Lilongwe District

Lilongwe is a district in the Central Region of Malawi. The capital is Lilongwe. The district covers an area of 6,159 km.² and has a population of 1,346,360. Lilongwe was officially declared a township in 1947. His Excellency the Life President Ngwazi Dr. Hasting Kamuzu Banda declared Lilongwe the capital city of Malawi on January 1, 1975 after a ten year building period during which many people were forcibly displaced to make way for the new government buildings. Prior to 1975, the capital was the much smaller southern city of Zomba. Lilongwe is located 1,050 meters above sea level and has a temperature range between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit (18-24 °C).

Lilongwe has developed very rapidly under first the Muluzi presidency and now the Bingu presidency. Road conditions are vastly improved over just a few years ago. Malawian style fast food restaurants are popping up. You can also find bank machines around town.

The airport, while still very small, is served by Kenyan Air out of Nairobi, South African Airways, Zambian Air, Ethiopian air and is quite adequate.