eastern banks of the Luapula river fromLake BangweulutoLake Mweru.The province is inhabited byLunda,who are also the major tribe in the country.Bembais one of the widely spoken languages in the province. The major economic activities are agriculture and fishing, with cassava being the major crop. Mutomboko ceremony is the most important festival celebrated.Lumangwe Falls,Mumbuluma Falls,Mumbotuta Waterfalls,Kundabwika WaterfallsandChilongo Waterfallsare the major water falls.

The chief artery of the province is theSamfya-Mansa-Mwansabombwe-Nchelengehighway known informally as the Zambia Way. The province is bordered along the Luapula River, through Lake Mweru and to its north by DR Congo. Around 80.5 per cent of the population of Luapula is accounted as poor in 2010 census, making it the poorest of all provinces in Zambia. It has eight major attractions of the country among its waterfalls, wildlife and cultural heritage. Major mineral deposits found in the province are manganese, lime, copper and precious metals.

History

[edit]
Map showing divide with borders of the country with Congo Pedicle
Map showing the Congo Pedicle relative to the borders formed by the Luapula River and Congo-Zambezi watershed.

In the 19th century, the valley was dominated by theKingdom of Lundaof MwataKazembe.[3]The boundaries of the province betweenZambiaand DR Congo weredisputedfor many years, running from an 1894 treaty into the late 1960s. The province has a long history of opposing colonial rule through militancy. From the 1950s, there were revolutionary groups that supported the Anti Federationist African National Congress. Post independence, the province was the base for theUnited National Independence Party(UNIP) militants. Laupula has constant migration of labour from DR Congo and also from nearby Copperbelt Province. During the 1980s, the thenPresidentKenneth Kaundaappointed traditional Chiefs of the region as District Governors or members of the powerful UNIP central committee. The practice was seen similar to colonial rule when local leaders were drafted to political domain. Mwata Kazambe was appointed the District Governor for the province by the President during the 1980s.[4]

Frederick Chiluba,the leader ofMovement for Multi-Party Democracy(MMD), who went on to become the President of Zambia in 1991, obtained majority mandate during the1991 elections.The province was the least affected among all areas in the country during the 1991 famine. Agriculture suffered in the region on account of removal ofagricultural subsidiesand rural credit schemes during the 1990s.[5]

The province is bordered along theLuapula River,throughLake Mweruand to its north by DR Congo. TheCongo Pedicleis located between the province and the industrial and commercial heartland of theCopperbelt.The issues in transportation was partly resolved with the construction of theLuapula Bridgeand theSamfya-Serenjeroad, and being further alleviated by the construction of theChembe Bridge.The capital of the province isMansa,which is also the headquarters ofMansa district.[3]

Geography

[edit]

The province borders along DR Congo and it extends along the northern and eastern banks of the river fromLake Bangweuluto Lake Mweru, including waters and islands of those lakes.[6]Congo Pedicle, the southeastsalientof theKatanga Provinceof the DR Congo, which sticks into neighbouring Zambia, divides it into two lobes. It is bordered byNorthern Provinceon the eastern side andCentral Provinceon the southeastern side. The major towns in the province includeSamfya,Mansa,NchelengeandMwansabombwe.[7]Around 40 per cent of Luapula is covered with water and there are a number of rivers and lakes. It has eight attractions in waterfalls, wildlife and cultural heritage. Major mineral deposits found in the province aremanganese,lime,copperand precious metals.[8]

