Mangochi
Encyclopedia
Mangochi is a township in the Southern Region
of Malawi
. Located near the southern end of Lake Malawi
, in colonial times
it used to be called Fort Johnston. As of 2008 it has a population of 51,429.
's western shore. After this, Fort Johnston – as the town was then known – was an important slave market
and administrative center.
The British gunboat Gwendolen was built in Mangochi in 1897. At 340 short ton, it was the largest ship to sail on Lake Malawi
until being scrapped shortly after World War II
. The gunboat, operated by the Protectorate of Nyasaland, scored an early success in World War I
when it defeated the German
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 labor on tobacco farms in Mangochi. In July 2008, elephant
s 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.
Mangochi is at an elevation of 1541 feet (469.7 m), near the southern end of Lake Malawi
, between the main lakeshore road and the Shire River
and 5 miles (8 km) south of its entrance into Lake Malombe
. The town is roughly 120 miles (193.1 km) northeast of Blantyre, Malawi
's largest city. It is situated 1.4 miles (2.3 km) away from Mponda, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) away from Chipalamawamba, 2 miles (3.2 km) away from Mbaluku Laini and 1.4 miles (2.3 km) away from Yangala.
settlement was also established in Mangochi. Mangochi is mainly inhabited by the Yao people.
, cotton
, and groundnuts. Rice
and maize
are intensively grown along the lakeshore, and commercial fishing is also important.
described as "scenic".
with which the British gunboat
Guendolin 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 Guendolin. An even older exhibit is a marine steam engine
that was built in 1898 and powered the Universities' Mission to Central Africa
's SS Chauncy Maples until 1953.
Cathedral.
, dating back to the early 20th century.
to Blantyre
stop in Mangochi. Minibuses travel to Liwonde
, Zomba, and Blantyre
. Matolas travel to Liwonde National Park
and to the border town of Chiponde.
as having a "vaguely Swahili feel", with "palm trees, Arab-looking people and coconut
s for sale in the street." There are several guesthouses and lodges for tourists in Mangochi. Pranay B. Gupte suggested staying at the Nkopola Lodge, where one can swim, fish, and sail.
Southern Region, Malawi
The Southern Region of Malawi, population 5,876,784, covers an area of 31,753 km². Its capital city is Blantyre.Of the 28 districts in Malawi, 12 are located within the Southern Region They are: Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Machinga, Mangochi, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje,...
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 near the southern end of Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...
, in colonial times
History of Malawi
The History of Malawi covers the area of present-day Malawi. The region was once part of the Maravi Empire. In colonial times it was known as British Central Africa and Nyasaland and was at one time part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland...
it used to be called Fort Johnston. As of 2008 it has a population of 51,429.
History
Mangochi was founded by colonial administrator Sir Harry Johnston in the 1890s as a British colonial defense post on the littoral plain of the Shire RiverShire River
The Shire is a river in Malawi and Mozambique. The river has been known as the Shiré or Chire River. It is the outlet of Lake Malawi and flows into the Zambezi. Its length is 402 km; including Lake Malawi and the Ruhuhu, its headstream, it has a length of about 1200 km...
's western shore. After this, Fort Johnston – as the town was then known – was an important slave market
African slave trade
Systems of servitude and slavery were common in many parts of Africa, as they were in much of the ancient world. In some African societies, the enslaved people were also indentured servants and fully integrated; in others, they were treated much worse...
and administrative center.
The British gunboat Gwendolen was built in Mangochi in 1897. At 340 short ton, it was the largest ship to sail on Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...
until being scrapped shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The gunboat, operated by the Protectorate of Nyasaland, scored an early success in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when it defeated the German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
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 labor on tobacco farms in Mangochi. In July 2008, elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s 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
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...
, between the main lakeshore road and the Shire River
Shire River
The Shire is a river in Malawi and Mozambique. The river has been known as the Shiré or Chire River. It is the outlet of Lake Malawi and flows into the Zambezi. Its length is 402 km; including Lake Malawi and the Ruhuhu, its headstream, it has a length of about 1200 km...
and 5 miles (8 km) south of its entrance into Lake Malombe
Lake Malombe
Lake Malombe is a lake in southern part of Malawi, on the Shire River, in the Southern Region. It is located at around . It has an area of about . In recent years the number of fishermen on the lake rose substantially, this led to local decline in some fish species, such as chambo.- References :*...
