Manjacaze District is a district of Gaza Province in southwestern Mozambique. Its principal town is Manjacaze. The district is located at the south of the province, and borders with Panda District of Inhambane Province in the north, Inharrime and Zavala Districts of Inhambane Province in the east, Xai-Xai District in the south, and Chibuto District in the west. In the southeast, the district is limited by the Indian Ocean. The area of the district is 3797 km2. It has a population of 166,488 as of 2007.

Geography

The Changane River, a major left tributary of the Limpopo River, marks the border of the district with Chibuto District. Another major river is the Mangonhane River, a tributary of the Inharrime River. There are 63 lakes in the district, the biggest one is Lake Nhambavale. The climate is tropical dry in the interior, and tropical humid at the coast. The annual rainfall varies between 400 mm and 950 mm.

Demographics

As of 2005, 45% of the population of the district was younger than 15 years. 49% of the population spoke Portuguese. The most common mother tongue among the population was Tsonga. 53% were illiterate, mostly women.

Administrative divisions

The district is divided into seven postos, Manjacaze (two localities), Chidenguele (four localities), Nguzene (three localities), Chibonzane (three localities), Macuacua (two localities), Madzucane (three localities), and Chalala (two localities).

Economy

3% of the households in the district have access to electricity.

Agriculture

In the district, there are 38,000 farms which have on average 2.4 ha of land. The main agricultural products are corn, cassava, cowpea, peanut, sweet potato, and rice. Population of cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats was steadily growing prior to 2005.

Transportation

The road network in the district includes a stretch of the national road EN1 42 km long, connecting Maputo and Inhambane, as well as 274 km of secondary roads.