Karonga is the northernmost district of Malawi, bordered by Lake Malawi on the East, by the Songwe River (border with Tanzania) to the North and the Nyika Plateau and highlands on the West and South. The district was isolated until 1981, when the national highway was extended into the district from the south. In 1988 a bridge was built across the Songwe, facilitating road contact with Tanzania.
Karonga was mainly inhabited by the Nkhonde, Nyakyusa and Tumbuka tribes. However, in recent years the district has increasingly become multi-tribal and multi-cultural.