Kasungu

Kasungu is a town in the Kasungu District of the Central Region of Malawi. The population of Kasungu was 58,653 according to the 2018 census.[3] Kasungu is approximately 130 kilometres (81 mi) north-west of the capital of Malawi, Lilongwe, and is 35 kilometres (22 mi) east of Kasungu National Park.[4] The main industry in Kasungu is tobacco-growing.[5]

Kasungu
Kasungu
Location in Malawi
Coordinates: 13°02′S 33°29′E
Country Malawi
RegionCentral Region
DistrictKasungu District
Elevation4,403 ft (1,342 m)
Population
 (2018 Census[2])
 • Total58,653
Time zone+2
ClimateCwa

History

A farm close to Kasungu was the birthplace of the first President of Malawi, Hastings Banda.[5]

Geography and climate

Kasungu is in central Malawi, lying at a height of 1,342 metres (4,403 ft). It has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) and a rainy season that lasts from November–December to March–April.[1] The dry season lasts from May to October.[4] The town receives, on average, between 500 millimetres (20 in)–1,200 millimetres (47 in) rainfall each year.[1]

Climate data for Kasungu
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Daily mean °C (°F) 22.4
(72.3)		 22.4
(72.3)		 22.4
(72.3)		 21.4
(70.5)		 19.3
(66.7)		 17.0
(62.6)		 16.9
(62.4)		 17.5
(63.5)		 20.6
(69.1)		 22.5
(72.5)		 22.9
(73.2)		 23.1
(73.6)		 20.7
(69.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 213
(8.4)		 215
(8.5)		 125
(4.9)		 32
(1.3)		 5
(0.2)		 2
(0.1)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 1
(0.0)		 4
(0.2)		 49
(1.9)		 176
(6.9)		 822
(32.4)
Source: Climate-Data.org[6]

Demographics
Year Population[3][2]
1987 11,591
1998 27,754
2008 39,640
2018 58,653
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
198711,591—    
199827,754+8.26%
200839,640+3.63%
201858,653+4.00%
source:[7]

Language

Chichewa is the main language spoken in Kasungu.[8]

Facilities

Transport

Kasungu is served by buses and minibuses that travel to Lilongwe and Mzuzu.[4] In June 2008, Central East Africa Railways announced plans to extend the rail line from Lilongwe to Kasungu.[9]

Amenities

There are guesthouses, bars, restaurants, and four petrol stations in Kasungu; according to Lonely Planet, there are "no major attractions" in Kasungu.[4] Kasungu National Park is an hour's drive to the west, and Kamuzu Academy is 25 minutes by road to the east.

Emergency services

Kasungu has a police station.[10] The town is also home to a 179-bed government-funded district hospital. The hospital is often overcrowded, and suffers from a lack of nurses and anti-retroviral drugs.[11][12] The hospital's 13-bed paediatric department can receive over 100 patients, leaving some patients on the floor.[13] UNICEF-Hamburg has sent over US$6000 to train care-workers in Kasungu.[14]

Land and economy

The land in Kasungu lacks nutrients and water, and is mostly "sand veld";[5] the Kasungu area is suffering from depleted forests.[15] A tribal chief stated in 2004 that over 250,000 people in Kasungu own no land.[16] Tobacco is the only cash crop grown in Kasungu district,[1] and the area has been described as a "tobacco heartland" by Xinhua News Agency.[17] The opening of Kasungu National Park in 1970 has increased tourism in the area.[5] Due to their poverty, most residents of Kasungu live in houses made of hand-made mud bricks, covered by roofs of straw or corrugated iron.[18] According to AllAfrica, Kasungu is a "child labour hotspot."[19]

Politics

Kasungu is a "stronghold" of the Malawi Congress Party.[20] The Member of the Malawian Parliament for Kasungu Central is Carrington Jimu.[21] The MP for Kasungu North North West is Rodger Sithole,[22] and the MP for Kasungu North West is Gerald Jere.[23]

Kaluluma School in Kasungu has formed a relationship with Greenford High School, Southall, England.[24] A church in Kasungu also formed a relationship with two churches near Peterborough, England in 2001. Parishioners from the two churches have travelled to Kasungu several times and have built a new church and a fish farm. In February 2008, the church group built a maize mill in Kasungu.[18]

