Map of Malawi | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Established in 1891 the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule the country held multiparty elections in 1994 under a provisional constitution.


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Location: Southern Africa, between Mozambique and Zambia

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 118,480 km²
Land: 94,080 km²

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

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none; landlocked

Climate: tropical; rainy season (November to May; dry season (May to November)

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: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 20%
Forest and woodland: 50%
Other: 5%

Irrigated land: 200 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: a majority of exports would normally go through Mozambique on the Beira, Nacala, and Limgogo railroads, but now most go through South Africa because of insurgent activity and damage to rail lines


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Population: 9,732,409 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: -1.09% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Malawian(s)

Ethnic groups: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European

Languages: English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages important regionally

Religions: Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, traditional indigenous beliefs

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -1.09% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 50.42 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 23.19 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: -38.1 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish population

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 141.1 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 39.73 years
Male: 38.93 years
Female: 40.55 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.43 children born/woman (1994 est.)

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: age 15 and over can read and write (1966)
Total population: 22%
Male: 34%
Female: 12%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Malawi
Conventional short form: former:Nyasaland

Government type: multiparty democracy following a referendum on 14 June 1993; formerly a one-party republic

Capital: Lilongwe

Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba

Dependent areas

Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1964)

Constitution: 6 July 1966; 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: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state and head of government:President Bakili MULUZI (since 21 May 1994), leader of the United Democratic Front

Legislative branch: Army (including Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (including paramilitary Mobile Force Unit),
National Assembly: elections last held 17 May 1994 (next to be held NA); seats - (177 total) UDF 84, AFORD 33, MCP 55, others 5

Judicial branch: High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael T. F. PISTOR
From the us chancery: 2,408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us telephone: [265] 783-166
From the us embassy: address NA, in new capital city development area in Lilongwe
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 30,016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi
From the us FAX: [265] 780-471

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band; similar to the flag of Afghanistan, which is longer and has the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands

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. Drought cut overall output sharply in 1992. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -8% (1992 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $600 (1993 est.)

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, goats

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3.5% (1992 est.), accounts for about 15% of GDP (1992 est.)

Labor force: 428,000 wage earners
By occupation agriculture: 43%
By occupation manufacturing: 16%
By occupation personalservices: 15%
By occupation commerce: 9%
By occupation construction: 7%
By occupation miscellaneousservices: 4%
By occupation otherpermanentlyemployed: 6% (1986)

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:$416 million

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

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: $413 million (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodities: tobacco, tea, sugar, coffee, peanuts, wood products
Partners: US, UK, Zambia, South Africa, Germany

Imports: $737 million (c.i.f., 1992)
Commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment
Partners: South Africa, Japan, US, UK, Zimbabwe

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.8 billion (December 1991 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Malawian kwacha (MK) per US$1 - 4.4598 (November 1993), 3.6033 (1992), 2.8033 (1991), 2.7289 (1990), 2.7595 (1989)


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Electricity
Capacity: 190,000 kW
Production: 620 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 65 kWh (1992)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $22 million, 1.6% of GDP (1989 est.)

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: 47
Usable: 41
With permanentsurface runways: 6
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 1
With runways 1220-2439 m: 10

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

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

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs