Zambezia Province

Zambezia (Portuguese: Zambézia [zɐ̃ˈbɛzjɐ]) is the second most-populous province of Mozambique. It is located in the central coastal region, and it borders the provinces of Niassa to the north, Nampula to the northeast, Sofala to the southwest, Tete to the west and the country of Malawi to the northwest. It has a population of 5.11 million, according to the 2017 census. The provincial capital is Quelimane.

Zambezia has a total area of 103,478 km. The 2,574 kilometre Zambezi River runs through Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and the Tete, Manica and Sofala provinces of Mozambique before emptying into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Zambezia, constituting its western border. Mangroves are predominant along the coast and considerable forests can be found inland, with a scattering of estuaries and rivers.