Misplaced Pages

#977022

24-650: In addition to the city of Nsanje, it has the important cities of Bangula , Marka , Tengani , and Fatima . Marka is the southernmost city in Malawi and already on the edge of the dry border with Mozambique ( Vila Nova de Fronteira ). Nsanje is the southernmost district in Malawi and lies in the Lower Shire River Valley. It straddles the Shire River in the north (the river forms most of Nsanje's eastern boundary) and

48-399: A deity called M'bona. His head was cut off hundreds of years ago and out flowed a river of blood called Ndione. He now returns to his wife's home every so often in the form of a python to tell prophecies for the coming year. Traditional dance of Nsanje district is usually danced by women, Madzoka danced by traditional healers, Ulimba usually performed after burial. Bangula Bangula

72-664: A lot of livestock; cattle, goats, sheep, domesticated birds. Most of the rich people in Nsanje accumulated their wealth through livestock farming. Major buyer of cattle in the Nsanje District is Sidik Mia. Fishing is another economic activity that sustains lives of many. Nsanje was devastated by a flood in January 2015. A 20-kilometre-long vein of cropland on the east bank of the Shire River was overwhelmed, destroying resources needed to sustain

96-454: Is Mozambique Ports and Railways (CFM); on the Malawian stretch, between the cities of Marka and Mchinji , the administration is done by the company Central East African Railways (CEAR). In the short stretch in the territory of Zambia, between the cities of Mwami and Chipata , the railway is controlled by the company Zambia Railways (ZR). Its main maritime logistics facilities are at

120-514: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sena railway Sena railway , also called Shire Highlands railway , Dondo-Malawi railway and North-South Malawi railway , is a railway that connects Dondo , Mozambique , to Chipata , in Zambia . It is c. 1000 km long, in a 1067 mm gauge . On the Mozambican stretch, between Dondo and Vila Nova de Fronteira , the managing company

144-558: Is a town of about 5000 population in southern region district of Nsanje in Malawi . There is also a commune of the same name. Its elevation is 100m. It is located on the western bank of the Shire River , near the confluence of the Shire and Ruo River . After extensive flooding in Chiromo (on the eastern bank of the Shire), the municipalities were moved to Bangula (postal and police). The name Bangula

168-440: Is one of the poorest districts in Malawi and is virtually dependent on government and NGO aide organizations Major income comes from small holder farming. Maize, millet, sorghum, rice, sweet potatoes, beans and cotton are all grown using almost entirely rain fed agriculture. Maize is grown in marshes post rain season; Nsanje Boma they grow around Ndindi marsh area, Bangula they use Chisamba and Makhanga marshes. Nsanje district has

192-692: Is roughly translated to 'place where the lions roar' – although few to no lions exist in the area anymore. Bangula was served by a station on the Sena railway system which heads to Mozambique but this has been closed since 1997 when the Chiromo bridge over the Shire River collapsed. An unstaffed, dirt airstrip provides landing facilities for light aircraft. The main highway between Nsanje and Blantyre runs through Bangula. 16°35′00″S 35°07′00″E  /  16.58333°S 35.11667°E  / -16.58333; 35.11667 This Malawi location article

216-476: Is surrounded by Mozambique . Elevation is around 200 feet (61 m) ASL except for some hills in the south-western part of the district which reach near to 2,000 feet (610 m) ASL. Mwabvi Game Reserve lies in the north-western part of the district and can be accessed from Bangula or Sorgin (both along the M-1 road) Elephant Marsh lies partially in the northern part of the district and can be accessed for tours via

240-475: The Nacala railway . The subsequent discovery of mining areas in northeastern Zambia caused the railway to be extended from Mchinji (Malawi) to the locality of Chipata (Zambia). The works for this extension were completed in 2019, with Chinese funding. In 2021, the Mozambican government started the rehabilitation of the section connecting Nhamayabué to Marka, with the expectation of having an auxiliary route for

264-561: The Zambezi River . The rest of the railway on the Mozambican side, between Nhamayabué and Vila Nova de Fronteira, was slowly completed until 1930. In 1930, therefore, the railway already connected Beira, Nhamayabué, Vila Nova de Fronteira, Nsanje, Chiromo and Blantyre, mainly transporting cotton from southern Malawi and from the Sena-Nhamayabué region, in addition to the sugar production by the company Sena Sugar Estates. The permission for

SECTION 10

#1732852478978

288-626: The port of Beira and port of Nacala . Initially the Sena railway had the function of connecting the Protectorate of Nyasaland (currently Malawi ) from north to south, using waterways to reach seaports. In 1901, the Shire Highlands Railway Company was formed in Blantyre by British investors. He soon obtained a concession to build a railway connecting Nsanje , on the Shire River (at

