“Blantyre”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

Blantyre ({{IPAc-en|UK|pron|ˈ|b|l|æ|n|ˌ|t|aɪ|ə}}) is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with an estimated 994,500 inhabitants {{As of|2018|lc=y}}. It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe. It is the capital of the country's Southern Region as well as the Blantyre District.

Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), the country's state broadcaster and the provider of one of Malawi's television channels, has its headquarters in Blantyre. The Supreme Court is located here. City house, College of Medicine, Malawi Polytechnic and Kamuzu College of Nursing, constituent colleges of the University of Malawi. The Malawi College of Accountancy is also headquartered there. Its rather unconventional location has meant that Blantyre is surrounded by Mount Soche, Ndirande mountain, Chiradzulu mountain and Michiru Mountain^[3] which consolidates the Michiru Mountain Conservation Area.

Blantyre supports an expatriate population of about 25,000 {{citation needed|date=August 2016}}, mainly from Europe and South Africa. According to the Mercer 2017 Cost of Living Rankings, Blantyre is the city with the fifth-lowest cost of living for expatriates in the world.^[4]

History

Blantyre was founded in 1876 through the missionary work of the Church of Scotland. It was named after Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland,^[5] birthplace of the explorer David Livingstone.^[6] Blantyre's historical importance is rivaled by no other Malawian city. It has many historic and cultural heritage resources, which constitute a vital part of the city and are crucial to its identity, cultural and social well-being and attractiveness to business and tourism. It became a British consular in 1883 and attained municipality status by 1895, making it Malawi's oldest municipality.^[7] By the time of World War I, Blantyre was diverse with people from Africans from neighbouring districts as well as South Asian traders.^[6]

Blantyre is one of the oldest urban centres in east, central and southern Africa; it pre-dates Nairobi, Harare and Johannesburg, hence it has the longest historic and cultural heritage in the region. The Chichiri Museum is next to the Civic Centre offices at Chichiri and constitutes a valuable asset of the city.

The city's status as Malawi's centre of commerce and industry began through its role as a centre for colonial trade in ivory. Thus, Blantyre quickly established itself as a crossroads for trade in Southern Africa. Today the city is Malawi's main manufacturing core including "shoe manufacturing, corn (maize) milling, brewing, soft drink production, baking, printing, and tobacco manufacturing." ^[6]

From 1876 to 1905, urban development in Blantyre was confined to three distinct areas within 2 km of each other: Blantyre Mission at HHI, Mandala (European commercial venture), and the government zone and commercial centre triangle marked by Haile Selassie Road, Glyn Jones Road and Hannover Street. {{Citation needed|date=February 2017}} In Limbe development started in 1906 following the establishment of the Shire Highlands Railways Company headquarters and repair and servicing facilities and Imperial Tobacco Group (ITG) packaging and tobacco grading factory nearby. As a result of the establishment of these large operations, easy accessibility and flat topography, Limbe experienced a development boom of Indian wholesale and retail shops. {{Citation needed|date=February 2017}} By 1910 Limbe town surpassed Blantyre town. Low- and medium-density housing for the European and Asian staff was in Mpingwe, ITG and Mudi in Limbe and in Mount Pleasant, Sunnyside, Namiwawa, Kabula and Mandala in Blantyre. The Indian shops included accommodation at the rear or on the top floor. High-density housing for the African workforce was far away except the Chiwembe compound in Limbe. {{Citation needed|date=February 2017}}

The development history of Blantyre was principally dictated by piecemeal un-co-ordinated development as a result of individual and interest group decisions relating to evangelism, commerce, farming, industry and administration.^[8]

Blantyre is named after the town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, where the explorer David Livingstone was born. Livingstone's missionary endeavours saw the establishment of the St Michael and All Angels church. The church dates from 1891 and was famously built by a team of local workmen with no knowledge of European architecture or building techniques.^[9] Urban development was further stimulated by the construction of the railway.^[10] In 1956 it was merged with its sister city, Limbe (7 miles (11 km) to the East, founded in 1909), to form one city. Here, it became the "headquarter of Malawi (then Nyasaland) Railways."^[6]

Blantyre City has a total of eight gazetted National Monuments, mostly buildings of historic importance.^[8] The City Assembly has nominated two sites for designation as National Monuments and another 23 sites for investigation with regard to their eligibility for designation as national and local monuments.

