Monkey Bay

Main north-south street of the town.

Monkey Bay or Lusumbwe is a town in Mangochi which is in the Mangochi District in the Southern Region of Malawi. The town is on the shore of Lake Malawi and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi.<ref name="Britannica">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> The population of Monkey Bay was 14,955 according to the 2018 census.<ref name="World Gazetteer"/> Monkey Bay is Template:Convert from Lilongwe, Malawi's capital city, and Template:Convert from Blantyre.<ref name="Wild Malawi">Template:Cite web</ref> Monkey Bay is a tourist resort and is often travelled through on the road to Cape Maclear.<ref name="Maclear">Template:Cite book</ref>

History

Monkey Bay was ruled by the Muslim Yao chief and slave trader, Mponda, during the 1880s.<ref name="Mponda">Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1905 the explorer Mary Hall passed through here as she became the first woman to travel the length of Africa from Cape Town to Cairo.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In the late 19th century, the first Bishop of Likoma, Chauncy Maples, drowned near Monkey Bay in Lake Malawi.<ref name="Bishop">Template:Cite book</ref> In the 1960s, there was a Fisheries Research Laboratory in Monkey Bay, funded by the then-Nyasaland colonial government.<ref name="Fisheries">Template:Cite book</ref>

Geography

Monkey Bay is on the shore of Lake Malawi and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi.<ref name="Britannica"/> It is at an elevation of Template:Convert.

Monkey Bay is situated Template:Convert from Chimpamba, Template:Convert from Zambo, Template:Convert from Msumbi and 17.9 km (11.12 mi) from Cape Maclear.<ref name=FR>Template:Cite web</ref>

Living standards

In March 2003, the then-Malawian President Bakili Muluzi held a rally in Monkey Bay, and promised to help reduce poverty.<ref name="Muluzi">Template:Cite web</ref> The charity Save the Children is active in the Monkey Bay area.<ref name="CSM">Template:Cite web</ref> According to a German development volunteer working with the Back to School Foundation, the residents of Monkey Bay are not living at the poverty line, but at the existence line. Houses are simple clay cottages, and few households can afford electricity, as the connection costs alone are three times the average monthly wage.<ref name="Rheinische Post">Template:Cite web</ref>

Facilities

Amenities

There is a supermarket and a market in Monkey Bay, although there are bureaux de change or automatic teller machines. On 22 February 2010, a first bank opened its doors. Malawi Savings Bank which was operating from the Post Office building moved into their own convenience, a refurbished and spacious building at the trading centre.

There was not a functioning internet café in 2007 but there were signs for one. There are several guesthouses.<ref name="Shops">Template:Cite book</ref> The nearest ATM is in the town of Mangochi.

Transport

Monkey Bay is connected to Lilongwe and Blantyre by bus services.<ref name="Shops"/> The nearest airport is at Ulongwe, Template:Convert away.<ref name=FR/> Two passenger ferries make weekly sailings along Lake Malawi between Monkey Bay and Chilumba; the MV Ilala and the Mtendere.<ref name="Telegraph Sail">Template:Cite web</ref> The Ilala is 350-passenger steamship that has served the route since 1951.<ref name="Guardian">Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2003, the European Union funded improvements to the road linking Monkey Bay with Masasa and Golomoti.<ref name="Engineering News">Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2006, the Malawian government announced plans to build a road from Monkey Bay to Cape Maclear.<ref name="To Maclear">Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2006, there was no road access to Monkey Bay, after the worst floods since 1978 had washed away several kilometres of road and a bridge.<ref name="Mywire">Template:Cite web</ref> The rainfall measured around Template:Convert and several thousand people in the Mangochi District were made homeless.<ref name="Angola"/>

Education

The Nankhwala Catholic School is in Monkey Bay.<ref name="BBC">Template:Cite web</ref>

Medical

Monkey Bay has a hospital, but medical services are not extensive; surgery and diagnostics are however available in Monkey Bay.<ref name="Irish Medical Times">Template:Cite web</ref>

Law and military

Monkey Bay has a police station. It is also the headquarters of the 220-strong marine force of the Army of Malawi.<ref name="IOL">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Naval Institute">Template:Cite book</ref>

Tourism

Monkey Bay has been described as "the country's best known resort" by Agence France-Presse,<ref name="Mywire"/> and Factiva refers to Monkey Bay as the "best known resort-area" in Malawi.<ref name="Factiva">Template:Cite web</ref> The area has "sandy beaches and tropical fish",<ref name="Angola">Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> and is popular with tourists.<ref name="IOL"/> There are diving schools in Monkey Bay, however, according to the Daily Telegraph, the schools are considered poor by tourists.<ref name="Telegraph diving">Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore </ref> The town is also a transit point to Cape Maclear.

Demographics

Year	Population<ref name="World Gazetteer">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Census2018">Template:Cite web</ref>
1987	5,649
1998	10,749
2008	11,246
2018	14,955