Climate data for Luapula (Zambia)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 27.1
(80.8) 		27.3
(81.1) 		27.4
(81.3) 		27.3
(81.1) 		26.7
(80.1) 		25.2
(77.4) 		25.2
(77.4) 		27.3
(81.1) 		30.4
(86.7) 		31.2
(88.2) 		29.2
(84.6) 		27.1
(80.8) 		31.2
(88.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 20.8
(69.4) 		20.9
(69.6) 		20.9
(69.6) 		20.6
(69.1) 		18.8
(65.8) 		16.5
(61.7) 		16.6
(61.9) 		18.6
(65.5) 		21.8
(71.2) 		23.2
(73.8) 		22.2
(72.0) 		20.8
(69.4) 		23.2
(73.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 16.8
(62.2) 		16.8
(62.2) 		16.6
(61.9) 		15.4
(59.7) 		12.3
(54.1) 		9.1
(48.4) 		8.6
(47.5) 		10.4
(50.7) 		13.5
(56.3) 		16.1
(61.0) 		16.9
(62.4) 		16.8
(62.2) 		8.6
(47.5)
Averageprecipitationmm (inches) 256
(10.1) 		219
(8.6) 		176
(6.9) 		46
(1.8) 		3
(0.1) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		1
(0.0) 		19
(0.7) 		129
(5.1) 		246
(9.7) 		1,095
(43.1)
Source 1:[9]
Source 2:[10]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1964357,000—
1969336,000−5.9%
1980728,775+116.9%
1990750,542+3.0%
2000775,353+3.3%
2010991,927+27.9%
20221,519,478+53.2%
Sources:

As per the2010 Zambian census,Luapula Province had a population of 991,927 which accounted for 7.57 per cent of the total Zambian population of 13,092,666. There were 488,589 males and 503,338 females, making the sex ratio to 1,030 for every 1,000 males, compared to the national average of 1,028.[13]The literacy rate stood at 62.60 per cent against a national average of 70.2 per cent.[14]The rural population constituted 80.39 per cent, while the urban population was 19.61 per cent. The total area of the province was 50,567 km2(19,524 sq mi) and the population density was 19.60 per km2.The population density during2000 Zambian censusstood at 19.60.[15]

The decadal population growth of the province was 2.50 per cent. The median age in the province at the time of marriage was 20.3.[16]The average household size was 4.9, with the families headed by females being 4.0 and 5.4 for families headed by men.[17]The total eligible voters in the province was 65.40 per cent.[18]Theunemployment rateof the province was 7.70 per cent. Thetotal fertility rate(TFR) was 7.3, complete birth rate was 6.5, crude birth rate was 39.0, child women population at birth was 835, general fertility rate was 172, gross reproduction rate was 2.7 and net reproduction rate was 1.8.[19]The total labour force constituted 58.60 per cent of the total population. Out of the labour force, 66.2 per cent were men and 51.7 per cent women. The annual growth rate of labour force was 1.9 per cent.[20]

Bembawas the most spoken language with 71.30 per cent speaking it.[21]Albinismis a condition where the victims do not have any pigment in their skin, hair or eyes. The total population in the province with the condition stood at 2,278.[22]The life expectancy at birth stood at 45 compared to the national average of 51.[23]Luapula is one of the poorest provinces in Zambia with 80.5 per cent of the population accounted as poor and 64.9 as extremely poor as of 2010, compared to 73.9 and 53.5 per cent in 2006.[14]Among all provinces, Luapula recorded the highest TFR of 7.3,[24]and also the highestinfant mortality rate(IMR) of 100 deaths per 1,000 births as of 2010.[25]

Economy and utility services

[edit]
HIV infected & AIDS deaths[26][27]
Year HIV infected AIDS deaths
1990 6,971 198
1995 32,447 1,478
2000 46,293 3,682
2005 49,798 5,131
2010 51,211 5,209

As per the report of agricultural statistics of 2014 published by the Central Statistical Office of Zambia, the major economic activity in the province was fishing. The chief artery of the province is theSamfya-Mansa-Mwansabombwe-Nchelengehighway, known as the Zambia Way. Though rich in natural resources, the province is one of the backward districts in the country. As of 2004, 79 per cent of the population was poor against a national average of 68. The total area of crops planted during the year 2014 in the province was 57,966.31 ha (143,237.9 acres) which constituted 3.06 per cent of the total area cultivated in Zambia. The net production stood at 150,029 metric tonnes, which formed 3.68 per cent of the total agricultural production in the country. Sweet potato was the major crop in the province with 11,356 metric tonnes, constituting 7.56 per cent of the national output.[28]

