Dedza is the main township of

Dedza District Dedza is a district in the Central Region of Malawi. It covers an area of 3,624 km.² to the south of the Malawi capital, Lilongwe, between Mozambique and Lake Malawi. The capital is Dedza. Geography The western part of the district is on t ...

in the Central Region of

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

Description

Dedza is located about 85 km south of Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, off the M1 road to Blantyre at a point where a trans-African highway from Johannesburg enters the country. At an altitude of 1590m it is the highest town in Malawi. In June and July it can be chilly, especially in the mornings and evenings. The town is based around a bypass loop of tarmac road connected to the M1. At the northern end of the town centre there is a bus station, Town Assembly offices, sports stadium, police station, banks and petrol station. At the southern end there is a hospital and large market. There are many shops and businesses along the road and a parallel

dirt road A dirt road or track is a type of unpaved road not paved with asphalt, concrete, brick, or stone; made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable ...

. Two other petrol stations are located on the M1. Accommodation is available at the Dedza Pottery, Panjira Lodge, Rainbow Resthouse and other local resthouses. There are a number of bars and cafes in the town centre, such as the Boiz Club and Golden Dish and a cyber-café – AY Business Cafe. The Dedza Pottery Coffee Shop is 1 km along a dirt road near the M1 northern junction. The Dedza Pottery sells a wide range of ceramics and there are a number of craft shops along the dirt road to it. A walk up to the top of Dedza Mountain (2198m) is possible on a maintenance road for the communication aerials. The main industries of the town are Paragon Ceramics, which makes floor and roof tiles, etc., located at the Dedza Pottery and the WICO Sawmill on the opposite side of the road. The offices of the various departments of the Dedza District Assembly are located in the township. So also are offices for several NGOs operating in the district, such as Save the Children, Concern Universal and the Red Cross. The town has several primary schools, Mchisu day secondary school and Umbwi and Dedza Secondary boarding schools. Dedza is linked with Norwich, UK by the Norwich-Dedza Partnership, a UK-based charity. The partnership supports education, health, agriculture, tourism development and public sector organisations in Dedza District through volunteer workers, supply of computers and other materials and small scale funding. The eye clinic at Dedza District Hospital is supported by Norwich charity Far Sight which has provided training and equipment.

Climate

Dedza has a

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Cwb'') with cool to warm temperatures year round. The rainy season runs from November to April, and the dry season runs from May to October.

Demographics

References

{{coord, 14, 22, S, 34, 20, E, region:MW_type:city, display=title Populated places in Central Region, Malawi

Description

Climate

Demographics

See also

References