Mafinga Central

Where is Mafinga Central?

Mafinga Central is part of the Mafinga Hills.

You will find it in: Zambia.

Summit: 9.953° S, 33.352° E

The story behind it

The Mafinga Hills are not sharp mountains but a long swell of high ground that marks the border between Zambia and Malawi, and Mafinga Central is the place where that swell reaches its greatest height. Rain falls heavily here in the wet season, and the hills work like a sponge: streams start in the wet grass and flow away to feed rivers far below. Grassland covers the tops, while patches of old forest survive in the folds and valleys, home to monkeys, small antelopes and many birds. Nights can be surprisingly cold for a tropical country, and morning mist often sits in the hollows until the sun burns it away. Few people live right on the ridge, so reaching the summit means a long drive on rough tracks and then a walk through tall grass.

Find it on the globe

Mafinga Central is there as a small peak with its own shape — a horn, a ridge, a volcano — standing on the surface. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.

It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.