312-619: The port of Nacala , in Mozambique. In 1984, the Nacala railway link was also lost, when the Nacala railway was destroyed by RENAMO forces. After the signing of the Rome General Peace Accords in 1992, there was an effort to reopen traffic, but devastating floods in 1997 in the valley of the Shire and Ruo rivers destroyed the important Bangula-Chiromo Road-Rail Bridge, connecting the villages of Bangula and Chiromo . The event defined

336-548: The Central African Railways) and Trans-Zambezia Railways opted for the construction of the Dona Ana Bridge ; the final cost of the bridge was £ 1.74 million and, for the rest of the 20th century, did not generate enough traffic to pay the interest rate, let alone repay the loans raised to build it. The extension into Malawian territory towards the north, between Blantyre and Salima , was completed in 1935, reaching

360-547: The construction of the north-lakes stretch, beyond Blantyre, was later transferred to the company Central African Railways. In order to cross the Zambezi River and continue the railroad operation, a ferry service was chosen, which paralyzed during the river's drought period. To eliminate the movement of the ferry, Nyasaland Railways Limited (resulting from the merger of the Shire Highlands Railway Company with

384-678: The eastern bank road. Tours start from the village of James. There are five National Assembly constituencies in Nsanje: Since the 2009 election all of these constituencies have been held by members of the Democratic Progressive Party . Temperatures get as hot as 52 °C (126 °F) in November and around 8 °C (46 °F) in June. Rainfall averages around 750 millimetres (30 in) yearly coming January through April. Nsanje

408-544: The important port of Chipoka , one of the largest on Lake Malawi. In the 1940s, the Portuguese colonial government for Mozambique built a railway branch linking Dona Ana station, in Nhamayabué, to the coal mines of Moatize. The Dona Ana-Moatize branch line became operational in 1949, with a length of 254 km. In the 1970s, with Mozambican independence, the extension of the line was agreed, which would depart from Salima towards

432-413: The maritime city of Beira . The irregular river flow in the region — sometimes with large and destructive floods, sometimes with severe droughts — made safe navigation almost impossible, causing this option to be discarded and the continuation of a railway line to Quelimane to be abandoned. The effective planning of what is currently the Sena railway would only begin in 1912, when a common understanding

456-488: The population for a year. Other areas of Malawi were also devastated by flood around this time. At the time of the 2018 Census of Malawi , the distribution of the population of Nsanje District by ethnic group was as follows: The people of Nsanje are traditionally Sena people , Lomwe , or Mang'anja . The predominant language is Chisena , but Chimang'anja , Chichewa , English , and Portuguese are also spoken. A rain cult holds position south of Nsanje boma worshipping

480-489: The southernmost point of the protectorate), to Mangochi , at the southern end of Lake Malawi , via Chiromo and Blantyre. The first section of this line, between Nsanje and Chiromo, was opened to traffic on 1 September 1904. The contract for the construction of a branch was awarded to the British South Africa Company , connecting Chindio and Nsanje, the latter becoming an important waterway connection port with

504-407: The state of degradation of the line between Blantyre and Nhamayabué, which has been inoperative since then. The Bangula-Chiromo bridge was rebuilt in 2003, but the section of the line between Blantyre and Nhamayabué was left behind for being more sinuous and slower, in addition to the low draft and high cargo movement of the port of Beira. It fell into disuse as of 2010, with cargoes being redirected to

SECTION 20

#1732852478978

528-467: The transport of rail cargo from the south of Malawi. At the same time, the Malawian government tendered the recovery of the section between Bangula and Marka, establishing as a priority the recovery between Bangula and Blantyre ( Limbe ) in a second moment. The main railway stations of the Sena railway are: In 1949, the Dona Ana–Moatize branch line , 254 km long, was definitively opened, connecting

552-469: The west, reaching Lilongwe and Mchinji . The works were completed and inaugurated in 1979. The Sena railway was the main bulk transport link to Malawi until 1979, when it was destroyed by RENAMO forces in the Mozambican Civil War. As the Sena railway was interconnected with the Nacala railway , at the station in the Malawian city of Nkaya, since 1970, Malawi had its second rail connection with

576-470: Was signed between Nyasaland and the Portuguese administration in Mozambique, for the construction of a railway line that would connect Beira to the African Great Lakes . Between 1919 and 1922, Trans-Zambezia Railways, company winner of the tender for the construction of the southern section, concluded the connection between Dondo and Vila de Sena, in front of the city of Nhamayabué (or Mutarara ), on

#977022