Geography

Blantyre City, the largest commercial and industrial capital of Malawi, is in the Shire Highlands and geographical centre of the Southern Region of the country and lies 35° east of Greenwich Meridian and 15° 42" south of the Equator. It is a transport communications node with road, rail and air links to all parts of the country and neighbouring countries of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania. It covers an area of 228 km². The city is classified as a 'National Urban Centre' within the designated six hierarchical levels system of urban centres of the country and is the regional administrative headquarters of the Southern Region.

The geology of the city consists of two principal types of rocks of an ancient Basement Complex, a result of a process that took place during the late Pre-Cambrian period about 500 million years ago. The most extensive rock formation consists of pyroxene granulite gneiss which covers more than 50% of the city area, from the northwest to the east and extends in two small bands southward in the western part of the city. Syenitic gneiss accounts for about 40% covering the southern, western and north-eastern corner of the city and also in form of scattered small intrusions into the pyroxene granulite gneiss. In their unweathered state, both rock types are impervious hence poor aquifers, but they provide a valuable resource for road and building construction. Blantyre City is on the eastern edge of the southern branch of the Eastern African Rift, and thus some prominent faults occur within and in the vicinity of the city rendering it prone to earthquakes. The main faults and associated zones of deeply fractured bedrock run from the north of the city in a southwesterly direction and are potential aquifers for groundwater.

Blantyre City lies in a hilly area; it has varied topography ranging from an elevation of about 780 to 1,612 metres above sea level. There are three main types of topographical features, which have major implications for the development of the city: the hills, plateau and ridge, and the natural drainage system.

The most conspicuous and dominant physical features are the numerous hills found in all parts of the city. The main hills are the headwaters of several rivers and streams which originate and radiate from the city, forming a natural drainage system with nine distinct catchment areas: Likhubula, Lunzu, Mombezi and Khombwi, which drain the northern part of the city, and Mudi, Chisombezi, Limbe, Luchenza and Mwampanzi draining the middle and southern parts. Because of the hilly topography, these natural drainage channels are narrow and have steep sides and gradients.

The plateau and ridge comprises all the land that is suitable for urban development including extensive relatively flat land, the mountain piedmonts and plains, and long narrow watersheds and strips of land which separate the rivers and streams.

Climate

The climate of Blantyre is classified by Köppen-Geiger climate classification system as a Tropical climate, more specifically a tropical savanna climate (Aw) and is greatly influenced by its location in the tropical zone and altitude. The city experiences the tropical continental climate with two distinct seasons in the year (three proper seasons). The rainy season is from November to April, with continuing light cold showers locally known as chiperoni from the end of May to July. The dry season is from May to October. The mean annual rainfall is {{convert|1122|mm|2|abbr=on}}, of which about 80% falls within 3½ months between November and March.

The city is generally cool with mean monthly temperatures ranging from {{convert|19|°C|0|abbr=on}} during the cool season (May to July) to {{convert|26|°C|0|abbr=on}} during the hot season (September to November). There are two particularly uncomfortable spells of weather; the hottest season associated with high humidity soon before the onset of the first rains (end October to November), and the frost along rivers, mist and chilly showers and winds characteristic of the cold season in June and July.

Economy

Blantyre City is the commercial and industrial capital. It is by far the major employment generator in the country and has the greatest multiplier effect on the urban economy. The city is Malawi's industrial centre with many manufacturing plants. There are eight designated industrial areas: Makata, Ginnery Corner, Maselema, Limbe, Chirimba, South Lunzu, Maone and Chitawira. Of these Makata, Ginnery Corner, Maselema, Limbe, Chirimba and Maone are actively hosting industries whilst South Lunzu is yet to be developed.

The existing industrial sites are further categorised into heavy and light sites. Makata and Limbe, for example, are the sole heavy industrial sites hosting more than 30 companies. {{Citation needed|date=March 2017}}

While Chirimba industrial area is designated a heavy industrial area, it is the least developed in terms of number of industries. Apart from Makata, Ginnery corner industrial site is another active site followed by Limbe and Maselema. The least are Chirimba and Maone industrial sites. Chitawira and Maselema are classic examples of light industrial areas.^[13] All the industrial areas are located along the banks of the main rivers or streams of Blantyre city. Makata industrial area lies between Mudi and Nasolo streams whilst Ginnery Corner industrial area is along Mudi River. Maselema industrial area exists along the Naperi river and Chirimba stream hosts Chirimba industrial area.

