Thyolo
Encyclopedia
Thyolo is a town located in the Southern Region
Southern Region, Malawi
The Southern Region of Malawi, population 5,876,784, covers an area of 31,753 km². Its capital city is Blantyre.Of the 28 districts in Malawi, 12 are located within the Southern Region They are: Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Machinga, Mangochi, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje,...

 of Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...

. It is the administrative capital of Thyolo District
Thyolo District
The Thyolo district of Malawi is one of the districts in Malawi. The capital is Thyolo. The district covers an area of 1,715 km.² and has a population of 458,976...

. The current President of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika
Bingu wa Mutharika
Bingu wa Mutharika is a Malawi economist who is President of Malawi. He took office on 24 May 2004 after winning a disputed presidential election...

, was born in Thyolo.

Economy



There are several tea estates that are found in Thyolo. Tea has been grown in this area as early as 1909 that was when Malawi used to be colonized by the British. Upon arriving in Malawi the colonial rulers thought that the weather and climate of Thyolo was conducive for tea growing; therefore they acquired land from the kings who had resided in these areas for a very long period of time. This forced people to move and stay close to the mountains. Some of the famous estates in Thyolo are Naming'omba, Makandi, Satemwa, Eastern Produce, Nchima, Nansato, and Conforzi.

This estates are of great importance to the people of Thyolo and Malawi as a whole. First, tea is among the biggest foreign currency earners in Malawi, which has agricultural based economy. Tea estates also render valuable services to the people of Thyolo as well as other surrounding areas. Local people are able to get employment opportunities as tea pluckers even though their earnings are not enough to meet their day to day requirements. These estates also have small dispensaries that provide cheaper health services to local people.

Tourism


Thyolo Forest Reserve and Thyolo Mountain are great places for keen walkers and birdwatchers to visit.

Demographics

Year Population
1987 4 449
1998 5 337
2008 7 029
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