List of World Heritage Sites in Malawi

Lake Malawi National Park

Chongoni

Location of World Heritage Sites in Malawi

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.^[1] Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation, or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage.^[2] Malawi accepted the convention, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. As of 2023, there are two World Heritage Sites in Malawi.^[3]

World Heritage Sites

UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, and vii through x are natural.^[4]

World Heritage Sites

Site	Image	Location (region)	Year listed	UNESCO data	Description
Lake Malawi National Park		Central Region, Southern Region	Natural (vii) (ix) (x)	1984	Located at the southern end of the great expanse of Lake Malawi, with its deep, clear waters and mountain backdrop, the national park is home to many hundreds of fish species, nearly all endemic. Its importance for the study of evolution is comparable to that of the finches of the Galapagos Islands.[5]
Chongoni Rock-Art Area		Central Region	Cultural (iii) (vi)	2006	Situated within a cluster of forested granite hills and covering an area of 126.4 km2, high up the plateau of central Malawi, the 127 sites of this area feature the richest concentration of rock art in Central Africa. They reflect the comparatively scarce tradition of farmer rock art, as well as paintings by BaTwa hunter-gatherers who inhabited the area from the late Stone Age. The Chewa agriculturalists, whose ancestors lived there from the late Iron Age, practised rock painting until well into the 20th century. The symbols in the rock art, which are strongly associated with women, still have cultural relevance amongst the Chewa, and the sites are actively associated with ceremonies and rituals.[6]

Tentative list

In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list.^[7] Malawi maintains six properties on its tentative list.^[3]

Tentative sites

Site	Image	Location (region)	Year listed	UNESCO criteria	Description
Mulanje Mountain Biosphere Reserve		Southern Region	Natural (x)	2000	[8]
Nyika National Park		Northern Region	Mixed	2000	[9]
Khulubvi And Associated Mbona Sacred Rain Shrines		Southern Region	Cultural (iii) (v)	2011	[10]
Malawi Slave Routes and Dr. David Livingstone Trail		Central Region	Cultural (iii) (iv)	2011	[11]
Lake Chilwa Wetland		Southern Region	Natural (ix) (x)	2011	[12]
Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve		Northern Region	Mixed (iii) (v) (viii) (ix) (x)	2011	[13]

References

This page was last edited on 10 March 2024, at 21:41