| Chintheche | |
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Chintheche
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Malawi |
| Region | Northern Region |
| District | Nkhata Bay District |
| Elevation | 1,584 ft (482 m) |
| Time zone | +2 |
Chintheche is a settlement in the Nkhata Bay District of the Northern Region of Malawi. It is on the shore of Lake Malawi, and is approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Nkhata Bay. The town is close to the main road between Nkhata Bay and Nkhotakota.[1][2]
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In the 1970s, the government of Hastings Banda planned to develop Chintheche, with a new harbour and a paper-processing plant. To accommodate the new development, residents of Chintheche were displaced further inland. The scheme would have created employment for thousands of people, but for the most part did not come to fruition; however, the displaced residents were not allowed to return to their lakeshore homes.[3][4] A local water scheme was established in this time, as was the Chintheche Inn, a lakeside retreat nearby.
Chintheche is on the paved M5 Salima - Mzuzu road. It is well served by minibuses from Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota and Mzuzu.[1] Most roads in the Chintheche area are dirt tracks.[2]
There is also a small airstrip behind the village, mainly used by tourists visiting the nearby Chintheche Inn.[5]
From 2004 to 2007, the annual Lake of Stars Festival, an international charitable music festival, was held at the Chintheche Inn [6], 8 km south of Chintheche village. The festival, which benefited Children in the Wilderness, featured international disc jockeys and musicians such as Annie Mac and Andy Cato, as well as local musicians such as Lucius Banda, Souls of the Ghetto and The Black Missionaries. As of July 2008, the 2008 festival is not expected to be held in Chintheche, and will be held at Senga Bay, Salima.[7] Senga Bay is more accessible from the Malawi's major cities, Lilongwe and Blantyre.
Chintheche has bars, restaurants, guestlodges (including Sambani Lodge and Chintheche Inn), campsites, a supermarket and a cash and carry wholesaler; the majority of the town's amenities are along the Chintheche Strip.[1][8]
There is also a primary school, post office, police station and hospital in Chintheche village.[9] 8 km south of Chintheche there are three secondary schools: Chintheche Community Day Secondary School [10], Bandawe Secondary School[11] and Bandawe Girls Secondary School [12].
There are churches, and a mosque.[13]