Ever since the dawn of time nature has provided us with several beautiful things, one of them is the beautiful country of Malawi. Situated in southeastern part of Africa, running along the Great Rift Valley, Malawi has been one of the closest countries to be considered Heaven on Earth.
Lilongwe, Malawi’s Capital city has been in existence since 1971 and has been a bustling city ever since its creation. Taking advantage of its inherent natural beauty, Malawi has several National parks, wildlife and forest reserves such as Liwonde National park, Vwaza, Mwabi and several others. Malawi’s main attraction, Lake Malawi, has been Malawi’s main center of attraction.
The Northern Region is somewhat unforgiving for the subsistence farmer in Malawi, as it is characterized by strong, rising mountains with rocky terrain. Forested lands run throughout the area. The highest points are found in the rolling grassy hills of Nyika Plateau, a vast expanse rising to over 3,000m and dropping sharply down past the beautiful waterfalls of Livingstone to Lake Malawi. The Nyika Plateau is a bird-watchers paradise with hundreds of species of birds calling the plateau home, as well as hundreds of varieties of wild orchids, which bloom November – March. It is not unusual to spot zebra and several species of antelope on the plateau, and leopard is increasing in numbers.
The cool temperatures and rich soils of the North are perfect for coffee plantations, and is the North’s major cash crop along with small farms for tobacco and tea. Along the Northern lakeshore, rice is often grown for personal consumption and for sale in other parts of the country.
To the far North, the city of Chitipa is an isolated town near the border of Tanzania. It is home to possibly 20 different tribal people with as many different languages spoken there. Mzuzu is the largest city and the Northern Region and is the main transportation point to Tanzania, Nkhata Bay and Lilongwe. Mzimba, South-West of Mzuzu, is a smaller city with government offices and a large trading center.
Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa, is home to many endangered and almost extinct species, such as Painted Hunting Dog and Nile Crocodiles. Lake Malawi is ranked top among the world for freshwater diving destinations. It is the 3rd largest freshwater lake in Africa and 11th largest in the world. It fills a stretch of Africa’s Great Rift Valley approximately 580 km long and 75 km wide, reaching depths of more than 700 m. Although estimates of its age vary (, it is regarded as and ‘Ancient’ lake in global terms. It has a comparatively small catchment of about 130,000 km2; most of it in Malawi, and its outflow feed the Shire River, a tributary of the Zambezi. The world heritage property includes just 7km2 of the lake’s vast expanse, amounting to just 0.02 % of its total area.
Apart from its breathtaking Flora and fauna, Malawi is also home to some indigenous tribes whose history goes as far as 300 BC.
There are a different number of tribes that inhibit Malawi: Chewa, Nyanja, Yao are some of many. Most of the tribes greet foreign people with Humor and Humility. Men and women are free to wear whatever clothes they prefer, but most of them prefer to wear their tribal clothing, such as Chitenje, a multipurpose clothing which can work as a scarf, baby carrier, oven mitts and many more.
Despite the struggling economic background of Malawi, its people have always remained unaffected by it. Their rich heritage has made them one of the richest countries in the world, culturally. The people of Malawi are strong willed and kindhearted people who have always stayed together during their rough times.
Their great humility and kindness debunks all critiques against the people of Africa.
As the saying goes “Don’t judge a book by its cover” clearly explains the current situation of Africans. The world today views Africa as a continent infected with Poverty and diseases such that it should be set on Quarantine. Many such people should realize the true beauty of Africa and learn to appreciate the beauty of the land that our Ancestors lived in.
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