Mwanza | |
|---|---|
  Mwanza Location in Malawi | |
| Coordinates: 15°35′55″S34°31′04″E / 15.59861°S 34.51778°E Coordinates: 15°35′55″S34°31′04″E / 15.59861°S 34.51778°E | |
| Country |  Malawi |
| Region | Southern Region |
| District | Mwanza District |
| Elevation | 2,054 ft (626 m) |
| Population (2018 Census [1] ) | |
| • Total | 18,039 |
| Time zone | +2 |
| Climate | Aw |
Mwanza is a town in Malawi on the border with Mozambique. It is the administrative headquarters for Mwanza District. [2]
Mwanza is the largest commercial, political and administrative urban centre of Mwanza District, in the Southern Region of Malawi. It lies on the important road from Blantyre to Tete in Mozambique, approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi), by road, northwest of Blantyre, Malawi's commercial capital. [3] The geographical coordinates of Mwanza, Malawi are:15°35'55.0"S, 34°31'04.0"E (Latitude:-15.598611; Longitude:34.517778). [2] The town sits at an average elevation of 626 metres (2,054 ft) above sea level. [4]
The national census and household survey conducted in 2018, enumerated the population of Mwanza, Malawi at 18,039 inhabitants. The majority of people in the town and the district belong to the Chewa ethnic group. [1]
The town is a market town for local produce, including honey, as well as a distribution market for commercial products and processed foods, such as maize flour. Mwanza also acts as a transshipment point for goods going down the Zambeze River via Tete. It is also a centre for smuggling. [5] In 2007, Ethiopian illegal immigrants were discovered hidden in an oil tanker at Mwanza, Malawi, at the border with Mozambique, on their way to South Africa. In July 2012, 49 Ethiopian and Somali nationals drowned in Lake Malawi when the boat in which they were attempting to cross the lake capsized. The group which started in Tanzania, had intended to cross into Mozambique and finally to South Africa. [6]
Mwanza has an airstrip with a 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) long runway. It has both primary and secondary schools as well as a hospital. Mwanza District Hospital serves not only the local district, but also neighbouring Chikwawa District and Neno District in Malawi and the town of Zobue and Moatize District across the border in Mozambique. [7]
Transportation in Malawi is poorly developed. The country of almost 14 million has 39 airports, 6 with paved runways and 33 with unpaved runways. It has 495 miles (797 km) of railways, all narrow-gauge and about 45 percent of its roads are paved. Though it is landlocked, Malawi also has 435 miles (700 km) of waterways on Lake Malawi and along the Shire River.
The British Central Africa Protectorate (BCA) was a British protectorate proclaimed in 1889 and ratified in 1891 that occupied the same area as present-day Malawi: it was renamed Nyasaland in 1907. British interest in the area arose from visits made by David Livingstone from 1858 onward during his exploration of the Zambezi area. This encouraged missionary activity that started in the 1860s, undertaken by the Universities' Mission to Central Africa, the Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland, and which was followed by a small number of settlers. The Portuguese government attempted to claim much of the area in which the missionaries and settlers operated, but this was disputed by the British government. To forestall a Portuguese expedition claiming effective occupation, a protectorate was proclaimed, first over the south of this area, then over the whole of it in 1889. After negotiations with the Portuguese and German governments on its boundaries, the protectorate was formally ratified by the British government in May 1891.
Blantyre is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with an enumerated 800,264 inhabitants as of 2018. It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe. It is the capital of the country's Southern Region as well as the Blantyre District.
Mchinji is a town and the capital of the Mchinji District in the Central Region of Malawi. Mchinji Boma, located 12 kilometres from the Zambian border and 109 km (68 mi) from the national capital, Lilongwe, is the major hub of government and general business. It has a major railroad junction, being the railhead nearest to Zambia. The area's economy is sustained by rain-fed agriculture.
Nkhotakota (Un-kho-tah-kho-tuh) is a town and one of the districts in the Central Region of Malawi. It is on the shore of Lake Malawi and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi. As of 2018, Nkhotakota had a population estimated at 28,350. The district had a population of 301.000.
Mangochi is a township in the Southern Region of Malawi. Located near the southern end of Lake Malawi, in colonial times it used to be called Fort Johnston. As of 2018 it has a population of 53,498.
Mulanje, formerly called Mlanje, is a town in the Southern Region of Malawi, close to the border with Mozambique, to the east. It is near the Mulanje Massif.
Chileka International Airport is an international airport in Malawi. It is located approximately 13 km, by road, northwest of Blantyre, the second largest city in the Republic of Malawi and the country's commercial and financial capital. Chileka is Malawi's second international airport, the other being Kamuzu International Airport, in Lilongwe, the nation's capital city.
The city of Chipata is the administrative centre of the Eastern Province of Zambia and Chipata District. It was declared the 5th city of the country, after Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe and Livingstone, by President Edgar Lungu on 24 February 2017. The city has undergone rapid economic and infrastructure growth in the years, leading up to city status.
Plumtree is a town in Zimbabwe. Alongside marula trees, wild plum trees grew abundantly in the area, hence the name Plumtree. The town was once called Getjenge by the Kalanga people which is the dominant tribe. Another name which is mainly used is Titji which simple means station due to the railway station which was operating in the area around 1897.
Railway stations in Mozambique include:
The A2 Highway is a primary road in Zimbabwe running from Harare to Nyamapanda at the border with Mozambique. The Mozambican side border post is called Cochemane. This is a busy entry point used by people travelling by road between South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It starts at intersection with Samora Machel Avenue; however Enterprise Road itself begins from the T-junction with Robert Mugabe Avenue, opposite the market in Eastlea, east of Simon Muzenda Street Road Port; a bus terminus for inter-regional buses.
First Capital Bank Malawi Plc, formerly known as First Merchant Bank Plc, is a commercial bank in Malawi. It is licensed by the Reserve Bank of Malawi, the central bank and national banking regulator.
Bariadi is a town in Tanzania, East Africa. It is the capital of Simiyu Region, and the administrative seat of Bariadi District. Bariadi also refers to Bariadi Ward, an administrative unit in the district.
Malawi–Mozambique relations refers to the current and historical relationship between the countries of Malawi and Mozambique. As Malawi shares a large border with Mozambique, much of the substance of their foreign relations pertain to the border separating the two nations. Both of the sovereign states have amicably agreed that lacustrine borders on Lake Malawi remain the largest priority between the two countries, as the exploitation of natural resources within the waters of Lake Malawi remain an issue the two countries continue to resolve. The moment considered an act of generosity and sympathy within the two countries relations is when, during the Mozambique Civil War, Malawi housed over one million Mozambican refugees between 1985 and 1995. After this gesture, Malawian relations with Mozambique crumbled under the tenure of Bingu wa Mutharika, notoriously reaching a nadir when Malawian police launched a raid into Mozambique's territory.
The Khammwamba Thermal Power Station, also Khammwamba Power Station, is a proposed coal-fired power plant in Malawi, with planned installed capacity of 300 megawatts (400,000 hp).
The Matambo–Phombeya High Voltage Power Line is a planned high voltage electricity power line, connecting the high voltage substation at Matambo, Tete Province, Mozambique to another high voltage substation at Phombeya, Balaka District, Malawi.
The Ruo–Ndiza Hydroelectric Power Station is an operational 8.25 megawatts (11,063 hp) hydroelectric power plant in southeastern Malawi, at the border with Mozambique.
Mwami, is a town in the Eastern Province of Zambia. The town lies at the international border with Malawi, adjacent to the Malawian city of Mchinji.
