Ntcheu is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

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 ...

. It borders with the country of

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 ...

. The district headquarters is

Ntcheu Ntcheu is a town located in the Central Region of Malawi. It is the administrative capital of Ntcheu District Ntcheu is a district in the Central Region of Malawi. It borders with the country of Mozambique. The district headquarters is Ntcheu ...

, known as BOMA in the local language, but is most commonly called Mphate. It is run by Yeneya, the village headman. The district covers an area of 3,424 km.² and has a population of 659,608 people according to the 2018 Malawi Population and Housing Census. The Ntcheu district lies around halfway between Malawi's majors cities of

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 ...

and

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 ...

- the capital city.

Government and administrative divisions

There are seven

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

constituencies in Ntcheu: * Ntcheu - Bwanje North * Ntcheu - Bwanje South * Ntcheu - Central * Ntcheu - North * Ntcheu - North East * Ntcheu - South * Ntcheu - West

Cities and towns

is the largest town or city in Ntcheu District. * Nsipe lies 20 km on the route to

. * Kasinje lies on the lake-shore road near

Salima district Salima is a district in the Central Region of Malawi. The capital is Salima. The district covers an area of 2,196 km.² and has a population of 478,346. The beach at Senga Bay is the weekend retreat of many from the capital, Lilongwe, and h ...

. * Lizulu is the headquarters of the

Ngoni people The Ngoni people are an ethnic group living in the present-day Southern African countries of Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. The Ngoni trace their origins to the Nguni and Zulu people of kwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The di ...

, who are dominant in the district. * Mphepozinai lies 15 km on the road to Kasinje. * Mulangeni lies on the edge of the Mozambique border. Chigodi lies 61 kilometers north east of the headquarters.

Culture

Most of the occupants of the Ntcheu District are of the

, and are therefore descendants of Eswatini's

Swazi people The Swazi or Swati ( Swati: ''Emaswati'', singular ''Liswati'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, inhabiting Eswatini, a sovereign kingdom in Southern Africa. EmaSwati are part of the Nguni-language speaking peoples whose or ...

and the Zulu of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Also, because of their location, they are connected to the

Ngoni People The Ngoni people are an ethnic group living in the present-day Southern African countries of Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. The Ngoni trace their origins to the Nguni and Zulu people of kwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The di ...

of the

Mzimba District Mzimba is a district in the Northern Region of Malawi. The capital is Mzimba. The district covers an area of 10,430 km.² and has a population of 610,944. It is the largest district in Malawi. Geography The Viphya Mountains extend through ...

located in the northern part of Malawi. The paramount Chief is

Inkosi Yamakosi Gomani Inkosi, otherwise appearing as Nkosi, is the Zulu and Xhosa for chieftain in Southern Africa. Inkosikazi is the equivalent term for a chieftess. An inkosi that has authority over several subordinate inkosis is traditionally referred to as an In ...

(see

List of rulers of the Ngoni Dynasty of Maseko (Gomani) List of Rulers of the Ngoni Dynasty of Maseko ( Gomani) (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 ...

). The traditional Authorities are Njolomole,

Kalumbu The kalumbu, or kalumbo, is a traditional instrument of the Tonga and Ila people of Zambia and Zimbabwe. A single metal-stringed bow played with a stick is lashed onto a calabash gourd that acts as a resonating chamber. The kalumbu player manipul ...

Kwataine Kwataine is a traditional authority under the paramount chief, Inkosi Yamakosi Gomani in Ntcheu District, Malawi most well known for its safe motherhood projects. This traditional authority area consists of an estimated 500,000 people, largely of N ...

, Ganya, Makwangwala, Chakhumbira, Mpando, Champiti, Phambala, and Masasa.

Places of interest

* Mama's restaurant is a popular destination for people in Ntcheu. * Gowa Mission School

Demographics

According to 2008 Malawi population census, people aged 18 and over distributed by Traditional Authority, were populated as follows: * Phambala 55,168 * Mpando 50,528 * Kwataine (Now Makwangwala) 41,338 * Sub Chief (S/C) Champiti 15,790 * Njolomole/Kalumbu 54,527 * Chakhumbira 25,659 * S/C Goodson Ganya 106,910 * Masasa 24,691 * Mphate 14,680 *

Mberengwa Mberengwa is a district in Midlands province in Zimbabwe. The district is now divided into sub-districts: Mberengwa North, East, West and South. It is bounded by Gwanda in Mberengwa west, and by Zvishavane in its northern zone, to the south it st ...

