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.

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

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%

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

Birth rate: 52 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 17 deaths/1000 population (1992)

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

Environment
Current issues: deforestation
Current issues note: landlocked

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)

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

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Malawi

Government type: one-party state

Capital: Lilongwe

Administrative divisions:

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

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

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

Flag description:

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.)

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%

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

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

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

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)

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

Airports:

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