Map Reading and Physical Features of Malawi
What the domain tests
Questions test map skills and knowledge of Malawi's relief, drainage, borders and natural features.
Core ideas
- A map needs a title, key, scale, compass direction and grid. Scale shows the relationship between map distance and ground distance. A scale of 1:50,000 means 1 cm on the map represents 50,000 cm (0.5 km) on the ground.
- Contours join points of equal height. Close contours mean steep slopes; widely spaced contours mean gentle slopes.
- Malawi lies in the Great Rift Valley. Major features include Lake Malawi, the Shire Highlands, the Nyika Plateau, Mulanje Massif, Zomba Plateau, Dedza Mountain, the Kirk Range and the Viphya Plateau.
- Drainage includes Lake Malawi, Lake Chilwa, Lake Chiuta, Lake Malombe, and rivers such as the Shire, Bua, Lilongwe, Songwe, Ruo and South Rukuru. The Shire drains Lake Malawi southwards into the Zambezi.
- Malawi borders Tanzania to the north and north-east, Mozambique to the south, south-east and east, and Zambia to the west.
Worked example
On a 1:50,000 map, two villages are 6 cm apart. Ground distance = 6 × 0.5 km = 3 km. If a road curves between them, measure along the road with a string or paper edge, not with a straight ruler. Reasoning: the scale converts map length to real length; curved routes need measurement along the curve.
Traps that cost marks
Do not read contour numbers upside down. Do not confuse the Rift Valley with a river valley. Do not say Lake Malawi flows into the Shire at its northern end; the Shire leaves at the southern end. Do not measure straight across a curved road.