Blantyre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blantyre
Busy road in Blantyre City
Blantyre Location in Malawi Show map of Malawi Blantyre Location in Africa Show map of Africa
Country	Malawi
Region	Southern Region
District	Blantyre District
Founded	1876
Municipality	1895
Area
• Total	240 km2 (90 sq mi)
Elevation	1,039 m (3,409 ft)
Population  (2018)
• Total	800,264
• Density	3,330/km2 (8,640/sq mi)
Time zone	+2
HDI (2017)	0.541 medium
Climate	Aw

Blantyre is a very important city in Malawi. It's the country's main center for money and business. It's also the second-largest city, with over 800,000 people living there in 2018. People often call it the "business capital" of Malawi, while Lilongwe is the political capital. Blantyre is also the main city for Malawi's Southern Region and the Blantyre District.

History of Blantyre

Blantyre government offices in 1904.

Mandala House, Blantyre's oldest building

Blantyre was started in 1876 by missionaries from the Church of Scotland. It was named after Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, which was the birthplace of the famous explorer David Livingstone. Henry Henderson chose the spot for the mission. Building work began in 1876.

From 1881 to 1898, David Clement Scott led the mission. He was known for building the amazing St Michael and All Angels Church, Blantyre between 1888 and 1891. What's cool is that local workers built this church without knowing European building styles! Scott also created an important dictionary for the Mang'anja and Chichewa languages.

A business company, the African Lakes Corporation, was also set up nearby in 1877. Their first building in Blantyre, called Mandala House, is still standing today. It's a national monument and the oldest building in Malawi!

Blantyre became a British government outpost in 1883. By 1895, it became Malawi's oldest town with its own local government. Over time, many different people came to live in Blantyre, including Africans from nearby areas and traders from South Asia.

The city became important for trade, especially for ivory at first. This helped Blantyre become a major trading hub in Southern Africa. Today, it's Malawi's main place for making things like shoes, flour, drinks, baked goods, and tobacco products.

For many years, Blantyre grew in different areas, including the mission, business areas, and government zones. In 1906, another town called Limbe started to grow because of the railway and tobacco factories. Limbe grew so fast that it became bigger than Blantyre town by 1910!

In 1956, Blantyre and Limbe joined together to form one big city. This made Blantyre the main center for Malawi's railways.

Blantyre City has eight special buildings or places that are protected as National Monuments because of their history.

People of Blantyre

How the Population Grew

The number of people living in Blantyre has grown a lot over the years. In 1977, there were about 222,000 people. By 2018, this number had grown to over 800,000!

Different Groups of People

Many different groups of people live in Blantyre. The largest group is the Lomwe, making up almost 40% of the population. The next biggest group is the Ngoni. Other groups include the Yao, Chewa, Sena, and Mang'anja.

Religions in Blantyre

Religions in Blantyre City (2018 Census)      Roman Catholic (17.94%)     Church of Central African Presbyterian (17.61%)     Seventh-day Adventist/Baptist/Apostolic (15.44%)     Pentecostal (9.75%)     Anglican (1.7%)     Other Christian (24.33%)     Muslim (10.11%)     Traditional (0.08%)     Other (2.41%)     No Religion (0.63%)

Most people in Blantyre are Christian. The biggest Christian groups are Roman Catholic and the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian. There are also many other Christian groups like Seventh-day Adventists and Pentecostal churches. A good number of people also follow Islam.

Geography of Blantyre

Blantyre City View

Blantyre City is located in the Shire Highlands, which is a hilly area in the Southern Region of Malawi. It's a central point for travel, with roads, railways, and air links connecting it to other parts of Malawi and nearby countries like Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. The city covers an area of about 228 square kilometers.

The city is built on very old rocks, formed about 500 million years ago. These rocks are very strong and are used for building roads and buildings. Blantyre is also near the edge of the Eastern African Rift, which means there are some cracks in the ground. This can sometimes cause small earthquakes.

Blantyre is a hilly city, with elevations ranging from about 780 to 1,612 meters above sea level. Many rivers and streams start in these hills and flow out from the city. Because it's so hilly, these rivers often have steep sides.

The city is surrounded by several mountains, including Mount Soche, Ndirande mountain, Chiradzulu mountain, and Michiru Mountain. Michiru Mountain is a special protected area.

