 In the north, the Nyika Uplands rise as high as .The area to the west of the lake in northern and central Malawi has been categorised by the World Wildlife Fund as part of the Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands ecoregion.South of the lake lie the Shire Highlands, with an elevation of , rising to elevations of at the Zomba Plateau and Mulanje Massif respectively.