Chicualacuala
Encyclopedia
Chicualacuala is a town located in the province
of Gaza
in Mozambique
. The town is better known by this unofficial name (and the name of the district to which the town belongs) than by its official toponym Vila Eduardo Mondlane.
Chicualacuala had a turbulent history with attacks from Rhodesia
on numerous occasions because it is the site of a key tropo-spheric communication. The town is located at an important crossing point near the border.
In June 1976 a Selous Scouts
attack from Rhodesia named Operation Long John was launched on the ZANLA transit camp in Mapai
and Chicualacuala. Under cover of an artillery barrage, a column of 6 vehicles attacked the town, and although few insurgents were killed, a large quantity of ammunitions were destroyed. The area again came under attack on October 31 of 1976.
Sambula (21.4 nm).
and Mozambique
meet at this town and the railway station was part of the Rhodesian railway. The station is paired with the Zimbabwe station of Sango
.
Provinces of Mozambique
||Mozambique is divided into 10 provinces and 1 capital city with provincial status:#Cabo Delgado Province#Gaza Province#Inhambane Province#Manica Province#Maputo City#Maputo Province#Nampula Province#Niassa Province...
of Gaza
Gaza Province
Gaza is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 75,709 km² and a population of 1,333,106 .Xai-Xai is the capital of the province. 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...
in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
. The town is better known by this unofficial name (and the name of the district to which the town belongs) than by its official toponym Vila Eduardo Mondlane.
History
The colonial name of the town was Malvérnia.Chicualacuala had a turbulent history with attacks from Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
on numerous occasions because it is the site of a key tropo-spheric communication. The town is located at an important crossing point near the border.
In June 1976 a Selous Scouts
Selous Scouts
The Selous Scouts was a special forces regiment of the Rhodesian Army, which operated from 1973 until the introduction of majority rule in 1980. It was named after British explorer Frederick Courteney Selous , and their motto was pamwe chete, which, in the Shona language, roughly means "all...
attack from Rhodesia named Operation Long John was launched on the ZANLA transit camp in Mapai
Mapai, Mozambique
- History :In June 1976 a Selous Scouts attack from Rhodesia named Operation Long John was launched on the ZANLA transit camp in Mapai and Chicualacuala...
and Chicualacuala. Under cover of an artillery barrage, a column of 6 vehicles attacked the town, and although few insurgents were killed, a large quantity of ammunitions were destroyed. The area again came under attack on October 31 of 1976.
Geography
Neaby towns and villages include Nyala (8.5 nm), Samo (14.2 nm), Cherilele (6.3 nm), Benibueni (6.7 nm) andSambula (21.4 nm).
Transport
The railway systems of ZimbabweZimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
meet at this town and the railway station was part of the Rhodesian railway. The station is paired with the Zimbabwe station of Sango
Sango, Zimbabwe
Sango is a village in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe on the Mozambique border. The village supports the border post lying at the southern end of the Gonarezhou National Park....
.