Nkhotakota (formerly Kota Kota) (name derived from the Chichewa for "Corner Corner") is a town and one of the districts in the Central Region of Malawi. It is on the shore of Lake Malawi (formerly Lake Nyasa) and is one of the main ports on Lake Malawi. As of 2008, Nkhotakota had a population estimated at 33,150. The district had a population of 301.000.

Nkhotakota was originally a group of villages in the 19th century which later served as a market for Arabian slave traders.David Livingstone convinced Chief Jumbe to stop trading slaves under a tree in Nkhotakota in the 19th century, which is currently in existence under a mission. Later Malawi president Hastings Banda gave speeches under another tree in Nkhotakota during the 1960s, this one ironically known as the Livingstone Tree. This town was hit by the 2001 floods, and was the worst hit area of Malawi's Central region. Today, Nkhotakota is the largest traditional African town in Malawi and bears a strong Swahili-Arab influence.

Nkhotakota lies at an elevation of 1,548 feet (472 m) on the shore of Lake Malawi. It is located on a rocky ridge overlooking a natural harbor overlooking Nkhotakota Bay, formed by a sandbar. In addition, Nkhotakota is 200 kilometres (120 mi) from Lilongwe, Malawi's capital, and 378 kilometres (235 mi) from Blantyre, Malawi's largest city.