Mwinilunga is a town in the North-Western Province of

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

. It is the headquarters of Mwinilunga District, one of the province's eleven districts.

Geography

Location

The town lies on the west bank of the ''West Lunga River'', along the Chingola–Solwezi–Mwinilunga Road ( T5 Road of Zambia), which continues north-westwards to Caianda, in

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

. Mwinilunga is located approximately , by road, west of

Solwezi Solwezi is a town in Zambia. It is the provincial capital of the mineral-rich North-Western Province. Solwezi is also the administrative capital of Solwezi District, one of the eleven districts in the North-Western Province. Geography Locati ...

, the provincial capital. Another tarmacked state road (D286 Road of Zambia), leads south to Kabompo, the capital of

Kabompo District Kabompo District is a district of Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-C ...

. Kabompo town is approximately south of Mwinilunga. Mwinilunga sits in the extreme north-western corner of the country, close to the international borders with Angola and the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

. The geographical coordinates of Mwinilunga, Zambia are:11°43'02.0"S, 24°25'44.0"E (Latitude:-11.717222; Longitude:24.428889). The average elevation of the town is above

mean sea level A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statist ...

Climate

This is one of the wettest places in Zambia with annual rainfall of about falling in the rainy season from October to May.

Overview

Due to its proximity with Angola and DR Congo, Mwinilunga would have benefited from trade with the two neighboring countries. Poor roads, human conflict and lack of collective political will in the three countries, have so far prevented any meaningful trade policy from developing. The

Zambezi River The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

originates in Ikelenge District, in a community called Kalene Hill, approximately north of Mwinilunga town.

Population

The town had a population estimated at 14,500 in 2006. The Chilunda-speaking Kanongesha-Lunda people are the largest ethnic group, and are related to the Chibemba-speaking Kazembe-Lunda of

Luapula Province Luapula Province is one of Zambia's ten Provinces of Zambia, provinces located in the northern part of the country. Luapula Province is named after the Luapula River and its capital is Mansa, Zambia, Mansa. As per the 2022 Zambian census, the ...

. In 1990, the census carried out that year, put the town's population at 6,342 people. In 2000, the population was 10,745 inhabitants. During the 2010 national census, the population of Mwinilunga was enumerated at 15,704 people. The table below illustrates the same data in tabular format.

Education

''Mwinilunga Secondary School'' is the largest school to date in town. Government and community schools are scattered in the neighborhoods surrounding the metropolitan area, and provide education for children from nursery through high school. Mwinilunga is also home to ''The Sakeji School'', a primary

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

Economy

Forest Fruits Limited has been operating in Mwinilunga since 1998, successfully working with over 7,000 beekeepers in the region to export organic honey to the European market. The company also employs about 100 staff.

Kasenseli Gold Mine

''See: Mining in Zambia Kasenseli Gold Mine'' In early August 2019 gold deposits were discovered and confirmed by experts from the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development. The Government, through its subsidiary, ZCCM Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH), intends to set up a gold mine in Chief Chibwika's area where the gold deposits have been discovered.

Kalene Hills Fruit Factory

Commissioned: July 2022 Construction Cost: ZMW 130.0 million (US$ 7.8 million) Ownership
Kalene Hills Fruit Company
a 100% Zambian-owned business set up with support from th
Industrial Development Corporation
Operations: Processing

fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

as well as other products such as

beans A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are tradition ...

, groundnuts and

tomatoes The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originated from and was d ...

supplied by over 1,500 small-scale farmers. Direct Jobs: 150 In-Direct Jobs: 780

Transport

In 2006 plans were formulated to extend the proposed railway to

to the town and even on to the

Benguela Railway The Benguela Railway () is a 3 ft 6 in gauge railways, Cape gauge railway line that runs through Angola from west to east, being the largest and most important railway line in the country. It also connects to Tenke, Democratic Republic of the C ...

to avoid reliance on the line in the

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, but these plans have not been confirmed and the Benguela Railway has not yet been re-opened. However, the Angolan transport ministry plans to build a line branching off the Benguela Railway at

Luacano Luacano is a town and municipality in Moxico Leste Province, Angola. The municipality had a population of 20,755 in 2014. The Luacano River (''Rio Luacano'') flows past the town to the west before entering the Kasai River, which forms the border ...

and entering Zambia from Macango, Angola. The town is also home to ''Mwinilunga Airport.

Tourism

Mwinilunga lies southeast of the ''Nchila Wildlife Reserve''

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

, known for its

sable antelope The sable antelope (''Hippotragus niger'') is a large antelope which inhabits wooded savanna in East and Southern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separated population in Angola. Taxonomy The sable antelope shares the genu ...

and other large mammals, ''Luakela Forest Reserve'' and the ''Chitunta Plain'', known for its

birdlife BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

and as the source of the

. The annual ''Chisemwa cha Lunda'' ceremony held by Senior Chief Kanongesha of the Lunda draws crowds to the district every September. Nyaunda Ceremony celebrated by Lundas of Senior Sailunga East of Mwinilunga.

References

External links

Zambia: 3 Illegal Gold Miners Die in Mwinilunga
As at 12 August 2019. {{Districts of Northwestern Province Mwinilunga District Populated places in North-Western Province, Zambia