The UN System Other development partners The European Union maintains a delegation in Malawi to coordinate the substantial amount of aid provided by the EDF. In addition, there are several countries providing bilateral aid, notably the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, Japan, and the Republic of China (all with resident missions) and Australia, Canada, France, Norway, Sweden and Finland (non residential). Several non-governmental aid organisations (for example, Save the Children, The Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief, World Vision, Plan International, The Christian Service Committee and the Africa Muslim Agency) give assistance to Malawi mainly in the fields of education and health. Religious missions have made significant contributions, particularly in these two sectors, since the initiation of the first Livingstonia Mission in 1875. Physical features Lilongwe : (Altitude - 3,500 ft). The main city in the Central Region has been Malawi's capital since January 1975. The population was 234,000 according to the 1987 Census and is currently estimated at 500,000. Lilongwe is centrally located in an agriculturally productive area, lying in the hub of communication arteries, criss-crossed by the north-south and east-west roads as well as the Mchinji-Blantyre railway and the Lilongwe International Airport. The Zambian border is 100 kms from Lilongwe and within easy reach by a modern highway. Blantyre : (Altitude 3,400 ft). The main city in the Southern Region is Malawi's chief commercial and industrial centre. Founded by missionaries in 1876, it has been associated with tea growing and tobacco processing since 1908. Served by a railhead in Limbe, 8 kms away, Blantyre became a distribution point for the rest of Malawi. Limbe and Blantyre were amalgamated in 1956 and in 1966 Blantyre was granted a City Charter. It is Malawi's most populous city with an estimated population of 750,000 which has increased from 332,000 at the time of the 1987 Census. Blantyre is served by Chileka International Airport and a railway line to the ports of Beira and Nacala in Mozambique. The national road network connects Blantyre to all cities and towns of Malawi. The Mozambican border is 100 kms from Blantyre and the Blantyre-Mwanza-Tete-Harare highway provides easy access to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and on to South Africa. | |
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