Southern Region, Malawi
Region of Malawi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Geography
Domestically, the Southern Region borders the Central Region and Lake Malawi to the north.[2] Internationally, it borders the country of Mozambique to the east, west, and south.[2]
Of the 28 districts in Malawi, 13 are located within the Southern Region: Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Machinga, Mangochi, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje, Phalombe, Thyolo, and Zomba.[3]
The region is home to several parks: Majete Wildlife Reserve, Lengwe National Park, and Liwonde National Park (the last of these on the Shire River).[3] It is also home to the Zomba Plateau as well as Mount Mulanje (the highest point in the country).[4]
During July, the region sometimes experiences a damp fog, locally known as chiperoni.[4]
Demographics
The Southern Region is home to about half of all Malawians.[5] Of these, about 90% of them live in rural areas.[5]
As of 2003, the Southern Region has a slightly higher rate of poverty (68.1%) than the Central Region (62.8%) and the Northern Region (62.5%).[6] This is due to migration into the region, as well as the region's relatively small cropland are per capita.[6]
Ethnic groups
At the time of the 2018 Census of Malawi, the distribution of the population of the Southern Region by ethnic group was as follows:[7]
Society
Economy
Cattle are quite important to the Southern Region as well as to Malawi as a whole.[5] As of 1969, they made up about one third of the country's national slaughter,[5] and the region had a population of about 78,998 cows.[5]
Healthcare and disease
Kwashiorkor exists in the Southern Region at a prevalence of about 1.8% as of 1995.[8] It is most common among babies aged between 1 and 1.5 years old, and often co-occurs with dysentery.[8] Lymphatic filariasis and antigenaemia are also quite common, especially in the east.[9]
Violence against nurses is quite common in the region, with about 70% of nurses reporting workplace violence as of 2016.[10] Most abuse occurs in the form of verbal abuse and threatening behavior, with physical assault and sexual assault being less common.[10] Patients make up the largest segment of perpetrators.[10]
