Lilongwe

Lilongwe

Lilongwe has been the capital of Malawi since 1975. The city, named after a nearby river, lies on the inland plain and is one of the largest cities in the country. The city became a colonial district seat in 1904. In the 1920s, the development of a significant tobacco industry in the surrounding areas and its location at the junction of several major highways increased Lilongwe's importance as an agricultural market center on the fertile Central Region Plateau. Lilongwe lies on a plateau in Central Malawi, part of the East African Rift Valley, situated at 1050 m above sea level along the Lilongwe River. The river is about 200 km long and flows into Lake Malawi, and is the main source of water for the people of Lilongwe. Lilongwe is divided into a New City and an Old City. There are hotels, embassies, government offices and institutions in the former, and markets, bus stations, cafes and restaurants in the latter. Opposite the modern shops of the city are the street and walled markets of the Old Town. Places of worship are predominantly Christian churches and temples, but there are also Muslim mosques.