About Malawi Central Region
The Central Region is home to the Malawi’s capital, and most common point of entry: Lilongwe.
It covers an area of 35,592 km².
It has a total of nine districts namely Nkhotakota, Kasungu, Ntchisi, Dowa, Lilongwe, Mchinji, Salima, Dedza, and Ntcheu.
District | Land Area (km2) | Population | Population Density |
Nkhotakota | 4,259km2 | 395,897 | 93/km2 |
Kasungu | 7,879km2 | 842,953 | 107/km2 |
Ntchisi | 1,655km2 | 317,069 | 197/km2 |
Dowa | 2,041km2 | 772,569 | 254/km2 |
Lilongwe | 6,159km2 | 2,626,901 | 427/km2 |
Mchinji | 3,356km2 | 602,305 | 179/km2 |
Salima | 2,196km2 | 478,346 | 218/km2 |
Dedza | 3,624km2 | 830,512 | 229/km2 |
Ntcheu | 3,424km2 | 659,608 | 193/km2 |
It borders Zambia to the west, and Mozambique to the east and south-west.
To the north, the Central Region borders Mzimba and Nkhata Bay Districts, while to the south-east it borders Mangochi, Balaka and Neno Districts.
The headquarter of the central region is Lilongwe.
Population in the Central Region of Malawi by Tribe
Tribe | Chewa | Ngoni | Yao | Tumbuka | Others |
Percentage | 71.48% | 14.58% | 4.91% | 3.16% | 5.86% |
*The data is as of 2018.
Economic Activities in the Central Region of Malawi
Lilongwe is the political capital of Malawi as well as the regional centre of economic activities in the Central Region.
Economic activities include production of timber and electricity, tobacco and sugarcane processing, cotton and rice farming, textiles and cloth making, livestock rearing, fishing and fish processing, mining (graphite, gypsum, titanium, diatomite and gold), boat making and provision of a variety of services (hotel, food, beverages, transport etc)
Sugarcane is processed at Nkhotakota and Dwangwa while cotton is processed in Salima.
Boat building and repair is done at Senga Bay while fishing in Mangochi and timber production is done in Dedza.
The region is served by Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe. A network of roads and railway lines link the Central Region to neighbouring countries and other regional districts.
Main Tourist Attractions in the Central Region of Malawi
The region has one National Park (Kasungu National Park) and one Wildlife Reserve (Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve).
Other tourist attractions are Chogoni Rock Arts, Senga Bay, Lilongwe Wildlife Centre and Ntchiti Forest Reserve.