Lake Malawi National Park | |
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Location | Central and Southern Regions, Malawi |
Coordinates | 14°02′S 34°53′E / 14.033°S 34.883°E |
Area | 94 km² |
Established | November 24, 1980 |
Type | Natural |
Criteria | vii, ix, x |
Designated | 1984 (8th session) |
Reference no. | 289 |
Region | Africa |
Lake Malawi National Park is a national park at the southern end of Lake Malawi in Malawi, Southeast Africa. It is the only national park in Malawi that was created with the purpose of protecting fish and aquatic habitats. Despite this being its main purpose, Lake Malawi National Park includes a fair amount of land, including a headland, the foreshore and several small rocky islands in Lake Malawi.
Lake Malawi National Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, being of "global importance for biodiversity conservation due particularly to its fish diversity." This fish diversity is remarkable because the mbuna, as the cichlid fish are known locally, provide an outstanding example of evolution at work. Other attributes of the park include the outstanding natural beauty of the area, with its craggy landscape contrasting with the clear waters of the lake.