There are several rules for treatment of wastes in the industries,^[14] but disposal of untreated wastewater into drains and, subsequently, into the city's major streams is very common, thus posing a potential health and environmental risk to the people in Blantyre and downstream. Other sources of water pollution in the city such as run-offs from domestic and agricultural activities and vehicle emissions^[15] have been identified. Previous studies have indicated substantial heavy metal pollution in the city's water bodies including streams.^[16] Major changes in industrial activities have occurred in the city including a decrease in volumes of wastewater generated by the David Whitehead company which used to be a major contributor of wastewater effluent in Makata industrial area; change of ownership and wastewater management of Cold Storage Company; closure of the Shire Bus Line; doubling of wastewater generation from both Carlsberg and Chibuku Products due to increase in production and installation of some industrial pre-treatment plants such as at Chibuku, Plascon and Dulux.^[17]

Manufacturing contributes approximately 14% to GDP. In the period 1996–1999 the sector showed 0% growth, partly due to the rapid liberalisation of markets exposing Malawi's manufacturers to competition from South Africa and Zimbabwe. The sector is still hampered by monopolistic behaviour (cotton), trade barriers, lack of access to capital, illegal imports, and unpredictable implementation or lack of implementation of existing bilateral trade agreements.^[18]

The employment structure includes formal and informal sectors, together offering employment that is estimated to be between 50,000 and 55,000 jobs and absorbing 62% of the labour force. The formal sector employment consists of primary, secondary and tertiary industry sub-sectors, and the informal sector is principally small-scale business operations. The tertiary or services industry sub-sector is leading in terms of employment creation and importance to the economy of the city; it employs 26,074 people accounting for 56.5% of total formal employment. The secondary industry sub-sector employs 18,824 people principally in manufacturing and accounts for about 41% of the total employment. Information on informal sector activities is scanty or non-existent. But a recent study by Africon and field investigation under the Blantyre City Environmental City Profile, leads to the conclusion that it is a substantial and vibrant economy, offering employment to about 4,500 people who would otherwise be unemployed.^[8]

Blantyre is home to the Malawi Stock Exchange located on Victoria Avenue, the heart of the city. It opened its doors in November 1996 and operates under the Capital Market Development Act 1990 and the Companies Act 1984. Before the listing of the first company, the major activities that were being undertaken were the provision of a facility for secondary market trading in Government of Malawi bonds, namely Treasury Bills and Local Registered Stocks.^[19]

As Malawi's main economic and financial hub, the city plays host to an annual international trade fair each May. The event seeks to showcase the best of Malawian commerce, industry, agriculture and information technology and opened under a theme of "Building Productivity Capacity to Achieve Export Competitiveness" in 2007.^[20]

Sport facilities

Malawi’s largest stadium is in the capital city of Lilongwe. Construction finished in 2016 and it is estimated to hold 70,000 people. The stadium is home to the Malawi Flames, the country's national football team. It is also used for track and field events as well as the majority of the important functions of the nation.

Malawi's second-largest stadium, Kamuzu Stadium which holds an estimated 60,000, is in Chichiri. However, due to the age of the structure, it has been downsized to seat an estimated 25,000. International football games are played here as well as major Malawian events such as presidential inaugurations and Independence Day celebrations.

Transport

Blantyre City is served by a road network totalling about {{convert|554|km|0|abbr=off}} consisting of six categories of roads: designated, collector, distributor, residential, industrial and access (in descending order of importance or traffic volumes). Very few formal footpaths exist in the city besides sidewalks, although the predominant mode of travel is walking. {{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

Private cars and minibuses have completely replaced buses as a means of public transport in the city. Minibuses, a main fixture in most African cities, begin services from the early hours while the last services usually finish by 7:00pm. {{Citation needed|date=March 2017}} The taxis mainly found outside the city's top hotels, Mount Soche and Ryalls, provide an alternative mode of transport to the residents of Blantyre.

Railway services contribute enormously to the city's status as Malawi's main commercial and industrial hub. The Central East African Railway, formerly Malawi Railways, has its headquarters in Limbe. It operates through Blantyre to Nsanje, near the southern border with Mozambique which connects Malawi with the Mozambican ports of Beira and Nacala; Mchinji, near the border with Zamibia; Salima and Lilongwe; and between Nkaya and Nayuchi on the eastern border with Mozambique, covering a total of {{convert|797|km|0|abbr=off}}.^[21] There is a rail-lake interchange station at Chipoka on Lake Malawi, from where Malawi Railways vessels operate services to other lake ports in Malawi. In September 2007, President Bingu wa Mutharika commissioned locomotives donated by the Taiwanese government which will provide passenger train services from Blantyre to other parts of the country. {{Citation needed|date=October 2016}} Prior to this, a government subsidised passenger rail service operated three times weekly from Blantyre to Makhanga and the border with Mozambique at Nayuchi.

The city has coach services which run from the city centre and Wenela bus station to Lilongwe, Mzuzu and other African cities including Johannesburg and Harare.

