Main north-south street of the town.
Monkey Bay or Lusumbwe is a town in
Mangochi
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.
History
Mangochi was founded by colonial adm ...
which is in the
Mangochi District
Dedza district is one of twelve Districts of Malawi, districts in the central region of Malawi. The capital is Mangochi, lilongwe. The district covers an area of 6,273 km.² and has a population of 610,239.
The Mangochi District is a hub ...
in the
Southern 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 ...
. The town is on the shore of
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.
It is the fifth largest fre ...
and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi.
The population of Monkey Bay was 14,955 according to the 2018 census.
Monkey Bay is from
Lilongwe
Lilongwe (, , ) is the capital and most populated city of the African country of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020 that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in th ...
, Malawi's capital city, and from
Blantyre
Blantyre () is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with an enumerated 800,264 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, L ...
.
Monkey Bay is a tourist resort and is often travelled through on the road to
Cape Maclear
Cape Maclear or Chembe is a town in the Mangochi District of Malawi's Southern Region. The town, on the Nankumba Peninsula, is on the southern shore of Lake Malawi and is the busiest resort on Lake Malawi. Cape Maclear is close to the island ...
.
History
Monkey Bay was ruled by the Muslim
Yao chief and slave trader,
Mponda, during the 1880s.
In the late 19th century, the first Bishop of
Likoma,
Chauncy Maples
Chauncy Maples (1852 – 2 September 1895) was a British clergyman and Anglican missionary who became Bishop of Likoma, with a diocese in East Africa.
Early life
Born at Bound's Green in 1852, he was the son of Frederick Maples, a solicitor, ...
, drowned near Monkey Bay in Lake Malawi.
In the 1960s, there was a Fisheries Research Laboratory in Monkey Bay, funded by the then-
Nyasaland
Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasala ...
colonial government.
Geography
Monkey Bay is on the shore of
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.
It is the fifth largest fre ...
and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi.
It is at an elevation of .
Monkey Bay is situated from
Chimpamba, from
Zambo
Zambo ( or ) or Sambu is a racial term historically used in the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed Indigenous and African ancestry. Occasionally in the 21st century, the term is used in the Americas to refer to persons who are of mixe ...
, from
Msumbi and from
Mbalamanja.
Living standards
In March 2003, the then-Malawian President
Bakili Muluzi
Elson Bakili Muluzi (born March 17, 1943 in Machinga, Nyasaland) is a Malawian politician who was the first freely elected president of Malawi from 1994 to 2004. He was also chairman of the United Democratic Front (UDF) until 2009. He succeeded ...
held a rally in Monkey Bay, and promised to help reduce poverty.
The charity
Save the Children
The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
is active in the Monkey Bay area.
According to a German development volunteer working with the
Back to School Foundation, the residents of Monkey Bay are not living at the poverty line, but at the existence line. Houses are simple clay cottages, and few households can afford electricity, as the connection costs alone are three times the average monthly wage.
Facilities
Amenities
There is a supermarket and a market in Monkey Bay, although there are
bureaux de change
A bureau de change (plural bureaux de change, both ) (British English) or currency exchange (American English) is a business where people can exchange one currency for another.
Nomenclature
Although originally French, the term "bureau de chan ...
or
automatic teller machines
An automated teller machine (ATM) or cash machine (in British English) is an electronic telecommunications device that enables customers of financial institutions to perform financial transactions, such as cash withdrawals, deposits, fun ...
. On 22 February 2010, a first bank opened its doors.
Malawi Savings Bank Agency which was operating from the Post Office building moved into their own convenience, a refurbished and spacious building at the trading centre.
There is not a functioning internet café although there are signs for one. There are several guesthouses.
The nearest
ATM is in the town of
Mangochi
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.
History
Mangochi was founded by colonial adm ...
.
Transport
Monkey Bay is connected to
Lilongwe
Lilongwe (, , ) is the capital and most populated city of the African country of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020 that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in th ...
and
Blantyre
Blantyre () is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with an enumerated 800,264 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, L ...
by bus services.
The nearest airport is at
Ulongwe, away.
[ Two passenger ferries make weekly sailings along Lake Malawi between Monkey Bay and ]Chilumba
Chilumba is a town in Malawi. It is an urban centre in Karonga District.
Location
Chilumba is located along the western shores of Lake Malawi, at the southern end of Karonga District, in the Northern Region, Malawi, Northern Region of Malawi. T ...
; the ''MV Ilala
MV ''Ilala'', formally ''Ilala II'', is a motor ship that has plied Lake Malawi in East Africa since 1951. Every week she crosses the lake all the way north to Chilumba, Malawi, near Tanzania (about from Monkey Bay) and then returns to Monkey ...
'' and the ''Mtendere''. The ''Ilala'' is 350-passenger steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
that has served the route since 1951. In March 2003, the European Union funded improvements to the road linking Monkey Bay with Masasa and Golomoti. In February 2006, the Malawian government announced plans to build a road from Monkey Bay to Cape Maclear. In March 2006, there was no road access to Monkey Bay, after the worst floods since 1978 had washed away several kilometres of road and a bridge. The rainfall measured around and several thousand people in the Mangochi District
Dedza district is one of twelve Districts of Malawi, districts in the central region of Malawi. The capital is Mangochi, lilongwe. The district covers an area of 6,273 km.² and has a population of 610,239.
The Mangochi District is a hub ...
were made homeless.
Education
The Nankhwala Catholic School is in Monkey Bay.
Medical
Monkey Bay has a hospital, but medical services are not extensive; surgery and diagnostics
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine "cause and effect". In systems engineer ...
are however available in Monkey Bay.
Law and military
Monkey Bay has a police station. It is also the headquarters of the 220-strong marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
force of the Army of Malawi.
Tourism
Monkey Bay has been described as "the country's best known resort" by ''Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency.
AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C ...
'', and ''Factiva
Factiva is a business information and research tool owned by Dow Jones & Company. Factiva aggregates content from both licensed and free sources. Providing organizations with search, alerting, dissemination, and other information management ...
'' refers to Monkey Bay as the "best known resort-area" in Malawi. The area has "sandy beaches and tropical fish", and is popular with tourists. There are diving schools in Monkey Bay, however, according to the Daily Telegraph, the schools are considered poor by tourists.[ ] The town is also a transit point to Cape Maclear
Cape Maclear or Chembe is a town in the Mangochi District of Malawi's Southern Region. The town, on the Nankumba Peninsula, is on the southern shore of Lake Malawi and is the busiest resort on Lake Malawi. Cape Maclear is close to the island ...
.
Demographics
References
{{Coord, 14, 05, S, 34, 55, E, region:MW_type:city, display=title
Lake Malawi
Populated places in Southern Region, Malawi