Karonga
Encyclopedia
Karonga is a township in the Karonga District
in Northern Region
of Malawi
. Located on the western shore of Lake Nyasa, it was established as a slaving centre sometime before 1877. As of 2008 estimates, Karonga has a population of 42,555.
bought the post in 1895 and ended the slave trade on Lake Nyasa's western shore. At this point Karonga became an important commercial and agricultural center. According to Lonely Planet
, the town "still bears a strong Swahili-Arab influence today."
A recent discovery of pre-historic tools and remains of hominids in Malawi's remote northern district of Karonga provides further proof that the area could be the cradle of humankind. Professor Friedemann Schrenk of the Goethe University in Frankfurt told Reuters News that two students working on the excavation site in September, 2009 had discovered prehistoric tools and a tooth of a hominid. "This latest discovery of prehistoric tools and remains of hominids provides additional proof to the theory that the Great Rift Valley of Africa and perhaps the excavation site near Karonga can be considered the cradle of humankind." Schrenk said. The site also contains some of the earliest dinosaurs which lived between 100 million and 140 million years ago and early hominids believed to have lived between a million and 6 million years ago. The discovery was at Malema excavation site 10 km (6.2 mi) from Karonga. (from a Reuters news report on October 23, 2009)
On 11 July 2008 the Kayelekera mine in Karonga celebrated 1.5 million hours of accident-free uranium mining. "Analysts" claim this is a rare achievement. The mine was previously met with controversy due exposing people to radiation.
In December 2009 the area suffered a series of earthquakes
.
is commonly used in Karonga for both home and school. Karonga is known as "an island of Tumbuka language and culture in a sea of Ngonde people."
. Buses travel from Mzuzu and Nkhata Bay to Karonga.
, a 150 million year old fossil discovered 45 kilometres (28 mi) south of Karonga. It displays an exhibit entitled "From Dinosaurs to Democracy", which chronicles the area's history.
Karonga District
Karonga is a district in the Northern Region of Malawi. The district covers an area of 3,355 km.² and has a population of 194,572. It is a border district between Malawi and Tanzania mainly occupied by the Nkhonde tribe...
in Northern Region
Northern Region, Malawi
The Northern Region of Malawi, population 1,698,502, covers an area of 26,931 km². Its capital city is Mzuzu. The Northern Region borders Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north, Lake Malawi to the east, and Malawi's Central Region to its south....
of Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
. Located on the western shore of Lake Nyasa, it was established as a slaving centre sometime before 1877. As of 2008 estimates, Karonga has a population of 42,555.
History
Some time before 1877 Karonga existed as the stronghold of Mlozi, a famous Arab slaver. In 1883 a British trading post, which formed the basis of the modern town, was opened there. British explorer Sir Harry JohnstonHarry Johnston
Sir Henry "Harry" Hamilton Johnston, GCMG, KCB , was a British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator, one of the key players in the "Scramble for Africa" that occurred at the end of the 19th century....
bought the post in 1895 and ended the slave trade on Lake Nyasa's western shore. At this point Karonga became an important commercial and agricultural center. According to Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world. The company is owned by BBC Worldwide, which bought a 75% share from the founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 2007 and the final 25% in February 2011...
, the town "still bears a strong Swahili-Arab influence today."
A recent discovery of pre-historic tools and remains of hominids in Malawi's remote northern district of Karonga provides further proof that the area could be the cradle of humankind. Professor Friedemann Schrenk of the Goethe University in Frankfurt told Reuters News that two students working on the excavation site in September, 2009 had discovered prehistoric tools and a tooth of a hominid. "This latest discovery of prehistoric tools and remains of hominids provides additional proof to the theory that the Great Rift Valley of Africa and perhaps the excavation site near Karonga can be considered the cradle of humankind." Schrenk said. The site also contains some of the earliest dinosaurs which lived between 100 million and 140 million years ago and early hominids believed to have lived between a million and 6 million years ago. The discovery was at Malema excavation site 10 km (6.2 mi) from Karonga. (from a Reuters news report on October 23, 2009)
On 11 July 2008 the Kayelekera mine in Karonga celebrated 1.5 million hours of accident-free uranium mining. "Analysts" claim this is a rare achievement. The mine was previously met with controversy due exposing people to radiation.
In December 2009 the area suffered a series of earthquakes
2009 Karonga earthquakes
The 2009 Karonga earthquakes were a series of earthquakes near Karonga, Malawi in December 2009. The earthquakes were near the northern Lake Malawi. The largest ones included:...
.
Geography
Karonga is at an elevation of 1568 feet (477.9 m) on the western shore of Lake Nyasa. It is situated 17.3 miles (27.8 km) away from Kenan Ngomba, 11 miles (17.7 km) away from Kaporo, 26.6 miles (42.8 km) away from Kilondo and 7.6 miles (12.2 km) away from Lupembe.Demographic evolution
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 19,667 |
| 1998 | 27,816 |
| 2008 | 42,555 |
Languages
TumbukaTumbuka language
The Tumbuka language is a Bantu language which is spoken in parts of Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania.The language of the Tumbuka people is called chiTumbuka — the chi- marker in front of Tumbuka means “thing”, “concept”, and is understood in this case “the language of ”...
is commonly used in Karonga for both home and school. Karonga is known as "an island of Tumbuka language and culture in a sea of Ngonde people."
Economy
The economy of the area is based on cotton and rice production along the lake and on coffee and livestock in the west. Karongans are dependent on subsistence fishing.Transport
Karonga is home to the Karonga International Airport which handles only daytime domestic flights for Air MalawiAir Malawi
Air Malawi Limited is an airline based in Blantyre, Malawi. It is the national airline of Malawi, wholly owned by the Malawi government and operates regional passenger services...
. Buses travel from Mzuzu and Nkhata Bay to Karonga.
Museums
The Culture and Museum Center Karonga is Karonga's most popular attraction. It is home to the MalawisaurusMalawisaurus
Malawisaurus was a genus of sauropod dinosaur . It lived in what is now Africa, specifically Malawi, during the Aptian age of the Early Cretaceous Period. It is one of the few titanosaurs for which skull material has been found.It was named by Louis L. Jacobs and colleagues, and was originally...
, a 150 million year old fossil discovered 45 kilometres (28 mi) south of Karonga. It displays an exhibit entitled "From Dinosaurs to Democracy", which chronicles the area's history.