Capital and second largest city (pop., 1994 est.: metro. area, 395,500), Malawi .
It is the ministerial, financial, and legislative capital, while Blantyre is the executive and judicial capital. Lilongwe is located on an inland plain 50 mi (80 km) west of the southern end of Lake Malawi . An agricultural market centre for the fertile Central Region Plateau, it replaced Zomba as the national capital in 1975. The old part of the city functions as a service and commercial centre, while the newer district of Capital Hill houses government buildings and embassies.