As of 2004, the province had 527 basic schools, 20 high schools. The number of school children out of school in ages between 7 and 15 stood at 527.[29]As per theInternational Monetary Fund(IMF) paper on Poverty Reduction in Zambia published in 2007, there were 360 basic government schools, 18 high schools, one teacher training college and one trade training college as of 2000.[30]The employment levels in the province remained low, decreasing from 14.3 per cent in 1990 to 8.1 in 2000. The unemployment rate was six per cent and the general unemployment rate for youth stood at 14 per cent as of 2008.[29]The province had 30 doctors as of 2005. There were 407Malariaincidences for every 1,000 people in the province as of 2005, and there were 5,209AIDS-related death as of 2010.[29]The province has around 700 km (430 mi) of paved roads as of 2007. They connect the different districts to the capital, along with 2,000 km (1,200 mi) of unpaved roads.[30]

Administration

[edit]
Profession[31] % of working population
Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing (by Industry) 10.50
Community, Social and Personal 3.10
Construction 3.10
Electricity, Gas, and water 0.00
Financial & Insurance activities 2.40
Hotels and Restaurants 1.40
Manufacturing 4.30
Mining & Quarrying 0.90
Transportation and Storage 3.20
Wholesale & Retail Trade 4.80

Provincial administration is set up purely for administrative purposes. The province is headed by a minister appointed by the President and there are ministries of central government for each province. The administrative head of the province is the Permanent Secretary, appointed by the President. There is a Deputy Permanent Secretary, heads of government departments and civil servants at the provincial level. Luapula Province is divided into twelvedistricts,namelyChembe District,Chiengi District,Chifunabuli District,Chipili District,Kawambwa District,Lunga District,Mansa District,Milenge District,Mwansabombwe District,Mwense District,Nchelenge DistrictandSamfya District.All the district headquarters are the same as the district names. There are twelve councils in the province, each of which is headed by an elected representative, called councilor. Each councilor holds office for three years.[32]

The administrative staff of the council is selected based on the Local Government Service Commission from within or outside the district. The office of the provincial government is located in each of the district headquarters and has provincial local government officers and auditors. Each council is responsible for raising and collecting local taxes and the budgets of the council are audited and submitted every year after the annual budget. The elected members of the council do not draw salaries, but are paid allowances from the council. Luapula is a predominantly rural province and there are no city or municipal councils. The government stipulates 63 different functions for the councils with the majority of them being infrastructure management and local administration. Councils are mandated to maintain each of their community centres, zoos, local parks, drainage system, playgrounds, cemeteries, caravan sites, libraries, museums and art galleries. They also work along with specific government departments to help in agriculture, conservation of natural resources, postal service, establishing and maintaining hospitals, schools and colleges. The councils prepare schemes that encourage community participation.[33]

Culture and tourism

[edit]
Stream of water gushing out from a falls
Lumangwe falls

Lumangwe Fallslocated inMporokoso District,Ntumbacushi Fallsin Kawambwa district, Kabwelume Waterfalls on theKalungwishi River,Mumbuluma Fallsin Mansa, Mumbotuta Waterfalls in the confluence of Mumbotuta streams and Luapula River,Kundabwika Waterfalls,Chilongo Waterfallslocated 85 km (53 mi) from Kawambwa boma are the major water falls in the province.[34]Other major picnic areas in the Province are the Samfya Beach inLake Bangweulu,the shores of Lake Mweru inChienge District,and the Nchelemge Beach in Lake Mweru.[35]Lusenga Plain National ParkandBangweulu Wetlandsare the major wildlife areas in the province. Lake Mweru, Luapula River, Lake Bangweulu and its wetlands have exotic bird life, aquatic animals and fish.[36]

