To the north, the Nyika Plateau rises to . To the south lie the gently rolling Shire Highlands, and to the extreme south the land falls away towards the Zambezi floodplain. Lake Chilwa, the second biggest lake, is near the Mozambique border and has no outlet.
In the north, the Nyika Plateau reaches a height of . In the south, the Shire Highlands present a gentle landscape, while to the farthest south, the land drops off towards the Zambezi floodplain. Lake Chilwa, the second-largest lake, is located near the Mozambique border and lacks an outlet.