Malawi
From the late 15th to the 18th centuries, a prosperous Kingdom of Maravi - from which the name Malawi derives - extended its reach into what are now areas of Zambia and Mozambique. British missionary and trading activity increased in the area around Lake Malawi in the second half of the 19th century. In 1889, a British Central African Protectorate was established, which was renamed Nyasaland in 1907, and which became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA, the country held multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution that came into full effect the following year. Bakili MULUZI became the first freely elected president of Malawi when he won the presidency in 1994; he won re-election in 1999. President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor and subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party in 2005. MUTHARIKA was reelected to a second term in 2009. He oversaw some economic improvement in his first term, but was accused of economic mismanagement and poor governance in his second term. He died abruptly in 2012 and was succeeded by vice president, Joyce BANDA, who had earlier started her own party, the People's Party. MUTHARIKA's brother, Peter MUTHARIKA, defeated BANDA in the 2014 election. Peter MUTHARIKA was reelected in a disputed 2019 election that resulted in countrywide protests. Population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi.

geography

location

13.30° S, 34. 0° E
Southern Africa, east of Zambia, west and north of Mozambique

area

118,484 sq km
land
94,080 sq km
water
24,404 sq km

land boundaries

2,857 km

coastline

0 km

climate

sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)

terrain

narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains

elevation

779 m
lowest point
junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique
37 m
highest point
Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje)
3,002 m

natural resources

  • limestone
  • arable land
  • hydropower
  • uranium; unexploited
  • coal; unexploited
  • bauxite; unexploited

land use

arable land
38.2 %
permanent crops
1.4 %
permanent pasture
19.6 %
forest
34 %
other
6.8 %

population distribution

population density is highest south of Lake Nyasa

people

population

  • 21,196,629
  • 60
    global rank

nationality

  • Malawian(s)
    noun
  • Malawian
    adjective

ethnic groups

Chewa
34.3 %
Lomwe
18.8 %
Yao
13.2 %
Ngoni
10.4 %
Tumbuka
9.2 %
Sena
3.8 %
Mang'anja
3.2 %
Tonga
1.8 %
Nyanja
1.8 %
Nkhonde
1 %
other
2.2 %
foreign .3%
%

languages

  • English
    official
  • Chichewa
    common
  • Chinyanja
  • Chiyao
  • Chitumbuka
  • Chilomwe
  • Chinkhonde
  • Chingoni
  • Chisena
  • Chitonga
  • Chinyakyusa
  • Chilambya

religions

Protestant
33.5 %
Roman Catholic
17.2 %
other Christian
26.6 %
Muslim
13.8 %
traditionalist
1.1 %
other
5.6 %
none
2.1 %

birth rate

  • 40.1
    per 1,000 population
  • 9
    global rank

death rate

  • 7.2
    per 1,000 population
  • 120
    global rank

urban population

17.4 %

major urban areas

  • Lilongwe
    pop. 1,122,000
  • Blantyre-Limbe
    pop. 932,000

life expectancy

  • 63.2
    total population
  • 205
    global rank
61.2
male
65.3
female

adult obesity rate

  • 5.8%
    percent of adults
  • 173
    global rank

government

country name

    conventional

  • Republic of Malawi
    long form
  • Malawi
    short form

    local

  • Dziko la Malawi
    long form
  • Malawi
    short form

government type

presidential republic

capital

Lilongwe
13.58 S, 33.47 E

independence

national holidays

  • Independence Day
    6 July

legal system

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal

age of suffrage

18

flag description

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered on the black band; black represents the native peoples, red the blood shed in their struggle for freedom, and green the color of nature; the rising sun represents the hope of freedom for the continent of Africa

national colors

  • black
  • red
  • green

national anthem

"Mulungu dalitsa Malawi" (Oh God Bless Our Land of Malawi)

economy

overview

Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The country’s economic performance has historically been constrained by policy inconsistency, macroeconomic instability, poor infrastructure, rampant corruption, high population growth, and poor health and education outcomes that limit labor productivity. The economy is predominately agricultural with about 80% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for about one-third of GDP and 80% of export revenues. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for more than half of exports, although Malawi is looking to diversify away from tobacco to other cash crops. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. Donors halted direct budget support from 2013 to 2016 because of concerns about corruption and fiscal carelessness, but the World Bank resumed budget support in May 2017. In 2006, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program but recent increases in domestic borrowing mean that debt servicing in 2016 exceeded the levels prior to HIPC debt relief. Heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, with corn being the staple crop, Malawi’s economy was hit hard by the El Nino-driven drought in 2015 and 2016, and now faces threat from the fall armyworm. The drought also slowed economic activity, led to two consecutive years of declining economic growth, and contributed to high inflation rates. Depressed food prices over 2017 led to a significant drop in inflation (from an average of 21.7% in 2016 to 12.3% in 2017), with a similar drop in interest rates.

GDP

22,420,000,000 USD
2017

agriculture products

  • tobacco
  • sugarcane
  • tea
  • corn
  • potatoes
  • sweet potatoes
  • cassava
  • manioc
  • tapioca
  • sorghum
  • pulses
  • cotton
  • groundnuts
  • macadamia nuts
  • coffee
  • cattle
  • goats

poverty level

50.7%
2010

budget

  • 1,356,000,000
    revenue (USD)
  • 1,567,000,000
    expenditures (USD)

communications

telephones

    fixed lines

  • 14,992
    total subscriptions
  • 187
    global rank

    mobile cellular

  • 7,076,906
    total subscriptions
  • 107
    global rank

broadcast media

radio is the main broadcast medium; privately owned Zodiak radio has the widest national broadcasting reach, followed by state-run radio; numerous private and community radio stations broadcast in cities and towns around the country; the largest TV network is government-owned, but at least 4 private TV networks broadcast in urban areas; relays of multiple international broadcasters are available (2019)

internet

.mw
country code

    users

  • 2,734,305
    total
  • 13.78
    % of population
  • 103
    global rank

energy

electricity access

11%
2017

transportation

air transport

    national system

  • 1
    registered air carriers
  • 6,010
    annual passenger traffic

    airports

  • 32
    total
  • 7
    paved

railways

767 km
total length

roadways

15,452 km
total length

waterways

700 km
total length

military

expenditures

expenditures here

service age

18