Rumphi 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
Northern 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 capital is
Rumphi
Rumphi is the capital of the Rumphi District (Rumphi Boma) in the Northern Region of Malawi. It is a lively town with a market which serves the widespread farming community. Rumphi is noted for the kindness of the people (it is even rude to p ...
. The district covers an area of 4,769 km.² and has a population of 128,360.
Geography
Rumphi District extends from
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 fr ...
in the east to the
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
n border in the west. The northern end of the Mzimba Plain extends into the eastern portion of the district. Most of the district is drained by the
South Rukuru River and its tributaries. The
Viphya Mountains The Viphya Mountains, also known as the Viphya Plateau or Viphya Highlands, are a mountain range in Malawi's Northern Region.
Geography
The range runs north-northeast along the west shore of Lake Malawi. The range extends approximately 210 km ...
extend into the southeastern portion of the district, and much of central portion of the district lies on the
Nyika Plateau.
Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve covers the western end of the district, and
Nyika National Park covers much of the center.
Rumphi is the district capital. Other towns include
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 of Malawi. This location is approxim ...
,
Chitango,
Chiweta, and
Livingstonia.
Demographics
At the time of the
2018 Census of Malawi, the distribution of the population of Rumphi District by
ethnic group was as follows:
* 86.1%
Tumbuka
* 5.0%
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 ...
* 2.4%
Ngoni
* 1.7%
Lomwe
* 1.2%
Yao
* 1.1%
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 ...
* 0.8%
Nkhonde
* 0.5%
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 ...
* 0.3%
Sukwa
* 0.1%
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 ...
* 0.1%
Sena
* 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 ...
* 0.5% Others
Government and administrative divisions
There are three
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 Rumphi:
* Rumphi - East
* Rumphi - North
* Rumphi - West
Since the
2009 election all of these constituencies have been held by members of an independent party.
Parliament of Malawi - Members of Parliament - Rumphi District
/ref>
Notable residents
Rumphi has produced some notable residents like:
* Edgar Chibaka, founder and Managing Editor of the '' Nyasa Times'' one of Malawi's top online and print newspaper.
* Chakufwa Chihana 'the father of Malawian Democracy', founder of AFORD
* Dindi Gowa Nyasulu, Malawian engineer and former President of AFORD
* Kamlepo Kalua, president of an opposition party
* Dennis Nkhwazi, a former member of the cabinet
* Mwiza Munthali, talk show host and activist
* Kenneth Thindwa, pharmacist, entrepreneur and politician
* Moses Chirambo, ophthalmologist, entrepreneur, and politician
* Robert Ng'ambi, soccer player
* Gabadhinyo Mhango, soccer player
* Jacob Kumwenda, Entrepreneur, Agribusiness Specialist and Project Manager at ACE
References
Districts of Malawi
Districts in Northern Region, Malawi
{{Malawi-geo-stub