. The town is roughly 120 miles (193.1 km) northeast of Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
's largest city. It is situated 1.4 miles (2.3 km) away from Mponda, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) away from Chipalamawamba, 2 miles (3.2 km) away from Mbaluku Laini and 1.4 miles (2.3 km) away from Yangala.
Population development
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1987 | 14,758 |
| 1998 | 27,055 |
| 2008 | 51,429 |
Languages and ethnicities
Yao, specifically of the Mangochi dialect, is the main language spoken in this town. A SwahiliSwahili people
The Swahili people are a Bantu ethnic group and culture found in East Africa, mainly in the coastal regions and the islands of Kenya, Tanzania and north Mozambique. According to JoshuaProject, the Swahili number in at around 1,328,000. The name Swahili is derived from the Arabic word Sawahil,...
settlement was also established in Mangochi. Mangochi is mainly inhabited by the Yao people.
Economy
Mangochi was developed as an agricultural center and has marine-engineering shops. Cash crops grown in the area include tobaccoTobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, and groundnuts. Rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
and maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
are intensively grown along the lakeshore, and commercial fishing is also important.
Bridges
Within Mangochi there is the Shire Bridge, which Lonely PlanetLonely 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...
described as "scenic".
Museums
The Lake Malawi Museum houses ethnic, environmental, and historical exhibits. They include the Hotchkiss gunHotchkiss gun
The Hotchkiss gun can refer to different products of the Hotchkiss arms company starting in the late 19th century. It usually refers to the 1.65-inch light mountain gun; there was also a 3-inch Hotchkiss gun...
with which the British gunboat
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:...
Guendolin 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 Guendolin. An even older exhibit is a marine steam engine
Marine steam engine
A marine steam engine is a reciprocating steam engine that is used to power a ship or boat. Steam turbines and diesel engines largely replaced reciprocating steam engines in marine applications during the 20th century, so this article describes the more common types of marine steam engine in use...
that was built in 1898 and powered the Universities' Mission to Central Africa
Universities' Mission to Central Africa
The Universities' Mission to Central Africa 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 the Church, and the first to devolve authority to a bishop in the...
's SS Chauncy Maples until 1953.
Religion
Mangochi is home to a large mosque as well as a modern CatholicRoman Catholicism in Malawi
The Roman Catholic Church in Malawi is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.There are over 2 million Catholics in Malawi - around a fifth of the total population...
Cathedral.
Clocks
Mangochi is home to a clock tower erected in honour of Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, dating back to the early 20th century.
Transport
Mangochi is located just off the M3 road. All buses travelling from Monkey BayMonkey Bay
Monkey Bay or Lusumbwe is a town in Mangochi whichi is in the Mangochi District in the Southern Region of Malawi. The town is on the shore of Lake Malawi and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi. The population of Monkey Bay is estimated to be 14,591 as of 2008. Monkey Bay is from Lilongwe,...
to Blantyre
Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
stop in Mangochi. Minibuses travel to Liwonde
Liwonde
-Geography:Located in Machinga District on the Shire River along the main road connecting Zomba to Lilongwe, Liwonde is an important crossroad linking the four districts in the area . Liwonde, in an African sense, is a transportation hub...
, Zomba, and Blantyre
Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
. Matolas travel to Liwonde National Park
Liwonde National Park
Liwonde National Park is a national park in Malawi. It is located on the upper Shire River plain, east of the river, 140 km north of Limbe. Its southern gate lies about 6 km from the town center of Liwonde, and is accessible by bicycle taxi or walking...
and to the border town of Chiponde.
Tourism
Mangochi is described by Lonely PlanetLonely 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...
as having a "vaguely Swahili feel", with "palm trees, Arab-looking people and coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s for sale in the street." There are several guesthouses and lodges for tourists in Mangochi. Pranay B. Gupte suggested staying at the Nkopola Lodge, where one can swim, fish, and sail.