Nkhotakota (N-kho-tah-kho-tuh) (formerly Kota Kota) (name derived from the Chichewa for "Corner Corner") is a town and one of the districts in the Central Region of Malawi. It is on the shore of Lake Malawi (formerly Lake Nyasa) and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi. As of 2018, Nkhotakota had a population estimated at 28,350. The district had a population of 301,000.
History
Nkhotakota was originally a group of villages in the 19th century which later served as a market for Swahili-Arabian slave traders. David Livingstone convinced Chief Jumbe to stop trading slaves under a tree in Nkhotakota in the 19th century, which is currently in existence under a mission.
In 1905, Mary Hall came through here as she travelled to be the first woman to journey from Cape Town to Cairo. She had arrived from Mangochi.
Malawi president Hastings Banda gave speeches under another tree in Nkhotakota during the 1960s, this one ironically known as the Livingstone Tree. Today, Nkhotakota is the largest traditional African town in Malawi
Geography
thumb|left|300px|Mwaya Beach at Nkhotakota Bay on [[Lake Malawi]]
Nkhotakota lies at an elevation of on the shore of Lake Malawi.
Wildlife
Nkhotakota is home to the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, where, according to Lonely Planet, one has a good chance of seeing elephants. The reserve is also home to several antelope species, buffalo, and leopards. Several large rivers cross this reserve, the largest in Malawi.
Another notable antiquity (tourist attraction) in Nkhotakota is the Mawira hot springs, an area of about 3km<sup>2</sup> of hot water that continuously gushes from the ground since time immemorial. Mawira hot springs is situated at the central area of the district, some 5 km from the Ntchisi/Kasungu road junction.
Demographics
Population development
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Population
|-
| 1977
| 10,312
|-
| 1987
| 12,163
|-
| 1998
| 19,262
|-
| 2008
| 24,726
|-
| 2018
| 28,250
|}
Languages
Chichewa is the main language spoken in this town. A Swahili settlement was also established in Nkhotakota. Several Chewa speakers live to the south of Nkhotakota, and Tonga is spoken in its north.
Facilities
left|thumb|Christian cemetery in Nkhotakota
Medical
There are two hospitals in Nkhotakota: Nkhotakota District Hospital and St. Anne's Mission Hospital. However, in the whole district there are 23 health facilities including 1 district hospital, 1 mission hospital, 1 government rural hospital, 1 mission rural hospital, 11 health centres, 10 private clinics and 2 dispensaries. In its efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the Society for Women Against AIDS in Malawi (SWAM) implemented a two-year project in Nkhotakota.
Nkhotakota is also a regional hub for the [World Medical Fund] – a UK-based medical charity, whose rural outreach services provide the region's villages with basic medical care including anti-retrovirals, anti-malarial treatment and infectious disease management.
Banks
Branches of the First Discount House FDH Bank and NBS Bank are closely located at the central point of the town, on the junction of Salima/Lilongwe and Ntchisi/Kasungu. While Standard Bank (a branch of Standard Bank South Africa) is situated 50 km away at Illovo sugar company's premises in Dwangwa, where National Bank of Malawi and NBS Bank are situated.
These commercial Banks provide several banking and other financial services including; foreign currency exchange facilities for local residents and foreign tourists. There are also many Bank agents at the Boma and many trading Centers around the district.
Transport
Nkhotakota is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi, and it is served by the ferry MV Ilala that weekly crosses Lake Malawi. The nearest airport is at Kasungu, away. Buses run from Salima for two hours daily. In addition, minibuses run from here to Nkhata Bay along the main road which connects these towns.
Notable people
- Martha Mwale became the first woman Presbyterian minister in Malawi in 2001.
- Essau Kanyenda, former Malawian national team football striker