Lilongwe. Facts about the Malawi Capital City
Lilongwe Malawi capital is the largest city in Malawi. Lilongwe was found in 1906. The name comes from the name of Lilongwe River, a river that passes through the city. In 1947 Lilongwe become a town officially. Malawi capital population grew drastically when Kamuzu Banda moved the capital from Zomba in 1975. The last movement of government offices was in 2005. The Malawi capital is at the centre of the country.
Population and Division of areas in Lilongwe
To begin with, the population for the capital of Malawi is ever-increasing. It has over 1,000,000 residents. Compared to many African cities, the is stable politically and safe. The people are warm and friendly. There are many business activities taking place in the capital of Malawi. The city has two divisions, Old town and New town. Furthermore, the capital city has others divisions known as is areas. Divisions have numbers starting from area 1 to area 50. Even though, Lilongwe city centre is the only unnumbered area. However, the city centre is the most modern area. Additionally, the Malawi parliament building, Bingu international conference centre (BICC) and Capital Hill buildings are some important buildings found in the city centre. Several banks and commercial structures are also there.
Entertainment in Malawi Capital
Lilongwe dwellers have many places to go for entertainment and sports. Sports lovers watch football at civil stadium or at the newly build Bingu Stadium. The Bingu stadium is a state of the art stadium built by the Chinese government. Golf club is another popular entertainment venue for music shows. At night life is live when you visit the bars and clubs.
Business Opportunities and Tourism in Lilongwe
Street artists in the city are great. African arts are found at art galleries and are popular in area 3. There are lovely gardens in the city where people conduct events. The Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary is a place where visitors go to view game. There are good shopping possibilities in the capital of Malawi. The most modern shopping malls are around Game stores complex. Many retail and wholesale businesses exist are found in the city. Kanengo is the industrial area where factories are found.
Lilongwe Hotels and Lodges
The capital city has many hotels. There are also many lodges in the city. Some notable hotels in are; Crossroads Hotel, Simama Hotel,Riverside Hotel, and Sunbird Five Star hotel.
Transport
Most common transport is the use of min-buses. People go to town and out-of-town through min-buses and taxi. Then, there are big buses available for people moving to other cities of Blantyre, Mzuzu and Zomba. And also railways are there for transportation of cargo. Further to that, Air transport is through the Kamuzu International Airport.
Finally, City Challenges
The city faces a challenge of water shortage. On average people have access to tap water 3 days the week. Lilongwe water board the statutory corporation responsible for tap water supply in the city struggle to meet the water demands. As a result, water rationing is on daily basis. Another challenge is increased poverty, unemployment levels, and poor infrastructures. Approximately 75{5808e1736132a1fa864f6fc8b64688fbc0d5d9b8c9ab44aea1223eff99f9c2e7} of the residents in Malawi capital leave in informal settlements.