Liwonde

---

title: "Liwonde" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-southern-region,-malawi"] topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liwonde" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
	official_name
native_name
settlement_type
image_skyline	Liwonde_market.JPG
imagesize	300px
image_caption	market area
pushpin_map	Malawi
pushpin_mapsize	240
pushpin_label_position	bottom
pushpin_map_caption	Location in Malawi
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Malawi
subdivision_type1	Region
subdivision_name1	Southern Region
subdivision_type2	District
subdivision_name2	Machinga District
unit_pref	Imperial
area_land_km2
population_as_of	2018 Census
population_total	36,421
population_blank1_title	Ethnicities
population_blank2_title	Religions
timezone	+2
coordinates
blank1_name_sec2	Climate
blank1_info_sec2	Aw
::

|official_name = Liwonde |other_name = |native_name =
|nickname = |settlement_type = |motto = |image_skyline = Liwonde_market.JPG |imagesize = 300px |image_caption = market area |image_flag = |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |image_blank_emblem = |blank_emblem_type = |blank_emblem_size = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = |image_map1 = |mapsize1 = |map_caption1 = |image_dot_map = |dot_mapsize = |dot_map_caption = |dot_x = |dot_y = |pushpin_map = Malawi |pushpin_mapsize=240 |pushpin_label_position =bottom |pushpin_map_caption = Location in Malawi |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Malawi |subdivision_type1 = Region |subdivision_name1 = Southern Region |subdivision_type2 = District |subdivision_name2 = Machinga District |subdivision_type3 = |subdivision_name3 = |subdivision_type4 = |subdivision_name4 = |government_footnotes = |government_type = |leader_title = |leader_name = |leader_title1 = |leader_name1 = |leader_title2 = |leader_name2 = |leader_title3 = |leader_name3 = |leader_title4 = |leader_name4 = |established_title = |established_date = |established_title2 = |established_date2 = |established_title3 = |established_date3 = |area_magnitude = |unit_pref =Imperial |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = |area_land_km2 =
|area_water_km2 = |area_total_sq_mi = |area_land_sq_mi = |area_water_sq_mi = |area_water_percent = |area_urban_km2 = |area_urban_sq_mi = |area_metro_km2 = |area_metro_sq_mi = |area_blank1_title = |area_blank1_km2 = |area_blank1_sq_mi = |population_as_of = 2018 Census |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_total = 36,421 |population_density_km2 = |population_density_sq_mi = |population_metro = |population_density_metro_km2 = |population_density_metro_sq_mi = |population_urban = |population_density_urban_km2 = |population_density_urban_sq_mi = |population_blank1_title =Ethnicities |population_blank1 = |population_blank2_title =Religions |population_blank2 = |population_density_blank1_km2 = |population_density_blank1_sq_mi = |timezone = +2 |utc_offset = |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |coordinates = |elevation_footnotes = |elevation_m = |elevation_ft = |blank1_name_sec2 = Climate |blank1_info_sec2 = Aw |postal_code_type = |postal_code = |area_code = |blank_name = |blank_info = |blank1_name = |blank1_info = |website = |footnotes =

Liwonde, or Livonde, is a town in the Machinga District of Malawi’s Southern Region. Situated in the Shire River valley, it serves as a key transport and commercial hub connecting the highways between Zomba, Lilongwe, Balaka, Machinga, and Mangochi. As of the 2018 census, the population stood at approximately 36,421

History

The town of Liwonde takes its name from Chief Liwonde, a Yao leader who was influential in the area. In the 19th century, the Shire Valley became a key route for Yao migrants and Swahili-Arab slave traders, which brought disruption to local communities.

In 1859, David Livingstone passed through the valley, documenting the region and calling international attention to the slave trade. His journeys later encouraged missionary and commercial activity.

In 1905, British traveler and explorer Mary Hall passed through Liwonde on her Cape Town to Cairo expedition. She had to disembark at Liwonde due to shallow river waters before continuing north by boat and machila. Her book A Woman’s Trek from the Cape to Cairo (1907) records the journey. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Liwonde_Ferry_across_Shire_River.jpg" caption="Ferry across Shire river in Liwonde"] ::

The surrounding area was declared a Controlled Hunting Area in 1962 and upgraded to Liwonde National Park in 1973. The creation of the park led to population shifts as communities were relocated, contributing to the town’s growth as a regional hub.

Geography

Located in Machinga District in the Southern Region of Malawi, Liwonde is located in the Shire River valley. Its main landmark is the road that connects Zomba to Lilongwe, making the town an important crossroads between Balaka, Machinga, Mangochi and Zomba.

Another important Liwonde landmark is the Liwonde National Park nature conservation area. The town thus serves as a dormitory, support center and access base for tourists and researchers traveling to Liwonde National Park. Trips to the interior of the park depart from Liwonde by sailing along the Shire River (year-round) or by car on the access roads.

Demographics

The main ethnic groups in the town are the Chewas and the Yaos, with minorities of the Ngoni and Lomwe peoples. There is an important group of expatriates left over from the Mozambican civil war, as well as Asian immigrants.

::data[format=table] | Year | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223224/http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&dat=32&srt=pnan&col=dq&geo=-150 |date=27 September 2007 }} | |---|---| | 1987 | 8,694 | | 1998 | 15,701 | | 2008 | 22,927 | | 2018 | 36,421 | ::

Climate

In the region of the town of Liwonde, the tropical savanna climate (Aw) prevails, with a hot thermal sensation throughout the day.

Vegetation

The savannah that surrounds the town is characterized by the small amount of trees, especially the many bushes. Among the large trees, the baobab stands out.

Economy

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Southeast_area_of_Liwonde.JPG" caption="Looking west across a livond road which continues to the National Park"] ::

Liwonde's economy is basically agricultural, centered on the production of corn flour, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, bananas, pumpkins, cassava, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, sugar cane, rice and beans. There is also an important breeding of goats for meat consumption, as well as poultry breeding for egg consumption.

As a regional hub for neighboring towns, Liwonde is home to retail shopping centers such as PTC, McConnell's and Euro Superette, which supply the town with food, sundries and beverages.

Infrastructure

In 2002, the town had a residential supply of water and electricity, but it was not available to the majority of the population. There was also landline and mobile telephony, with signal failures. Liwonde also had a hospital.

The town has a railway station on the Nacala railway, under concession of Central East African Railways. The town of Liwonde has one of the most important railway stations on the Nacala railway, linking Mwanza and Nkaya (west) to Nayuchi and Port of Nacala (east).

References

References

1. "2018 Population and Housing Census Main Report". Malawi National Statistical Office.
3. "liwonde-national-park".
4. (2024-03-05). "Origins & History of Liwonde National Park".
5. link. (27 September 2007)
6. [https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/12268124.pdf Nacala Corridor]. Japan International Cooperation Agency. 2015.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::