Shopping and tourism

As the commercial centre of Malawi, travellers come from all over the region (including neighbouring Mozambique {{citation needed|date=October 2016}}) to stock up on supplies – food, construction materials, electronics, etc. The downtown area is full of Asian (Indian) run shops, as is nearby Limbe.

Newer western-style shops are available at Chichiri Shopping Center, arguably Malawi's largest mall. The craft stalls include the People's Supermarket, African Habitat, Central Africana Bookshop, and the Municipal Market which is known to be more chaotic than the shopping centre.^[23] All of these locations are within the same area.

There are many attractions to visit in Blantyre, including the Mandala House, National Museum, and Carlsberg Brewery. The Mandala House is a historic building in Blantyre that was built in 1882 as a place of relaxation for the managers of the Mandala Trading Company. Inside there is a cafe, as well as the Society of Malawi Library and Archive. The National Museum is located between Blantyre and Limbe, very close to the Chichiri Shopping Center. Carlsberg Brewery is a location where visitors can try the country's favourite drink, the "Green." This drink was created by a Danish foreign minister who visited Malawi during the independence celebration in 1966.^[5]

Education

Blantyre City has a wide range of educational facilities comprising primary school, secondary school and tertiary education as well as pre-school. These are provided by the government, City Assembly, missionary institutions and the private sector.

Tertiary education includes technical and vocational training and higher learning institutions mostly in the Chichiri-Ginnery Corner area (Malawi Polytechnic, College of Medicine, Kamuzu College of Nursing, Blantyre School of Health Sciences and Malawi College of Accountancy), Telecommunications National and SADCC Multi-Country Training Schools, Technical School, Police Training School and Blantyre Teachers' College. Some private companies offer tailor-made training to their staff (Malawi Railways, ADMARC, banks, etc.) while individual entrepreneurs provide specialised training in varied fields such as management, secretarial, business, accounting, and computers.

There are 50 primary schools in the city with a total enrolment in 1999 of approximately 134,000 pupils. {{Citation needed|date=August 2016}}

Schools include Saint Andrews International Primary and Saint Andrews International High School, Central High School, Nyasa Junior Academy, St Patrick's Primary School, St Patrick's Academy, South End Secondary School, Phoenix Primary School, Hillview International Primary School in Limbe and Kalibu Academy.

Health

The health care delivery system in the city has both curative and preventative health care services, and this is provided through a network of hospitals and health centres/clinics which are distributed throughout different parts of the city. The government runs Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), the biggest referral hospital in the country, which has a total of 1,000 hospital beds, and the three private hospitals which have a total of 122 hospital beds. The 18 public clinics are run by the District Health Office in partnership with the Blantyre City Assembly and service Bangwe, Chigumula, Chilomoni, Chirimba, Limbe, Ndirande, Manyowe, Masala, Mapanga, Misesa, Mzedi, Nancholi, Nkolokoti, Ntenje, Ntonda, South Lunzu, Zingwangwa and Civic Centre.

There are several clinics run by religious organisations where people receive paying health care services, and there are also clinics owned by statutory corporations/companies (serving their staff) such as ADMARC, Malawi Railways, Portland Cement, Lever Brothers, Tobacco Processors, and National Seed Company of Malawi. Following the liberalisation policy, the city has witnessed the establishment of many private clinics and hospitals (including Blantyre Adventist Hospital and Mwaiwathu PVT Hospital,) which complement the few limited old facilities. The majority of these offer outpatient services while the few well-established ones offer both. Besides the city-based health services, many city residents make regular use of mission hospitals which are outside the city to the extent that these form part of the city's health delivery system (Mlambe Hospital and Nguludi). In addition, traditional healers (herbalists) and traditional birth attendants play an important role in providing health care to the city residents.

The health delivery system of the city is grossly inadequate. The public hospital wards are very congested and long queues are characteristic of outpatient services. The average clinic-population ratio for the city is between 25,000 and 28,000 persons per clinic {{citation needed|date=September 2016}}, and the unplanned settlements are the least served with over 40,000 persons per clinic, compared with the recommended urban planning standard of 10,000 persons per clinic.

