Machinga

Machinga is a small town in southern Malawi and the administrative capital of Machinga District, which covers roughly 3,771 km² and was one of Malawi's original 23 districts at independence in 1964 (Balaka District split off from it in 1998). The town itself is compact — about 2.4 km² with a population in the low thousands — set in an agricultural district between Zomba and Lake Malawi where maize, tobacco, and cotton are the main crops, and the Shire River supports irrigation. The district name is generally traced to the Chichewa word for "to guard" or "to protect."

• Zomba (1 hour south) — Old colonial capital.
• Mangochi (1 hour north) — Lake town.