13°02′S 33°29′E / 13.033°S 33.483°E
Kasungu | |
|---|---|
  Kasungu Location in Malawi | |
| Coordinates: 13°02′S 33°29′E / 13.033°S 33.483°E | |
| Country |  Malawi |
| Region | Central Region |
| District | Kasungu District |
| Elevation | 4,403 ft (1,342 m) |
| Population (2018 Census[2]) | |
| • Total | 58,653 |
| Time zone | +2 |
| Climate | Cwa |
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]
History
A farm close to Kasungu was the birthplace of the first President of Malawi, Hastings Banda[5] and William Kamkwamba.
Geography and climate
Kasungu is in central Malawi, lying at an elevation 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 500–1,200 millimetres (20–47 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 |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 11,591 | — |
| 1998 | 27,754 | +8.26% |
| 2008 | 39,640 | +3.63% |
| 2018 | 58,653 | +4.00% |
| source:[7] | ||
Language
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 Allan Kabuluzi.[21] The MP for Kasungu North North West is Rodger Sithole,[22] and the MP for Kasungu North West is Gerald Jere.[23]
Foreign links
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]