726

Ethnic groups

At the time of the

2018 Census of Malawi The 2018 Malawi census was the sixth national census in Malawi, which took place on 3-23 September 2018. The population of Malawi was counted as 17,563,749 – an increase of 4,534,251 (34.8%) over the 2008 census. Preliminary results from the ...

, the distribution of the population of Ntcheu District by

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

was as follows:2018 Malawi Population and Housing Census Main Report
/ref> * 90.4% Ngoni * 3.3% Lomwe * 2.3%

Chewa Chewa may refer to: *the Chewa people *the Chewa language Chewa (also known as Nyanja, ) is a Bantu language spoken in much of Southern, Southeast and East Africa, namely the countries of Malawi , where it is an official language, and Mozambiq ...

* 2.3% Yao * 0.6% Sena * 0.3%

Mang'anja The Mang'anja are a Bantu people of central and southern Africa, particularly around Chikwawa in the Shire River valley of southern Malawi. They speak a dialect of the Nyanja language, and are a branch of the Amaravi people. As of 1996 their popul ...

* 0.3% Tumbuka * 0.1%

Nyanja Chewa (also known as Nyanja, ) is a Bantu language spoken in much of Southern, Southeast and East Africa, namely the countries of Malawi , where it is an official language, and Mozambique and Zambia. The noun class prefix ''chi-'' is used for l ...

* 0.1%

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

* 0.1% Nkhonde * 0.1%

Lambya The Lambya, also known as the Nkoya, are an ethnic and linguistic group based along the border of northwestern Malawi and in Mbeya Region, Tanzania. A minority also exists in Zambia. In 2001 the Lambya population was estimated to number 85,000, i ...

* 0.0% Sukwa * 0.2% Others

Resources

The district is well known for its vegetable production like cabbages, tomatoes and potatoes at Njolomole, Lizulu, and Tsangano. Apart from this main road of M1, Ntcheu district is also well connected with other districts on the Lake shore using Kasinje road (M5) to the Lake shore road going through Golomoti, Chipoka,

Nkhotakota Nkhotakota (Un-kho-tah-kho-tuh) (formerly Kota Kota) (name derived from the Chichewa for "Corner Corner") is a town and one of the districts in the Central Region, Malawi, Central Region of Malawi. It is on the shore of Lake Malawi (formerly Lak ...

, and

Nkhata bay Nkhata Bay or just Nkhata is the capital of the Nkhata Bay District in Malawi. It is on the shore of Lake Malawi (formerly Lake Nyasa), east of Mzuzu, and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi. The population of Nkhata Bay was 14,274 accordin ...

districts.

Politics

With the dawn of multiparty politics in 1994 in Malawi, Ntcheu District may be regarded as a swing district as regards to the three major parties in Malawi, these are: the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the

Malawi Congress Party The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is a politics of Malawi, political party in Malawi. It was formed as a successor party to the banned Nyasaland African Congress when the country, then known as Nyasaland, was under British rule. The MCP, under H ...

(MCP).

Education

With the arrival of the religious missionaries in the district in the 19th Century, many Christian religious schools were created, such as, Gowa Mission School, Mlanda Mission School, Muluma Mission School, and the Dombole Mission school. With the development of these schools, this gave the advantage of increased education to the district. Private schools in the area include the New Era Girls Secondary School.

Notable Malawians from Ntcheu

Gomani II (Inkosi ya Makosi - ''Chief of Chiefs'')

Academics

Brown Chiphamba

Government

Saulos Chilima Saulos Klaus Chilima (born 12 February 1973) is a Malawian economist and politician who is the incumbent vice president of the Republic of Malawi. Chilima assumed office on 28 June 2020, winning the majority alongside presidential candidate L ...

* Loti Dzonzi *

Focus Gwede Focus Martin Gwede was head of the special branch of the Malawi Police Force. He was from Ntcheu Malawi. He was one of the most feared policemen during the Kamuzu Banda era.Sam Mpasu Sam Mpasu (17 September 1945 – 15 February 2018) was a Malawian politician, author, and former diplomat. He served as Minister of Commerce, Secretary General of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1999, and speaker of the Malawi National Assembl ...

* Percy Kachipande * Kelly Zidana * Hereford Machewere * Robert Jiva * Stalin Zinkanda

Entertainers

* Angela Mizinga "Tigris"

Business

* Nathan Kalumbu * Bashir Dawood Adams

References

{{Coord, 14, 45, S, 34, 45, E, region:MW_type:adm1st, display=title Districts of Malawi Districts in Central Region, Malawi