Maringué District

Maringué District is a district of Sofala Province in Mozambique. The principal town is Maringué. The district is located in the north of the province, and borders with Chemba District in the north, Caia District in the east, Cheringoma District in the southeast, Gorongosa District in the south, with Macossa District of Manica Province in the west, and with Tambara District of Manica Province in the northwest. The area of the district is 6176 km2. It has a population of 75,089 as of 2007.

Geography
The principal rivers in the district are the Nhamapadza River, the Fudja River, the Nhanzuazua River, the Sambeza River, the Pundza River, and the Mupa River, most of which originate in Manica Province.

The rainy season in the district lasts from November to April, and the dry season lasts from May to October.

History
In 1325, the Macaranga People occupied the area, which was subsequently administrated by a number of rivalling kingdoms. In 1836, it was claimed by the Gaza Empire. The Portuguese were interested in the area since 1607, but only started controlling it in the end of the 19th century. Between 1895 and 1970 it was divided between Chemba Circunscrição and Gorongosa Circunscrição.

Demographics
As of 2005, 47% of the population of the district was younger than 15 years. 8% did speak Portuguese. The most common mothertongue is Cindau. 93% were analphabetic, mostly women.

Administrative divisions
The district is divided into three postos, Maringué, Canxixe, and Subué, which together comprise five localities.

Economy
Less than 1% of the households in the district have access to electricity.

Agriculture
In the district, there are 12,000 farms which have on average 2.8 ha of land. The main agricultural products are corn, cassava, cowpea, peanut, sorghum, pearl millet, and sweet potato.

Transportation
There is a road network in the district 374 km long.