River · Malawi
Shire
Shire is the longest river of Malawi and carries the water of Lake Malawi southwards. It crosses the country from north to south. Far away in Mozambique it joins the mighty Zambezi.
Picture credit: Roger (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Roger (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Stonyyy (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Shire?
The river starts here: Lake Malawi near Mangochi.
It ends in the Zambezi River in Mozambique.
Countries on the river: Malawi.
The story behind it
The Shire begins where Lake Malawi spills over at its southern tip, so it always starts as a full, wide river. First it moves slowly through marshes full of reeds, then it tumbles down a chain of rapids and falls towards the lower land. In Liwonde National Park hippos snort in the shallow water, crocodiles rest on sandbanks, and elephants come down in the evening to drink. Fishers push out in narrow wooden boats and bring home catfish and tilapia. Dams on the rapids make most of the electricity that Malawi uses, so lamps in distant villages depend on this one river. When the lake level sinks in a dry year, the turbines slow and the power goes off more often. Farmers pump water from the banks onto fields of rice and sugar cane.
Questions children ask
How long is the Shire?
Which countries does the Shire flow through?
Almost its whole course lies in Malawi, from Lake Malawi down to the southern border. Only the last stretch belongs to Mozambique, where it meets the Zambezi. People in both countries fish in its water.
Where does the Shire end?
It flows into the Zambezi in Mozambique, not directly into the sea. Its water then travels on with the Zambezi to the Indian Ocean. So a drop from Lake Malawi can end up in the delta.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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