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Gaza Province

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Gaza Province

Gaza is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 75,709 km2 and a population of 1,422,460 (2017 census), which is the least populous of all the provinces of Mozambique. Xai-Xai is the capital of the province.

It borders Inhambane Province is to the east, Manica Province to the north, Maputo Province to the south, South Africa to the west, and Zimbabwe to the northwest.

The province gets its name from the Gaza Empire, named after the grandfather of the First Monarch of the Gaza Empire, Soshangane. His great-grandson, Ngungunhane, known as “Lion of Gaza” was the last emperor of the Gaza Empire and the final monarch of the Nxumalo dynasty. Portuguese emissaries attempted to have him sign treaties recognizing Portugal's sovereignty in the region in 1885. Ngungunhane, however, refused to sign these treaties. On November 7, 1895, a direct confrontation between the Portuguese and Ngungunhane's forces took place in Coolela, leading to Ngungunhane fleeing to Chaimite for refuge.

The territories of the Gaza Empire are now ruled by Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The province correlates roughly to the portion of the empire that is within the borders of Mozambique.

Most of the province lies in the basin of the Limpopo River, which runs from northwest to southeast through the province, emptying into the Indian Ocean near Xai-Xai. The Changane River, a tributary of the Limpopo, forms part of the province's eastern boundary. The Rio dos Elefantes (Olifants River) flows into the province from the west through the Massingir Dam, to empty into the Limpopo.

The Save River forms the northern boundary of the province.

The Limpopo railway, which connects Zimbabwe and Botswana to the port of Maputo, runs through the province, entering Zimbabwe at the border town of Chicualacuala.

The province, including the towns of Xai-Xai and Chokwe, were greatly affected by the 2000 Mozambique flood amid the month-long heavy rainfall accompanying Cyclone Leon-Eline.

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