Lichinga is the capital city of Niassa Province of Mozambique. It lies on the Lichinga Plateau at an altitude of 1,360 metres (4,460 ft), east of Lake Niassa (Lake Malawi). The town was founded as Vila Cabral as a farming and military settlement. It is served by Lichinga Airport. The province borders Ruvuma Region in Tanzania.

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Lichinga
Municipal Council of Lichinga
Lichinga
Coordinates: 13°18′46″S 35°14′26″E
Country	Mozambique
Provinces	Niassa Province
Area
• Total	280 km2 (110 sq mi)
Elevation	1,398 m (4,587 ft)
Population  (2017 census)
• Total	213,361
• Density	760/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (CAT)
Climate	Cwb

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Owing to its high altitude location the town experiences a moderate subtropical highland climate (Cwb, according to the Köppen climate classification), with cool weather in the dry season (May to September) and average temperatures of 15.5 °C (59.9 °F) in July. Summertime is October to April with the hottest weather in November: average temperature 22 °C (72 °F). This is also the season of heavy rain especially December to March. The annual rainfall is 1,171 mm (46.1 in).

There are a minimum estimated 450,000 Yao people living in Mozambique. They largely occupy the eastern and northern part of the Niassa province and form about 40% of the population of Lichinga.

A railway branch line from the port of Nacala terminates in this town, it has been renovated and receives services 3 times per week. Transport into and out of the city is either by private car or the public chapa, or minibus system. Air service is provided by Lichinga Airport with flights to Nampula and Maputo through LAM Mozambique Airlines or Ethiopian Airlines.^{[citation needed]}