Dedza

Dedza
Dedza

Location in Malawi

Coordinates: 14°20′S 34°20′E / 14.333°S 34.333°E / -14.333; 34.333
Country  Malawi
Region Central Region
District Dedza District
Population (2008)
 • Total 15,753
Time zone +2
Climate Cwb
Altitude marker of Dedza in Malawi

Dedza is the main township of Dedza District in the Central Region of Malawi.

Dedza is located about 85 km south of Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, off the M1 road to Blantyre at a point where a trans-African highway from Johannesburg enters the country.

At an altitude of 1590m it is the highest town in Malawi. In June and July it can be chilly, especially in the mornings and evenings.

The town is based around a bypass loop of tarmac road connected to the M1. At the northern end of the town centre there is a bus station, Town Assembly offices, sports stadium, police station, banks and petrol station. At the southern end there is a hospital and large market. There are many shops and businesses along the road and a parallel dirt road. Two other petrol stations are located on the M1.

Accommodation is available at the Dedza Pottery , Panjira Lodge, Rainbow Resthouse and other local resthouses. There are anumber of bars and cafes in the town centre, such as the Boiz Club and Golden Dish and a cyber-cafe - AY Business Cafe. The famous Dedza Pottery Coffee Shop is 1 km along a dirt road near the M1 northern junction.

The Dedza Pottery sells a wide range of ceramics and there are a number of craft shops along the dirt road to it. A walk up to the top of Dedza Mountain (2198m) is possible on a maintenance road for the communication aerials.

The main industries of the town are Paragon Ceramics, which makes floor and roof tiles, etc., located at the Dedza Pottery and the WICO Sawmill on the opposite side of the road.

The offices of the various departments of the Dedza District Assembly are located in the township. So also are offices for several NGOs operating in the district, such as Save the Children, Concern Universal and the Red Cross. The town has several primary schools, Mchisu day secondary school and Umbwi and Dedza Secondary boarding schools.

Dedza is linked with Norwich, UK by the Norwich-Dedza Partnership , a UK-based charity. The partnership supports education, health, agriculture, tourism development and public sector organisations in Dedza District through volunteer workers, supply of computers and other materials and small scale funding.

Climate

Dedza has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen: Cwb).

Climate data for Dedza
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 23.0
(73.4)		 23.0
(73.4)		 23.0
(73.4)		 22.5
(72.5)		 21.2
(70.2)		 19.4
(66.9)		 19.0
(66.2)		 20.5
(68.9)		 23.3
(73.9)		 24.9
(76.8)		 24.9
(76.8)		 23.5
(74.3)		 22.3
(72.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 18.7
(65.7)		 19.0
(66.2)		 18.5
(65.3)		 17.6
(63.7)		 15.9
(60.6)		 14.0
(57.2)		 13.6
(56.5)		 15.2
(59.4)		 17.8
(64)		 19.7
(67.5)		 20.0
(68)		 19.1
(66.4)		 17.4
(63.3)
Average low °C (°F) 15.5
(59.9)		 15.4
(59.7)		 15.0
(59)		 13.9
(57)		 11.7
(53.1)		 9.5
(49.1)		 9.1
(48.4)		 10.6
(51.1)		 13.2
(55.8)		 15.0
(59)		 15.9
(60.6)		 15.7
(60.3)		 13.4
(56.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 288.6
(11.362)		 233.9
(9.209)		 179.6
(7.071)		 67.0
(2.638)		 10.6
(0.417)		 4.1
(0.161)		 3.7
(0.146)		 1.3
(0.051)		 4.0
(0.157)		 11.9
(0.469)		 74.1
(2.917)		 231.0
(9.094)		 1,109.8
(43.693)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.3 mm) 20 17 13 6 2 2 3 2 1 2 6 15 89
Average relative humidity (%) 84 86 83 81 72 67 66 60 55 57 65 80 71
Mean monthly sunshine hours 151.9 142.8 182.9 213.0 248.0 246.0 241.8 269.7 288.0 288.3 225.0 164.3 2,661.7
Mean daily sunshine hours 4.9 5.1 5.9 7.1 8.0 8.2 7.8 8.7 9.6 9.3 7.5 5.3 7.28
Source: NOAA[1]

Demographics

Year Population[2]
1987 16 899
1998 15 259
2008 15 753

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Dedza Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  2. ↑ World Gazetteer: Malawi: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population

Coordinates: 14°22′S 34°20′E / 14.367°S 34.333°E / -14.367; 34.333

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