Mangochi is a township in the Southern Region of

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

. Located near the southern end of

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, () is an African Great Lakes, African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is ...

, in

colonial times The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...

it used to be called Fort Johnston. As of 2018, it has a population of 53,498.

History

Mangochi was founded by colonial administrator Sir Harry Johnston in the 1890s as a

British colonial The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, while not forming p ...

defence post on the littoral plain of the

Shire River The Shire is the largest river in Malawi. It is the only outlet of Lake Malawi and flows into the Zambezi River in Mozambique. Its length is . The upper Shire River issues from Lake Malawi and runs approximately before it enters shallow Lake Malo ...

's western shore. The British gunboat ''Gwendolen'', named after Lady Gwendolen Gascoyne-Cecil, daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, was built in Mangochi in 1897. At , it was the largest ship to sail on

until being scrapped shortly after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The gunboat, operated by the Protectorate of

Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. After ...

, is said to have fought the first naval battle of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

when it defeated the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

vessel ''Hermann von Wissmann'' in August 1914. Rioting in June 2003 injured three people. From March to November 2007, roughly 480 children were rescued from child labour on tobacco farms in Mangochi. In July 2008, elephants terrorised areas around Maldeco Fisheries in Mangochi and caused several deaths and damage to property, mainly crops. The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture proposed moving the elephants into several game reserves, although the proposal stalled when some residents said they wanted the elephants to remain.

Geography

Mangochi is at an elevation of , near the southern end of

, between the main lakeshore road and the

and south of its entrance into

Lake Malombe Lake Malombe is a lake in southern part of Malawi. It is located on the Shire River, in the Southern Region around , about south of much larger Lake Malawi. It has an area of about . In recent years the number of fishermen on the lake has risen ...

. The town is roughly northeast of

Blantyre, Malawi Blantyre is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with a population of 800,264 . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe. It is ...

's largest city. It is situated from Mponda, from Chipalamawamba, from Mbaluku Laini and from Yangala.

Climate

Mangochi has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Aw'').

Demographics

Population development

Languages and ethnicities

Yao, specifically the Mangochi dialect, is the main language spoken in this town. A

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

settlement was also established in Mangochi. Mangochi is mainly inhabited by the Yao people.

Economy

Mangochi was developed as an agricultural centre and has marine-engineering shops. Cash crops grown in the area include tobacco, cotton, and groundnuts. Rice and maize are intensively grown along the lakeshore, and commercial fishing is also important.

Facilities

Amenities

Amenities include several shops, supermarkets, a post office and banks.

Bridges

Within Mangochi there is the Bakili Muluzi Bridge, which

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History 20th century Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen Wheeler, Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 19 ...

described as "scenic".

Museums

The

Lake Malawi Museum Lake Malawi Museum is a museum on Lake Malawi in Malawi. Situated in the Old Gymkhana Club and organized by the Society of Malawi since 1971 (and likely not updated since then), the museum is located near the Queen Victoria memorial near the Bakil ...

houses ethnic, environmental, and historical exhibits. They include the

Hotchkiss gun The Hotchkiss gun can refer to different types of the Hotchkiss arms company starting in the late 19th century. It usually refers to the 1.65-inch (42 mm) light mountain gun. There were also navy (47 mm) and 3-inch (76 mm) ...

with which the British

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

''Gwendolen'' defeated the German gunboat ''Hermann von Wissmann'' with a single shot in their brief naval engagement in August 1914. The museum has also a scale model of the ''Gwendolen''. An even older exhibit is a

marine steam engine A marine steam engine is a steam engine that is used to power a ship or boat. This article deals mainly with marine steam engines of the reciprocating type, which were in use from the inception of the steamboat in the early 19th century to thei ...

that was built in 1898 and powered the

Universities' Mission to Central Africa The Universities' Mission to Central Africa (c.1857 - 1965) was a missionary society established by members of the Anglican Church within the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and Dublin. It was firmly in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of ...

's SS ''Chauncy Maples'' until 1953.

Religion

Mangochi is home to a large mosque as well as a modern

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

. The city has the largest Muslim population in terms of percent.

Clocks

Mangochi is home to a clock tower erected in honour of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, dating back to the early 20th century.

Transport

Mangochi is located just off the M3 road. All buses travelling from

Monkey Bay file:Monkey bay main road.JPG, Main north-south street of the town. Monkey Bay or Lusumbwe is a town in Mangochi which is in the Mangochi District in the Southern Region, Malawi, Southern Region of Malawi. The town is on the shore of Lake Malawi ...

Blantyre Blantyre is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with a population of 800,264 . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe. It is ...

stop in Mangochi. Minibuses travel to

Liwonde Liwonde, or Livonde, is a town located in Machinga District, in the Southern Region of Malawi. Geography Located in Machinga District in the Southern Region of Malawi, Liwonde is located in the Shire River valley. Its main landmark is the roa ...

, Zomba, and

. ''Matola''s travel to

Liwonde National Park Liwonde National Park, also known as Liwonde Wildlife Reserve, is a national park in southern Malawi, near the Mozambique border. The park was established in 1973, and has been managed by the nonprofit conservation organization African Parks since ...

and to the border town of Chiponde.

Tourism

Mangochi is described by

as having a "vaguely Swahili feel", with "palm trees, Arab-looking people and

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

s for sale in the street." There are several guesthouses and lodges for tourists in Mangochi.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Southern Region, Malawi