Mutukumbo festival is the major festival celebrated in the province in Luapala Valley. It is held annually during July and attracts around 20,000 people, including the President of Zambia. The event involves enacting the migration ofLuba Lundaand conquest of the valley by the chiefs of the tribe during historic times.[37]Kwanga festival is held in the October by the Njumba tribe inSamfya.It is seen as a cultural reunion of the tribe to preserve their rituals and traditions.[38]Other festivals celebrated in the province are the Malaila Ceremony, the festival of death of evil lion, the Musubilwa Mpemba Ceremony, and the Ubwilile traditional ceremony.[39]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^"Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab".hdi.globaldatalab.org.Retrieved2018-09-13.
  2. ^"Luapula (Province, Zambia) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location".www.citypopulation.de.Retrieved2024-01-28.
  3. ^abMwakikagile 2010,p. 68
  4. ^Gould 2002,p. 321
  5. ^Gould 2002,p. 314
  6. ^Griffiths, Ieuan (July 1986). "The Scramble for Africa: Inherited Political Boundaries".The Geographical Journal.152(2): 204–216.doi:10.2307/634762.JSTOR634762.
  7. ^Mwakikagile 2010,p. 70
  8. ^International Monetary Fund2007, p. 335
  9. ^"Weather statistics for Luapula (Zambia)".Norway: Norwegian Meteorological Institute and Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 20 October 2016.Retrieved20 October2016.
  10. ^Clima Data.org - Clima Data for Mansa from 1991 to 2021
  11. ^Census of population and housing, 1969(PDF)(Report). Lusaka: Central Statistical Office, Republic of Zambia. 1970. pp. A6–7. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2015-10-26.
  12. ^Summary report for the 2000 Census of population(Report). Lusaka: Central Statistical Office, Republic of Zambia. 2003. p. 6. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-10-14.
  13. ^abCensus 2012,p. 7
  14. ^abCensus 2012,p. 24
  15. ^Census 2012,p. 17
  16. ^Census 2012,pp. 12–13
  17. ^Census 2012,p. 19
  18. ^Census 2012,p. 21
  19. ^Census 2012,p. 44
  20. ^Census 2012,p. 93
  21. ^Census 2012,p. 99
  22. ^Census 2012,p. 78
  23. ^Census 2012,p. 74
  24. ^Census 2012,p. 41
  25. ^Census 2012,p. 49
  26. ^"AIDS and HIV statistics of Laupula Province".Central Statistical Office of Zambia. 2011.Retrieved9 August2017.
  27. ^"AIDS and HIV statistics".Central Statistical Office of Zambia. 2011.Retrieved9 August2017.
  28. ^"Agriculture statistics of Zambia 2014".Central Statistical Office of Zambia. 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 19 October 2016.Retrieved17 October2016.
  29. ^abc"Atlas Home".Zambia Data Portal, Central statistical Office of Zambia. 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 10 May 2017.Retrieved16 October2016.
  30. ^abInternational Monetary Fund2007, p. 336
  31. ^"Labour force survey".Central Statistical Office of Zambia. 2008.Retrieved9 August2017.
  32. ^Zambia Public administration Country profile(PDF)(Report). Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM), Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), United Nations. 2004. p. 7.Archived(PDF)from the original on 4 January 2017.Retrieved16 October2016.
  33. ^The local government system in Zambia(PDF)(Report). Common Wealth Local Government Forum. pp. 218–220.Archived(PDF)from the original on 18 October 2016.Retrieved16 October2016.
  34. ^"Waterfalls in Luapala province".Zambia Tourism Board. 2011.Retrieved19 October2016.
  35. ^"Beaches in Luapala province".Zambia Tourism Board. 2011.Retrieved19 October2016.
  36. ^"National parks in Luapala province".Zambia Tourism Board. 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 20 October 2016.Retrieved19 October2016.
  37. ^Mwakikagile 2010,p. 68–69
  38. ^Mwakikagile 2010,p. 83
  39. ^"Ceremonies in Luapala province".Zambia Tourism Board. 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 20 October 2016.Retrieved19 October2016.

https://www.times.co.zm/?p=126297Chilundika Fired from the Provincial Minister position

References

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[edit]

11°00′S29°00′E/ 11.000°S 29.000°E/-11.000; 29.000

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