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Blantyre

Malawi
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Blantyre, city in Malawi and seat of the country’s judiciary. It lies in the Shire Highlands, in the southern part of the country. Blantyre lies at an elevation (3,409 feet [1,039 metres]) that moderates the tropical climate. It has a rainy season (December to March), a cool season (April to August), and a hot season (September to November).

Blantyre was founded in 1876 as a Church of Scotland mission station and was named after explorer David Livingstone’s Scottish birthplace. In 1878 it became the base of the African Lakes Company, a Scottish firm, which laid the foundation for its later importance as a major commercial and distribution centre. It became a British consular post in 1883 and attained municipal status in 1895, making it Malawi’s oldest municipality. By World War I, Blantyre’s population included significant numbers of Africans from neighbouring districts and South Asian traders, adding to the town’s vibrancy.

In 1956 Blantyre was united with Limbe, a town 7 miles (11 km) to the east that had been founded in 1909 and had grown around the headquarters of the Malawi (then Nyasaland) Railways. The amalgamated city is sometimes called Blantyre/Limbe. It has two cathedrals and the polytechnic and medical campuses of the University of Malawi.

Blantyre is Malawi’s chief commercial and industrial centre. Light industries include shoe manufacturing, corn (maize) milling, brewing, soft-drink production, baking, printing, and tobacco manufacturing. While Blantyre acts as the regional shopping and administrative centre, Limbe is the centre for wholesale commerce, conducted mainly by the South Asian community, and the headquarters of Malawi’s tobacco auctions. Pop. (2008) city, 661,444.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Laura Etheredge.