XAI-XAI

formerly Joo Belo, port town, southern Mozambique. Located on the eastern bank of the Limpopo River near its mouth, the town is a market centre for cashew nuts, rice, corn (maize), cassava, and sorghum raised in the surrounding area, which is irrigated by the lower Limpopo irrigation project; dairy cattle also are raised. A light railway system runs inland and provides access to the port, which has declined in importance since the silting in of its harbour and because of competition from truck transport. Xai-Xai is connected to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, by the major north-south road along the coast of the Mozambique Channel. Pop. (1991 est.) 93,519.