Capital City Lions Club

Capital City Lions ClubDistrict 412
Lilongwe Malawi

Page created at2003-06-02
and Last updated at:2003-09-12.

Welcome...

Malawi is a small landlocked country in Africa, south of the Equator between latitude 9 degrees 45' and 17 degrees 16' South and between longitudes 33 degrees 35' east. It is 900 kilometres long, varying in width from 80 kilometres to 160 kilometres and covering an area of 118, 484 square kilometres. The country is bordered to the North and North-East by the Republic of Tanzania and to the East, South and South-West by the Republic of Mozambique. The Republic of Zambia forms the Western border.

The country is dominated by Lake Malawi which runs southwards parallel to the main strip of land. This magnificent body of water is 568 kilometres long and 16 kilometres wide, accounting for 20 percent of Malawi's total surface area. Malawi has a varied topography of mountains and rivers, which have a direct effect on the climate with temperatures ranging from 14 degrees Celsius to 24 degrees Celsius along the lakeshore and Shire River valley areas.
The predominant vegetation of Malawi is the savannah woodland. Ever-green forests are found where ground water is plentiful as in river valleys and on mountains. Grasslands are found on high plateaus and river-basins.

Malawi has a population of close to 12 million with several ethnic groups. The Chewa are found in central Region. The Yaos are mostly found along the lakeshore districts of the Central and Southern regions. They are also found in Dedza, Machinga, Zomba, Blantyre and Chiradzulu.

Lomwes are mainly found in the Shire Highlands areas of Thyolo and Mulanje while the Nkhonde, Lambya, Tonga and Tumbuka are found in the Northern Region. The Ngoni are found in both the Northern and Central Regions. All ethnic groups in the North along with the Sena of Chikwawa and Nsanje in the South are patrilineal. The rest of Malawians are matrilineal.