Map of Malawi | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Established in 1891 the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. It has had one-party rule ever since.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 118,480 km²
Land: 94,080 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries: 2,881 km; Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km

Coastline: none - landlocked

Maritime claims: none - landlocked
Disputes:

Climate:

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

Elevation

Natural resources: limestone; unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite

Land use: arable land: 25%; permanent crops: NEGL%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and woodland 50%; other 5%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 9,605,342 (July 1992), growth rate 1.8% (1992; note - 900,000 Mozambican refugees in Malawi (1990 est.)

Nationality: noun - Malawian(s; adjective - Malawian

Ethnic groups:

Languages: English and Chichewa (official; other languages important regionally

Religions: Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%; traditional indigenous beliefs are also practiced

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 52 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 17 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: - 17 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation
Current issues note: landlocked

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 134 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 51 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 7.6 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 22% (male 34%, female 12%) age 15 and over can read and write (1966)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Malawi

Government type: one-party state

Capital: Lilongwe

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK; formerly Nyasaland)

National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1964)

Constitution: 6 July 1964; republished as amended January 1974

Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 21
National Assembly: last held 27-28 May 1987 (next to be held by May 1992); results - MCP is the only party; seats - (133 total, 112 elected) MCP 133
President: President BANDA sworn in as President for Life on 6 July 1971

Executive branch: president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly

Judicial branch: High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:
Diplomatic representation:
US: Ambassador Michael T. F. PISTOR; Embassy in new capital city development area, address NA (mailing address is P. O. Box 30,016, Lilongwe); telephone 265 730-166; FAX 265 732-282

Diplomatic representation

Flag description:

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for 40% of GDP and 90% of export revenues. After two years of weak performance, economic growth improved significantly in 1988-91 as a result of good weather and a broadly based economic adjustment effort by the government. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations.
GDP: exchange rate conversion - $1.9 billion, per capita $200; growth rate 4.2% (1991 est.)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 40% of GDP; cash crops - tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, and corn; subsistence crops - potatoes, cassava, sorghum, pulses; livestock - cattle and goats

Industries: agricultural processing (tea, tobacco, sugar), sawmilling, cement, consumer goods

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 4.0% (1990 est.), accounts for about 18% of GDP (1988)

Labor force: 428,000 wage earners; agriculture 43%, manufacturing 16%, personal services 15%, commerce 9%, construction 7%, miscellaneous services 4%, other permanently employed 6% (1986)
Organized labor: small minority of wage earners are unionized

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $398 million; expenditures $510 million, including capital expenditures of $154 million (FY91 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $390 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
Commodoties: tobacco, tea, sugar, coffee, peanuts
Partners: US, UK, Zambia, South Africa, Germany

Imports: $560 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
Commodoties: food, petroleum, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment
Partners: South Africa, Japan, US, UK, Zimbabwe

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Malawian kwacha (MK) per US$1 - 2.7200 (January 1992), 2.8033 (1991), 2.7289 (1990), 2.7595 (1989), 2.5613 (1988), 2.2087 (1987)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 185,000 kW capacity; 550 million kWh produced, 60 kWh per capita (1991)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp:

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports:

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi; Shire River, 144 km

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs