Areas & neighborhoods of Lilongwe

Lilongwe is read through its Areas — numbered zones that stand in for named neighborhoods, anchored by Old Town in the south and City Centre in the north.

On the map

How it works

Why Lilongwe uses numbers

Because the modern city was laid out from a zoning plan, residents navigate by Area number rather than district name. An address like “Area 47” or “Area 3” tells a taxi driver exactly where to go. The numbers roughly reflect the order in which zones were planned, not their distance from the centre, so it helps to know the main clusters.

The two centres

Old Town vs City Centre

Old Town (south) is the commercial and social heart for most residents: the Old Town market, banks, budget hotels, minibus depots and street food. City Centre (north), also called the Capital City, is the planned government zone — Capital Hill ministries, Parliament, embassies, larger banks and newer malls. A green belt along the river, including the Wildlife Centre and Nature Sanctuary, sits between them.

In this section

Browse the areas

Individual guides to the districts and numbered Areas of Lilongwe.