Mwaiwathu Private Hospital and Blantyre Adventist Hospital provide the best medical services in the city, with many residents of Lilongwe travelling to Blantyre to receive treatment from them. There is also the Beit CURE International Hospital, one of the very few hospitals where hip and knee replacement surgery can be done in Sub-Saharan Africa.^[24]

Twin towns – sister cities

Notable people from Blantyre

References

1. ^http://citypopulation.de/Malawi-Cities.html
2. ^{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-13}}
3. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.indexmundi.com/z/?lat=-15.75&lon=34.9666667&t=m&r=260&p=michiru_mountain&cc=mi&c=malawi |title=Michiru Mountain – Malawi |publisher=Indexmundi.com |date= |accessdate=30 October 2009}}
4. ^"[https://www.imercer.com/content/mobility/rankings/infographic/index.html Mercer 2017 Cost of Living Rankings]". Mercer. 2017.
5. ^¹{{Cite web|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/malawi/southern-malawi/blantyre|title=Blantyre - Lonely Planet|last=Planet|first=Lonely|website=Lonely Planet|access-date=2016-11-11}}
6. ^¹²³{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Blantyre-Malawi|title=Blantyre {{!}} Malawi|newspaper=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2016-11-11}}
7. ^ {{date=July 2009}}8. ^¹²{{cite web|url=http://www.serd.ait.ac.th/ump/html/books/bcep.pdf |title=Tp/Hq/Conf |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=30 October 2009 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20050107022443/http://www.serd.ait.ac.th/ump/html/books/bcep.pdf |archivedate = 7 January 2005}}
9. ^Bsac Travel Club – Malawi {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017044525/http://www.bsactravelclub.co.uk/where/malawi.htm |date=17 October 2007 }}
10. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-43945/Malawi#480068.hook |title=Malaŵi – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=Britannica.com |date=11 August 2008 |accessdate=30 October 2009}}
11. ^{{cite web| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/MW/67693.TXT| title = Chileka Climate Normals 1961–1990| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration| accessdate = 8 March 2015}}
12. ^{{cite web | url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=1546| title = Station Chileka| publisher = Météo Climat | language = French | accessdate = 14 October 2016}}
13. ^Blantyre City Assembly, 1999.
14. ^Local Government Act, 1982; Blantyre City Assembly, 1999
15. ^Lakudzala et al., 1999; Masamba and Chimbalanga, 2001, Sajidu et al, 2007
16. ^Lakudzala et al., 1999; Sajidu et al., 2007; Kaonga et al., (2008)
17. ^{{cite web|url=http://google.com/search?q=cache:ONeSyfptAyEJ:www.chanco.unima.mw/science/mjst/Downloads/volume9/Kuyeli_et_al.pdf+Makata+Industrial+site&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=12&gl=uk |title=Temporal And Spatial Physicochemical Water Quality in Blantyre Urban Streams Abstract |publisher=google.com |date=23 January 2009 |accessdate=30 October 2009 }}{{dead link|date=November 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
18. ^[https://web.archive.org/web/20040428083345/http://www.norad.no/norsk/files/MWI%20sluttrapport.doc ]
19. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.mse.co.mw/ |title=Malawi Stock Exchange |publisher=Mse.co.mw |date= |accessdate=30 October 2009}}
20. ^ {{dead link|date=July 2009}}
21. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/countryprofiles/218317.htm?v=details |title=Reuters AlertNet – Malawi |publisher=Alertnet.org |date= |accessdate=30 October 2009}}
22. ^{{cite web|author=Anonymous |url=http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/malawi-airports-2009-04-10 |title=Malawi seek partners for $1bn upgrade of region's oldest airfield |publisher=Engineeringnews.co.za |date= |accessdate=30 October 2009}}
23. ^{{Cite news|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/malawi/blantyre/shopping/a/poi-sho/355430|title=Shopping in Blantyre, Malawi|last=Planet|first=Lonely|newspaper=Lonely Planet|access-date=2016-11-11}}
24. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.curehospital.mw/home|title=Beit Cure International Hospital Malawi|accessdate=20 April 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112060629/http://www.curehospital.mw/home|archivedate=12 January 2012|df=dmy-all}}
25. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.hannover.de/de/buerger/entwicklung/partnerschaften/staedte_regionspartnerschaften/index.html |title=Hanover – Twin Towns |publisher= Offizielles Portal der Landeshauptstadt und der Region Hannover in Zusammenarbeit mit hier.de |language=German |accessdate=17 July 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724012346/http://www.hannover.de/de/buerger/entwicklung/partnerschaften/staedte_regionspartnerschaften/index.html |archivedate=24 July 2011 |df=dmy }}
26. ^{{cite news|title=Malawian-born swimmer wins gold at Olympics|url=http://mwnation.com/malawian-born-swimmer-wins-gold-at-olympics/|newspaper=The Nation|publisher=Nations Publication Limited|location=Blantyre|date=1 August 2012|accessdate=24 April 2016}}