Ntchisi 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 county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

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 northeas ...

. The district covers an area of 1,655 km.² and has a population of 317,069. The capital is Ntchisi.

Geography

Ntchisi District has a population density of about 128 people per square kilometer. The province is all between 1,300 and 1,700 meters above sea level. About half (north and west) is hilly, while the other half (south and east) is generally flat. The average temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius.

Economy

Farming and agriculture makes up eighty percent of the local economy with a couple of the leading crops being beans and potatoes. Forestry, irrigation and livestock herding are other fields, since the economy has very little private industry and the government employs most of the people. At the turn of the 21st century, the poverty rate was about seventy-five percent. The district (and country) has received many forms of help from many agencies, including the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

DFID , type = Department , logo = DfID.svg , logo_width = 180px , logo_caption = , picture = File:Admiralty Screen (411824276).jpg , picture_width = 180px , picture_caption = Department for International Development (London office) (far right ...

, the

African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies ...

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

and the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

Health concerns

A 1989 survey found that the infant mortality rate was almost one-quarter (228/1000), and that those who did survive faced an alarming lack of sanitation services.

has done substantial work in the area.

Demographics

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 Ntchisi District by ethnic group was as follows: * 97.9%

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 ...

* 0.9% Ngoni * 0.4% Tumbuka * 0.3% Lomwe * 0.3% Yao * 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 ...

* 0.0%

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 Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked co ...

* 0.0% Sena * 0.0%

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 ...

* 0.0%

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% Nkhonde * 0.0% Sukwa * 0.0% Others

Government and administrative divisions

There are four

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 rep ...

constituencies in Ntchisi District: * Ntchisi – East * Ntchisi – North * Ntchisi – North East * Ntchisi – South Since the 2009 election most of these constituencies (except Ntchisi North East, which has been held by members of the

Malawi Congress Party The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is a 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 Hastings Banda, pres ...

) have been held by members of the

Tourism

The main attraction is the 75 square kilometer Ntchisi Mountain Forest Reserve on

Ntchisi Mountain Ntchisi Mountain is a mountain in central Malawi. It is located in Ntchisi District, east of the town of Ntchisi. Ntchisi Mountain's peak reaches 1702 meters elevation. A few neighboring peaks exceed 1600 meters.BirdLife International (2019) ...

, which is one of the last areas to preserve some species of indigenous plants. There also is a lodge specially designed for international tourists.

References

Districts of Malawi Districts in Central Region, Malawi {{Malawi-geo-stub