Northern Region, Malawi

Northern Region
Region
Interactive map of Northern Region
Country	Malawi
Capital	Mzuzu
Area
• Total	26,200 km² (10,100 sq mi)
Population (2018 census)
• Total	2,420,440
• Density	92.4/km² (239/sq mi)
Ethnic groups
• Major	Tumbuka (90.0%) Ngonde (2.1%) Tonga (1.9%) Sukwa (1.5%) Lambya (1.2%) Chewa (1.2%) Nyiha (1.1%) Whites (0.7) Other (0.9%)
Languages
• Official regional (common language)	Chitumbuka
Time zone	UTC+2 (Central Africa Time)

Topics

Peoples & identity

Language

Dialects
- Standard Tumbuka (Mzimba–Mzuzu)
- Henga
- Phoka
- Kamanga
- Sukwa
- Manda
- Nyika
- Hewe
- Senga
- Fililwa
- Wenya
- Ngoni (Tumbuka dialect)

Cultural history
- Vimbuza
- Vinkhakanimba Traditional Ceremony
- Zengani Traditional Ceremony
- Fwemba Traditional Dance
- Mtungo/Magali
- Malipenga

Precolonial polities & other sub groups
- Nkhamanga
- Ngonde

Religion & cosmology

Economy & society

Education & media
- Mission schools & literacy
- Radio/print in Northern Malawi
- Eastern Zambia

Historiography
- History of the Tumbuka people from 1400
- Oral traditions and clan histories

Traditional customs & lifeways (new)
- Tumbuka marriage customs
- Tumbuka naming customs
- Tumbuka birth customs
- Taboos (Vyalo)
- Tumbuka land tenure
- Tumbuka conflict resolution

Language, folklore & oral arts (new)
- Tumbuka proverbs
- Tumbuka riddles
- Tumbuka storytelling traditions
- Tumbuka children's games

Mythology & oral traditions (new)
- Tumbuka creation myths
- Gogo Mbizi legend
- Tumbuka giants mythology
- Mythic kingdoms of the Tumbuka

Economy, technology & crafts (new)
- Tumbuka iron smelting
- Tumbuka blacksmithing
- Salt mining in Tumbuka regions
- Traditional fishing among the Tumbuka
- Indigenous farming systems of the Tumbuka

Geography, environment & sacred landscapes (new)
- Sacred hills of the Tumbuka
- Sacred rivers of the Tumbuka
- Rainmaking traditions
- Environmental beliefs of the Tumbuka

Historical interactions & migrations (new)
- Tumbuka–Bisa relations
- Tumbuka–Tabwa relations
- Tumbuka–Lungu relations
- Tumbuka long-distance trade routes
- Tumbuka labour migration history (1900–1960)
- Tumbuka diaspora communities

Colonial & modern transformations (new)
- Tumbuka under colonial rule
- Tumbuka in World War I
- Tumbuka in World War II
- Post-1994 Tumbuka revival
- Digital activism in Chitumbuka

Places

Territorial evolution & movements
Early Nkhamanga/Henga/Phoka heartlands Lake Malawi corridor exchanges Colonial boundaries shaping cross-border Tumbuka identity
Core regions
Northern Region, Malawi Mzimba Rumphi Nkhata Bay Zambia Eastern Province, Zambia Lundazi / Chasefu / Lumezi Urban diaspora in Copperbelt Province and Lusaka Province Tanzania Mbeya Region / Songwe Region Zimbabwe Northern districts with migrant communities
Notable localities
Zambia Lundazi Ekwendeni Bolero Chitipa Karonga
Ceremonies & heritage sites
Vimbuza Vinkhakanimba Traditional Ceremony Zengani Traditional Ceremony Fwemba Traditional Dance
Persecution
Persecution of the Tumbuka people

The Northern Region is one of the three administrative regions of Malawi, located in the north of the country. It covers an area of approximately 26,200 square kilometres and had a population of 2,420,440 as per the 2018 census. Its regional capital is the city of Mzuzu, which is also the third largest city in Malawi. The common language (lingua franca) of the region is Chitumbuka language which is understood by everyone and every ethnic group in the region.

Historically, the first major ethnic group to strengthen its cultural and political presence in the Northern Region were the Tumbuka people, who established themselves primarily in present-day districts of Mzimba, Rumphi, Karonga, Chitipa and parts of Nkhata Bay.