Lilongwe

Lilongwe is the largest and capital city of Malawi with an estimated population of 1,077,116 for 2015. The city is located in the central region of Malawi, near the borders with Mozambique and Zambia, and it is an important economic and transportation hub for central Malawi. It is named after the Lilongwe River.HistoryLilongwe had existed for centuries as a small fishing village on the banks of the Lilongwe River. During British Colonial Rule, the settlement became an administrative centre due to its strategic location. Formally founded in 1906 as a trading post, Lilongwe was officially recognised as a town in 1947. After gaining independence, it increasingly developed into an important trading centre in Malawi's central region. Its growth was encouraged when the country's former head of state, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, established it as Malawi's new capital city in 1975. The last government offices were relocated to Lilongwe in 2005. The city's population is increasing rapidly, with an annual growth rate of 4.3%.PoliticsLocal governmentLilongwe is governed by Lilongwe City Council, which is dominated by Malawi congress partyParliamentThe Malawian parliament is in Lilongwe. It was built by the Chinese.GeographyTopographyLilongwe is located on a plateau in Central Malawi, forming part of the East African Rift Valley situated at an altitude of 1,050 m (3,440 ft) above sea level, along Lilongwe River.ClimateLilongwe features a humid subtropical climate that borders on a subtropical highland climate (Köppen: Cwa), with pleasantly warm summers and mild winters. Due to the altitude, temperatures are lower than would be expected for a city located in the tropics. Lilongwe features a short wet season that runs from December to March and a lengthy dry season that covers much of the remainder of the year, particularly June and July which are cooler than the rest of the year. However, the city sees heavy downpours during its rainy season, seeing around 200mm of rain in a month during the wettest months.