Shiré

Shiré, a river of East Africa, has its source in Lake Nyassa, and after a southerly course of 370 miles joins the Zambezi. It forms part of the chief highway to the Lakes region, and was discovered by Livingstone during the Zambezi expedition (1858-63). The navigation is obstructed by cataracts (Murchison Cataract) for 35 miles, in which the Shiré falls 1200 feet. The river passes through the heart of the Shiré Highlands, the scene of the Church of Scotland's and the English Universities' missions, and of the labours of the African Lakes Company. This district was declared British territory in 1889. See John Buchanan, The Shiré Highlands (1885); also NYASSA, ZAMBESIA.