Karonga

For other uses, see Karonga (disambiguation). Place in Northern Region, MalawiKarongaRice fields in KarongaKarongaLocation in MalawiCoordinates: 09°56′00″S 33°56′00″E / 9.93333°S 33.93333°E / -9.93333; 33.93333Country MalawiRegionNorthern RegionDistrictKaronga DistrictElevation478 m (1,568 ft)Population (2018 Census) • Total61,609Time zone+2ClimateAw Karonga is a township in the Karonga District in Northern Region of Malawi. Located on the western shore of Lake Malawi, it was established as a slaving centre sometime before 1877. As of 2018 estimates, Karonga has a population of 61,609. The common and major language spoken in this district is the Tumbuka language, which is also a regional language of Northern Malawi.

[edit] Pre-historic tools and remains of hominids discovered in Malawi's remote northern district of Karonga provides further proof that the area could be the cradle of humankind. Professor Friedemann Schrenk of the Goethe University in Frankfurt told Reuters News that two students working on the excavation site in September 2009 had discovered prehistoric tools and a tooth of a hominid. "This latest discovery of prehistoric tools and remains of hominids provides additional proof to the theory that the Great Rift Valley of Africa and perhaps the excavation site near Karonga can be considered the cradle of humankind." Schrenk said. The site also contains some of the earliest dinosaurs which lived between 100 million and 140 million years ago and early hominids believed to have lived between a million and 6 million years ago. The discovery was at Malema excavation site 10 km (6 mi) from Karonga. In terms of more recent prehistory, Karonga has an abundance of Pleistocene and Holocene archaeological materials dating especially to the Middle and Later Stone Ages, as well as the Iron Age. Some time before 1877 Karonga existed as the stronghold of Mlozi, a famous Arab slaver. In 1883 a British trading post, which formed the basis of the modern town, was opened there. British explorer Sir Harry Johnston bought the post in 1895 and ended the slave trade on Lake Nyasa's western shore. At this point Karonga became an important commercial and agricultural centre. According to Lonely Planet, the town "still bears a strong Swahili-Arab influence today." The computer lab at Nyungwe CDSS Secondary School in 2018 Karonga Girls Secondary School opened in the centre of the town in 1998. In 2023 there was concern that girls were being turned away from education because there was insufficient funds to cover their education. Nyungwe CDSS Secondary School was one of nine schools chosen to receive HD TVs and tablets as part of an initiative by Airtel Malawi and UNICEF. The scheme included internet access and free use of five educational sites. The scheme was lauded by the education minister Madalitso Wirima. On 11 July 2008 the Kayelekera mine in Karonga celebrated 1.5 million hours of accident-free uranium mining. "Analysts" claim this is a rare achievement. The mine previously met with controversy due to exposing people to radiation. In December 2009 the area suffered a series of earthquakes.