Luapula Province
The Luapula province (English Luapula Province ) of the Republic of Zambia is located in the north of the country on the Luapula, bordered to the east and west to the Northern Province " Katanga spur " of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its capital is Mansa. The province has about 938,000 inhabitants ( 775 353 according to the 2000 census ) and covers 50,567 km ².
Geography
The Luapula Province is located in the rain belt of the central African plateau ( Bangweulubassin ). Climatically it is dominated by the dry season from April to November and the rainy season from December to March. The province covers 30,600 km ² (other sources: 50,600 km ² ), of which 11,600 despite outweigh sandy soils are used for agriculture. Lakes, swamps and floodplains make up 43.5 % of the area. Bangweulusee and Lake Mweru are the largest bodies of water and headed together in 1984 40 % of the marketed in Zambia in fish. The population is estimated at 800,000 (2006).
Economy
Approximately half of the population, 7,700 fishing boats with 6,600, lived from fishing in 1986 on 210 km long river. Central market places for fish are Samfya and Nchelenge. The Luapula forms the southern and western boundary of the province. Bemba is the most widely spoken language.
Infrastructure
The backbone of commerce and the economy is the so-called Chinese Road of Serenje about Sempfya, Mansa after Nchelenge and Kashikishi on Lake Mweru. On this road runs regularly operate express buses and through them the Bangweulubassin and Luapulatal is supplied to the lake. The shortcut through the Katanga spur of the Democratic Republic of Congo is rarely used, because the road is gravel there and stop the border formalities long. About this road, the export of copper and silver from the Dikulushi open pit will be transported to South Africa at Kilwa. 615 kilometers are paved.
The rest of the road network is poorly developed, requires four-wheel drive and rarely allows more than 20 km / h Speed . It covers 2093 km. The main means of transport for goods and people is the bicycle, of which there are 80,000. There are approximately regular bicycle connections for fish, corn and people over distances of up to 128 kilometers per day. The entire retail to the DR Congo is handled on them.
Extremely important is the water transport. In the area of the lake and swamps the banana boat is the only means of transportation. About 100 such non-motorized boats with three to sixteen people leave daily in Sampfya. Also, the Luapula River is used as a waterway with such boats in sections.
The schools and hospitals in the province are not widely distributed in 2006 and poorly equipped.
Settlement movements
The Chinese Road has led to the migration of this street. The people rely more and more villages to settle here linear. The same applies to the few well-maintained gravel roads.
Policy
The election campaign in September 2006, focused on Samfya and Nchelenge, because both places are the main fish markets in their region and thus crucial for the income of their other surrounding areas. The newspaper The Post quoted in Lusaka on 19 September 2006: " Luapula people are serious-minded people who need development and theyhave resolved not to give Mwanawasa another chance in the province this time around ." ( The people in Luapula can think clearly and need development and they've decided to give President Mwanawasa in the province no second chance. )