Earth Snapshot of Lake Malawi and Capital City of Lilongwe, Malawi

This APM image shows a small section of the shoreline of Lake Malawi (also known as Lake Nyasa in most countries), an African Great Lake, in Malawi. The shoreline appears mountainous, as Lake Malawi lies in the Great Rift Valley that was formed by the opening of the East African Rift, where the African tectonic plate is being split into two pieces. It is the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa.

Further south, upon opening the full image, the city of Lilongwe can be observed as a yellowish area near the center right edge. It is the capital and largest city of Malawi, with an estimated population of 902,388 as of 2009.

Lilongwe lies in the country’s central region, on the Lilongwe River, near the border of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia, and on the main north-south highway of Malawi. Lilongwe features a humid subtropical climate that borders on a subtropical highland climate, with pleasantly warm summers and mild “winters”. Due to the altitude, temperatures are lower than would be expected for a city located in the tropics.