Chama District (Zambia)

Chama District with the headquarters at Chama is the largest district of the Eastern Province in Zambia and includes a large wilderness in the Upper Luangwa valley just north-east of the North Luangwa National Park. It is made up of two constituencies, namely Chama North and Chama South. Much of the population of Chama District lives close to the Malawi border and shares tribal and cultural links with the people of the northern highlands of that country. The people of Chama belong mostly to the Senga and Tumbuka tribes which resulted as a result of intermarriage with the Tumbuka people three centuries ago. Chitumbuka (Senga dialect) is the predominant language spoken in the district. Agriculture is the leading industry, and maize is the most common crop. Chama is also known as a rice-growing area. Cotton is a lucrative crop for some. Sorghum and soyabeans are also grown. Other common food crops include groundnuts, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cabbage, sunflowers. As of the 2022 Zambian Census, the district had a population of 140,326 people.