Notable events

Famine and disease

Over 100 people died in a famine in 2002, according to official estimates; Kasungu was the worst affected area in Malawi.[25] In 2005 a famine occurred in Malawi, affecting 4.2 million Malawians. The efforts to distribute food to the needy were concentrated in Kasungu.[26] During 2004 and 2005, there was an outbreak of cholera, with eight people recorded to have suffered the disease.[27]

June 2003 riots

In June 2003, Kasungu Muslims rioted with police, after five Malawians, suspected of being al-Qaeda operatives, were arrested and taken into United States custody. One demonstrator was treated for "serious gunshot wounds".[17][28]

Chess championships

In January 2008, the African Junior Chess Championships were held at Kamuzu Academy near Kasungu.[29] The academy, which The Nyasa Times describes as "highly regarded" and "Eton in the bush", was founded by the first President of Malawi, Hastings Banda.[30]

See also

References
  1. Thangata, Paul H.; Hildebrand, Peter E.; Gladwin, Christina H. (2002). "Modeling Agroforestry Adoption and Household Decision Making in Malawi". African Studies Quarterly. University of Florida. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  2. "2018 Population and Housing Census Main Report" (PDF). Malawi National Statistical Office. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  3. "World Gazetteer: Malawi: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". Archived from the original on 4 August 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  4. Murphy, Alan; Armstrong, Kate; Firestone, Matthew D.; Fitzpatrick, Mary (2007). Lonely Planet Southern Africa: Join the Safari. Lonely Planet. p. 196. ISBN 1-74059-745-1. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  5. "Kasungu". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  6. "Climate:Kasungu". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  7. Malawi: Cities, Towns & Urban Localities
  8. Baldauf, Richard B.; Kaplan, Robert (2004). Language Planning and Policy in Africa: Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa. p. 21. ISBN 1-85359-725-2. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  9. Msiska, Karen (23 June 2008). "CEAR promises to compliment Shire-Zambezi Waterway". The Daily Times. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  10. "Malawi: The Wider Angle". AllAfrica. 2 September 2002. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  11. Bosely, Sarah (18 February 2003). "Athenase Kiromera, doctor". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  12. Bosely, Sarah (16 February 2004). "One small miracle brings hope to thousands threatened by Aids". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  13. Riotta, Gianni (9 December 2004). "Tra gli orfani nel Paese dell'Aids". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  14. "Unicef: Wo die Spenden bleiben". Die Welt (in German). 13 June 2002. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  15. Kitabu, Gerald (24 December 2007). "Alternative source of income may help to protect forest". IPP Media. Archived from the original on 24 June 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  16. "Traditional leader says 250,000 people in central Malawi landless". Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. 11 November 2004. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  17. "Malawi police fire on Muslim demonstrators". Xinhua News Agency. 30 June 2003. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  18. "Lent is about giving something back for Canon Malcolm". Peterborough Evening Telegraph. 4 February 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  19. "Malawi: Story Workshop Fights Child Labour". AllAfrica. 11 December 2002. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  20. "Malawi police arrest 12 persons for electoral violence". Panafrican News Agency. 23 November 2004. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
  21. "Malawi: MP Quizzes Govt Over Stadium Funds". AllAfrica. 27 April 2006. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
  22. "Malawi: MPs Defection Detrimental to Democracy – Kadzamira". AllAfrica. 25 January 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  23. Kashoti, Dickson (18 June 2008). "Gondwe throws out 50% salary hike for teachers". The Daily Times. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  24. O'Leary, Sarah (16 February 2008). "Teachers fly out for charity". Ealing Times. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  25. Tenthani, Raphael (14 May 2002). "Malawi's 'worst-ever' famine". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  26. "Malawi se enfrenta una crisis alimentaria que durará varios meses". El Mundo. 15 September 2005. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  27. "Report on cholera outbreak in Malawi". MIJ FM. 24 January 2005. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  28. Tenthani, Raphael (2 July 2003). "Malawi Muslim group condemns violence in protests of Al-Qaida arrests". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  29. Herbert, Allan (20 January 2008). "UWI celebrating 60th anniversary". The Barbados Advocate. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  30. "Malawi's Bingu: Eliminating dissent Kamuzu style". The Nyasa Times. 10 June 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
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