Central Region (Central Region)
The Central Region of Malawi, population 7,523,340 (2018), covers an area of 35,592 km². Its capital city is Lilongwe, which is also the national capital. The region has an outlet on Lake Malawi and borders neighbouring countries Zambia and Mozambique. The Chewa people make up the majority of the population today.
The Central region is bounded on the north by the Northern Region, on the east by Lake Malawi, on the southeast by Southern Region, on the southwest by Mozambique, and on east by Zambia.
Central Region straddles the western edge of the East African Rift. Lake Malawi occupies most of the rift valley, with a narrow plain running along its western shore. Much of the region lies on a plateau, known as the Central Region Plateau or Lilongwe Plain. The plateau covers 23,310 square km (9,000 square miles). A belt of hills and escarpments separates the plateau from the rift valley lowlands to the east. The Dwangwa, Bua, and Lilongwe rivers drain the plateau, emptying eastwards into Lake Malawi.
The southwestern boundary of the region is mountainous, including the northern end of the Kirk Range and Dedza Mountain (2,198 m).
The Central region is bounded on the north by the Northern Region, on the east by Lake Malawi, on the southeast by Southern Region, on the southwest by Mozambique, and on east by Zambia.
Central Region straddles the western edge of the East African Rift. Lake Malawi occupies most of the rift valley, with a narrow plain running along its western shore. Much of the region lies on a plateau, known as the Central Region Plateau or Lilongwe Plain. The plateau covers 23,310 square km (9,000 square miles). A belt of hills and escarpments separates the plateau from the rift valley lowlands to the east. The Dwangwa, Bua, and Lilongwe rivers drain the plateau, emptying eastwards into Lake Malawi.
The southwestern boundary of the region is mountainous, including the northern end of the Kirk Range and Dedza Mountain (2,198 m).
Map - Central Region (Central Region)
Map
Country - Malawi
Flag of Malawi |
In 1891, the area was colonised by the British and became a protectorate of the United Kingdom known as Nyasaland. In 1953, it became a protectorate within the semi-independent Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The Federation was dissolved in 1963. In 1964, the protectorate was ended: Nyasaland became an independent country under Queen Elizabeth II, and was renamed Malawi. Two years later it became a republic. It gained full independence from the United Kingdom, and by 1970 had become a totalitarian one-party state under the presidency of Hastings Banda, who remained in this role until 1994. Malawi has a democratic, multi-party republic headed by an elected president. Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party led the Tonse Alliance grouping of nine political parties and won the court-mandated Presidential Election rerun held on 23 June 2020 after the May 2019 Presidential Election was annulled due to electoral irregularities. The country's military, the Malawian Defence Force, includes an army, a navy, and an air wing. Malawi's foreign policy is pro-Western. It maintains positive diplomatic relations with most countries, and participates in several international organisations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the African Union (AU).
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
MWK | Malawian kwacha | MK | 2 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
NY | Chichewa language |