Mwanza is a town in

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 ...

on the border with

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. It is the administrative headquarters for

Mwanza District Mwanza is a district in the Southern Region of Malawi. The capital is Mwanza. The district covers an area of 2,259 km² and has a population of 138,015. Mwanza is a border town whose economy is based largely on transport. The agricultural ...

Location

Mwanza is the largest commercial, political and administrative urban centre of Mwanza District, in the Southern Region of Malawi. It lies on the important road 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 ...

Tete Tete is the capital city of Tete Province in Mozambique. It is located on the Zambezi River, and is the site of two of the four bridges crossing the river in Mozambique. A Swahili trade center before the Portuguese colonial era, Tete continues ...

in Mozambique, approximately , by road, northwest of Blantyre, Malawi's commercial capital. The geographical coordinates of Mwanza, Malawi are:15°35'55.0"S, 34°31'04.0"E (Latitude:-15.598611; Longitude:34.517778). The town sits at an average elevation of above sea level.

Population

The national census and household survey conducted in 2018, enumerated the population of Mwanza, Malawi at 18,039 inhabitants. The majority of people in the town and the district belong to the Chewa ethnic group.

Economy

The town is a market town for local produce, including honey, as well as a distribution market for commercial products and processed foods, such as maize flour. Mwanza also acts as a transshipment point for goods going down the Zambeze River via Tete. It is also a centre for smuggling. In 2007, Ethiopian illegal immigrants were discovered hidden in an oil tanker at Mwanza, Malawi, at the border with Mozambique, on their way to South Africa. In July 2012, 49 Ethiopian and Somali nationals drowned in

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 ...

when the boat in which they were attempting to cross the lake capsized. The group which started in Tanzania, had intended to cross into Mozambique and finally to South Africa.

Infrastructure

Mwanza has an airstrip with a long runway. It has both primary and secondary schools as well as a hospital. Mwanza District Hospital serves not only the local district, but also neighbouring

Chikwawa District Chikwawa is a district in the Southern Region of Malawi. The capital is Chikwawa. The district covers an area of 4,755 km² and has a population of 356,682. The district lies in a malaria endemic area in Africa and has recently been the ta ...

and Neno District in Malawi and the town of Zobue and Moatize District across the border in Mozambique. The town has a railway station on the

Nacala railway Nacala railway, also known as Northern Corridor railway and Nacala Corridor railway, is a railway line that operates in northern Mozambique on a lineGarcia, Ana.; Kato, Karina.Politicas Públicas e Interesses Privadas: uma análise a partir do Cor ...

, under concession of

Central East African Railways Central East African Railways is a consortium formed in 1999, led by the Railroad Development Corporation, which won the right to operate the Malawi Railways network. The company was sold in September 2008 to INSITEC, an investment group based in ...

. The town of Mwanza has one of the most important railway stations on the Nacala railway, linking

Moatize Moatize is the principal town and administrative center of Moatize District in western Mozambique, Mozambique's Tete Province. It is located on the eastern side of the Zambezi River at the confluence of the Moatize and Revúboé River, Revuboe Riv ...

and Cana-Cana (west) to

Nkaya Nkaya, also known as Nacaia, is a town in Malawi, located in the district of Balaka and in the Southern Region of the country. Its economy is predominantly agricultural, but it has an important logistics sector, as it serves as the junction point ...

and

Port of Nacala The Port of Nacala, also called the Nacala port complex, is a Mozambican port located in the cities of Nacala and Nacala-a-Velha. Is the deepest port in Southern Africa. The natural deep harbour serves landlocked Malawi with a railway. The inf ...

(east).Nacala Corridor
Japan International Cooperation Agency. 2015.

References

External links

Photo: Border Operations Assessment Mwanza-Zobue Border Posts
As of 23 June 2011.
Photo: Mwanza District Hospital
As of 20 October 2009. {{Authority control Populated places in Southern Region, Malawi Malawi–Mozambique border crossings