Blantyre's Climate

Blantyre has a Tropical climate, which means it's generally warm. It has two main seasons: a rainy season and a dry season. The rainy season lasts from November to April. Sometimes, there are light, cool showers from May to July, which locals call chiperoni. The dry season is from May to October. Most of the rain falls between November and March.

The city is usually cool, with average monthly temperatures between 19°C (66°F) in the cool season (May to July) and 26°C (79°F) in the hot season (September to November).

Blantyre's Economy

The modern Multi-purpose hall at the Blantyre Mission

Blantyre is the most important city for business and industry in Malawi. It creates the most jobs in the country. The city has many factories and eight special industrial areas where businesses are located. Some of the busiest industrial areas are Makata and Ginnery Corner.

Many industries are located near rivers or streams in Blantyre. Sometimes, wastewater from these industries can pollute the water. However, some companies are now working to clean their wastewater before it goes into the rivers.

Manufacturing, which is the making of goods, contributes about 14% to Malawi's economy. This sector has faced challenges, like competition from other countries.

Blantyre offers many jobs, both in formal businesses and in smaller, informal businesses. Most jobs are in the service industry, like shops and offices. Manufacturing also provides many jobs. The informal sector, which includes small businesses, helps many people find work.

The Malawi Stock Exchange, where companies' shares are bought and sold, is located in Blantyre. It opened in 1996. This is where people can invest in Malawian businesses.

Every May, Blantyre hosts an international trade fair. This event shows off the best of Malawi's businesses, industries, farming, and technology. It's a great way for companies to show what they do and for people to learn about Malawian products.

Blantyre is known for having a low cost of living for people from other countries. This means it's not too expensive to live there compared to many other cities in the world.

Sports in Blantyre

Malawi's second-largest stadium, Kamuzu Stadium, is in Blantyre. It can hold about 25,000 people. Important international football games are played here. It's also used for big national events like presidential inaugurations and Independence Day celebrations. Other sports places in Blantyre include the College of Medicine sports complex and the Blantyre Youth Centre.

Getting Around Blantyre

Chileka International Airport

Blantyre has an important railway station. The railway connects the city to places in Malawi and to ports in Mozambique, which helps with trade.

Chileka International Airport is about 14 kilometers (9 miles) from Blantyre city center. It has flights to countries like South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Kenya, as well as to other places within Malawi. It's a main base for Malawian Airlines. There are plans to make the airport bigger in the future.

You can also travel by bus from Blantyre. There are coach services from the city center to other Malawian cities like Lilongwe and Mzuzu. You can even take buses to other African cities like Johannesburg and Harare.

Culture in Blantyre

The Mandala House is a historic building in Blantyre. It was built in 1882 as a place for managers of the Mandala Trading Company to relax. Today, it has a cafe and a library. The Chichiri Museum is also located in the city.

If you visit the Carlsberg Brewery, you can try "Green," which is a popular drink in Malawi. This drink was created when a Danish minister visited Malawi for its independence celebration in 1966.

Places to Worship

St Michael and All Angels Church, Church of Central Africa Presbyterian

Blantyre has many places of worship. Most of them are Christian churches, including Lutheran Church of Central Africa, Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Baptist Convention of Malawi, Assemblies of God, and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Blantyre. There are also Muslim mosques in the city.

Education in Blantyre

Malawi Polytechnic

Blantyre City has many schools and colleges. These include primary schools, secondary schools, and places for higher education. The government, local city groups, missionary groups, and private companies all help provide education.

For higher education, Blantyre has places like the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), the University of Malawi College of Medicine, and the Malawi College of Accountancy.

Some of the schools in Blantyre include Bedir International School, Saint Andrews International Primary and Saint Andrews International High School, and Nyasa Junior Academy.

Sister Cities

Blantyre has "sister city" relationships with two other cities around the world:

• Hanover in Germany
• Kaohsiung in Taiwan

Famous People from Blantyre

• Cate and Bronte Campbell, Olympic swimmers for Australia
• Anthea Stewart, Olympic field hockey player for Zimbabwe
• Isaac Chilemba, a professional boxer
• Kay Chiromo, a Malawian artist
• Vera Kamtukule, a Malawian author and politician
• Mwai Kumwenda, an international professional netball player
• Aubrey Mwasinga, a pastor
• James John Skinner, a former Chief Justice of Malawi

Images for kids

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  Busy road in Blantyre City

See also

In Spanish: Blantire para niños