Monkey Bay

Monkey Bay Lusumbwe
Beach at Cape Maclear near Monkey Bay
Monkey Bay Location in Malawi
Coordinates: 14°05′00″S 34°55′00″E / 14.08333°S 34.91667°E / -14.08333; 34.91667
Country	Malawi
Region	Southern Region
District	Mangochi District
Elevation	1,630 ft (500 m)
Population (2008)
• Total	14,591
Time zone	+2
Climate	Aw

Monkey Bay or Lusumbwe is a town in Mangochi which is in the Mangochi District in the Southern Region of Malawi. The town is on the shore of Lake Malawi and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi. The population of Monkey Bay is estimated to be 14,591 as of 2008. Monkey Bay is 206 kilometres (128 mi) from Lilongwe, Malawi's capital city, and 253 kilometres (157 mi) from Blantyre. Monkey Bay is a tourist resort and is often travelled through on the road to Cape Maclear.

Monkey Bay was ruled by the Muslim Yao chief and slave trader, Mponda, during the 1880s. In the late 19th century, the first Bishop of Likoma, Chauncy Maples, drowned near Monkey Bay in Lake Malawi. In the 1960s, there was a Fisheries Research Laboratory in Monkey Bay, funded by the then-Nyasaland colonial government.

Monkey Bay is on the shore of Lake Malawi and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi. It is at an elevation of 1,630 feet (500 m).

Monkey Bay is situated 4 miles (6.4 km) away from Chimpamba, 2 miles (3.2 km) away from Zambo, 1 mile (1.6 km) away from Msumbi and 0.5 miles (0.80 km) away from Mbalamanja.

In March 2003, the then-Malawian President Bakili Muluzi held a rally in Monkey Bay, and promised to help reduce poverty. The charity Save the Children are active in the Monkey Bay area. According to a German development volunteer working with the Back to School Foundation, the residents of Monkey Bay are not living at the poverty line, but at the existence line. Houses are simple clay cottages, and few households can afford electricity, as the connection costs alone are three times the average monthly wage.

There is a supermarket and a market in Monkey Bay, although there are bureaux de change or automatic teller machines. On 22 February 2010, a first bank opened its doors. Malawi Savings Bank Agency which was operating from the Post Office building moved into their own convenience, a refurblished and spacious building at the trading centre.