Mulanje

Region

Mulanje is a small town with 17,162 inhabitants ( 2006) in the southeast of Malawi at the foot of the same mountain range on the border with Mozambique Mulanje. It is the capital of the eponymous district Mulanje, which has an area of 2056 km ² and a population of 428 322.

Economy

The city thrives on tea cultivation and processing. Large areas of the massif under the steep walls of the Mulanje Massif serve exclusively the cultivation of this product. The possible crops to be fully utilized. The plantation economy, which accounted in Blantyre, makes no profits in the district and small farmers hardly any room. These have to be content with wages for seasonal work. With Chiradzulu Kasungu and Mulanje district of shares for various reasons, the lowest ranking of food security in the country. The lowest rates of economic growth in Malawi 1997-98 focus on poor and over-populated districts in the South and Chiradzulu (1.4%), Phalombe (1.5%), Mulanje (1.6 %) and also rich in tea plantations Thyolo ( 1.7%).

In the discussion is still the reduction of bauxite reserves at a grade of about 30% aluminum oxide on the Lichenya plateau, which would create numerous jobs. For an investment of nearly one billion U.S. dollars is required. Four other, less profitable deposits are also available.

Infrastructure

Mulanje has a mission hospital with 182 beds, primary and secondary schools, the hotel Kara O Mula and a golf club with a small swimming pool. The main street is paved in 2006 and it will be built new bridges. There are few, exclusively on local demand oriented businesses.