Mzuzu

Mzuzu is the capital of Malawi's Northern Region and is the third largest city by population in Malawi. The city has 221,272 residents and 20,000 commuters (Mzuzu University students) with about ?? million people in its metropolitan area. It is situated in the Mzimba District. Mzuzu lies in a gap in the Viphya Mountains, and the agricultural region surrounding the city specializes in tea, rubber and coffee cultivation. The Viphya Plantation south of the city is the largest man-made forest in Africa, and the Lunyangwa and Kaning'ina forest preserves are east of the city.

Some of the popularly known locations in the city include Chibavi, Luwinga, Area 1B, Chibanja, Katoto, Zolozolo, Masasa, Mchenga-utuba, Chimaliro, Kaning'ina and Katawa.

According to the 2018 census, the Tumbuka people are the largest ethnic group in the city, composing 51.71% of the population. The largest minority ethnic group is the Chewa, making up 13.51% of the population. Other minor ethnic groups include the Ngoni (8.09% of the population), Tonga (7.36%), Nkhonde (4.08%), Lambya (3.75%), Yao (3.59%), Lomwe (3.54%), Sukwa (1.07%), Sena (0.66%), Mang'anja (0.38%), and Nyanja (0.28%). Additional ethnic groups constitute 2% of the population.

The largest religious denomination in Mzuzu is Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (28.01%). The largest minority religion is Catholicism (17.28%). Other minor religions include Seventh-day Adventist, Baptist, and Apostolic (16.27% combined), Pentecostal (6.62%), Anglican (1.58%), other Christian denominations (22.21%), Islam (4.06%), Traditional (0.1%), other religions (3.59%), and no religion (0.28%) of the city.

The name comes from a mispronunciation of the word 'Vizuzu' by the white settlers. Vizuzu are plants that grow along the Lunyangwa River. These plants were spotted near the present Mzuzu Government Secondary School, also known as Area 1A where the tung planters settled.

The city was developed around the Commonwealth Development Corporation's Tung Oil Estate in 1947 and received city status in 1985.

The culture of the city is an amalgam of other cultures of the northern region. Tumbuka is widely spoken in Mzuzu but other languages such as Chewa, Tonga, Swahili, Ngonde are also spoken. Mzuzu is also home to a museum, opened in 1986, showcasing artifacts from various cultures in the northern region. Popular foods include sima (either made from maize, locally called sima ya ngoma, or made from cassava, locally called sima ya mayagho), rice, locally called mpunga, and batala fish (a bottle-nosed mormyrid, Mormyrus longirostris). Batala comes from the nearby Lake Malawi waters in Nkhata Bay. Other common foods include: maize, bananas, plantains, cocoa, cassava and sweet potatoes.

Mzuzu City is home to the Mzuzu Central Hospital, one of four hospitals in the country. The city is also serviced by the Mapale Health Center located at the city centre next to the city's main shopping mall, Shoprite. There are also several CHAM hospitals such as St. Johns, St. John of God Mental Hospital, and Nkhorongo SDA Clinic. The city also has private clinics such as Katoto MASM MEDI Clinic and Mumbwe, Kandindindi Evergreen. Furthermore, the pharmaceutical manufacturing company Kentam Products Limited is based in Mzuzu.