Mapping Malawi Trivia Quiz

Lilongwe is Malawi's largest city. In 2020, Lilongwe's population was reported to have risen above one million people. The city was named for the Lilongwe River, which flows from the Kamuzu Reservoir south of the city to Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa) in the east.

The name Lilongwe is believed to have originated with from the language of the local Chewa people, but its meaning has not been documented. Lilongwe was declared the capital of Malawi in 1974 taking the place of Zomba, which was the capital when Malawi became independent in 1964.

Blantyre is the second largest city in Malawi and is the capital of the nation's Southern Region. In 2018, Blantyre was reported to have a population of over 800,000 people. While Lilongwe is the political capital of Malawi, Blantyre is considered to be the country's financial hub.

The city was named after the town of Blantyre, Scotland, which was the birthplace of the famous explorer and missionary David Livingstone.

With a population of over 200,000 people, Mzuzu is Malawi's third largest city. It is also the capital of Malawi's Northern Region. As with Lilongwe, the etymology of the name Mzuzu has not been documented. The name is most likely derived from the Tumbuka language since they are the largest ethnic group in the region.

Lake Chilwa is located in the Southern Region of Malawi, roughly 80 km (50 mi) to the northeast of Blantyre and about 32 km (20 mi) east of the city of Zomba, Malawi's former capital. Lake Chilwa, which sits adjacent to the border with Mozambique, is Malawi's second largest lake. It measures at approximately 60 km (37 mi) at its longest and 40 km (25 mi) at its widest.

Lake Malombe is a small lake which is also located in the Southern Region of Malawi. It lies directly south of Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi). Lake Malombe is approximately 25 km (16 mi) at its longest and approximately 16 km (10 mi) at its widest. Water from the lake originates from Lake Nyasa and is transported south via the Shire River, which eventually merges with the Zambezi River in Mozambique.

Lake Nyasa (aka Lake Malawi) is the largest lake in the nation. The lake stretches 560 km (350 mi) from north to south, but is only 75 km (47 mi) at its widest. While the majority of the lake is within Malawi's jurisdiction, part of it is shared with Tanzania and Mozambique.

The lake was originally named Lake Nyasa, which comes from the local Yao language and simply translates to "lake". Malawi itself was known as Nyasaland when it was under British rule. When Nyasaland became independent in 1964, it changed its name as well as the name of the lake to Malawi.

Nyika National Park is located in Malawi's Northern Region, approximately 60 km (37 mi) north of Mzuzu. It is the largest national park in Malawi measuring at 3,200 square km (1,250 square mi) in area. The name Nyika is of Swahili origin which roughly translates to "where the water comes from".

Kasungu National Park is found in the far western portion of Malawi's Central Region and sits alongside the border with Zambia. It is the second largest park in the country with an area of approximately 2,300 square km (1,430 square mi). The park is home to many animals one would expect to see in Central Africa such as elephants, lions, antelope, hyenas and others.

Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve is a 1,800 square km (690 square mi) park located in the Central Region of Malawi. The northern end of the park lies on the boundary between the Central and Northern Regions. As with Kasungu National Park, Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve is a haven to many regional animals.

The name Nkhotakota (aka Kota Kota) originated from the Chewa language, which translates to "Corner Corner".

The Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve is located in the southeastern corner of Malawi in the nation's Southern Region. It can be found to the east of Blantyre and south of Lake Chilwa. Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve has an approximate area of 560 square mi (216 square km). Within the reserve lies Mulanje Massif, which is the highest point in the nation.

The mountain rises to a height of just under of 3,000 km (10,000 ft).