The Songwe River is a river that forms the

international boundary Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

between

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 ...

and Songwe Region,

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. The songwe region in Tanzania is named after the river. The Songwe's headwaters are where the borders of Malawi, Tanzania, and

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

meet. It flows southeast to empty into

Lake Nyasa 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 ...

. The middle course separates Malawi's

Misuku Hills The Misuku Hills are a mountain range in Malawi's Northern Region. Geography The Misuku Hills lie near Malawi's northern border. They are bounded on the north by the Songwe River, which forms Malawi's northern border with Tanzania. Tanzania's Um ...

from the

Umalila Mountains The Umalila Mountains are a mountain range in southern Tanzania, on the border with Malawi. The Umalila Mountains are part of Tanzania's Southern Highlands. The mountains are named for the Malila people. Geography The Umalila Mountains lie nor ...

in Songwe Region Tanzania. The lower course flows through the Kyela Plain, a fertile lowland lying northwest of Lake Malawi the valley of the

East African Rift The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The EAR began developing around the onset of the Miocene, 22–25 million years ago. In the past it was considered to be part of a ...

. The Kyela Plain is cultivated intensively with rice and other crops.Racaud, Sylvain, and Francois Bart (2017). ''Rural-Urban Dynamics in the East African Mountains''. Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, 2017.

External links

Tanzania, Malawi to Implement Songwe River Basin Plan

References

Rivers of Malawi Rivers of Tanzania Malawi–Tanzania border International rivers of Africa Border rivers {{Tanzania-river-stub