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 which took full effect the following year. National multiparty elections were held again in 1999.

Geographic coordinates: 13 30 S 34 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 118,480 km²
Land: 94,080 km²
Water: 24,400 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries
Total: 2,881 km
Border countries: (3) Mozambique 1,569 km; , Tanzania 475 km; , Zambia 837 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

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
Extremes lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m
Extremes highest point: Sapitwa 3,002 m

Natural resources: limestone arable land: hydropower unexploited deposits of uranium coal and bauxite

Land use
Arable land: 34%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 20%
Forests and woodland: 39%
Other: 7% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 280 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: landlocked

Population
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 1.5% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 54% (FY90/91 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Malawian
Adjective: Malawian

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% indigenous beliefs

Age structure
0-14 years: 44.43% (male 2,348,940; female 2,337,290)
15-64 years: 52.78% (male 2,741,622; female 2,825,966)
65 years and over: 2.79% (male 119,283; female 175,149) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.5% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 37.8 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 22.81 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff sewage industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1 male/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 121.12 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 37.08 years
Male: 36.61 years
Female: 37.55 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.18 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 15.96% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 800,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 70,000 (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 58%
Male: 72.8%
Female: 43.4% (1999 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Malawi
Conventional short form: Malawi
Former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland

Government type: multiparty democracy

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; note - there may be three new districts named Balaka Likoma and Phalombe

Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 6 July (1964)

Constitution: 18 May 1994

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: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Bakili MULUZI (since 21 May 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Bakili MULUZI (since 21 May 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: 36-member Cabinet named by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 15 June 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
Election results: Bakili MULUZI reelected president; percent of vote - Bakili MULUZI (UDF) 51.4%, Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA (MCP-AFORD) 44.3%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 15 June 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
Election results: percent of vote by party - UDF 48%, MCP 34%, AFORD 15%, others 3%; seats by party - UDF 94, MCP 66, AFORD 29, others 4

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeal; High Court (chief justice appointed by the president puisne judges appointed on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission); magistrate's courts

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy or AFORD [Chakufwa CHIHANA president]; Malawi Congress Party or MCP [Gwanda CHAKUAMBA president John TEMBO vice president]; Malawi Democratic Party or MDP [Kampelo KALUA president]; National Independence Party; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Eston KAKHOME president]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Bakili MULUZI] - governing party

International organization participation: ACP AfDB C CCC ECA FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat Interpol IOC ISO (correspondent) ITU NAM OAU OPCW SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIK UPU WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Paul Tony Steven KANDIERO
In the us chancery: 2,408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 797-1007
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Roger A. MEECE
From the us embassy: Area 40, Plot 24, Kenyatta Road
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 30,016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi
From the us telephone: [265] 773 166
From the us fax: [265] 770 471

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top) red and green with a radiant rising red sun centered in the black band

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 37% of GDP and 85% of export revenues. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF the World Bank and individual donor nations. In late 2000 Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. The government faces strong challenges e.g. to fully develop a market economy to improve educational facilities to face up to environmental problems and to deal with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS.

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $900 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 37%
Industry: 29%
Services: 34% (1998 est.)

Agriculture products: tobacco sugarcane cotton tea corn potatoes cassava (tapioca) sorghum pulses; cattle goats

Industries: tobacco tea sugar sawmill products cement consumer goods

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 3.5 million
By occupation: agriculture 86% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: 54% (FY90/91 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $490 million
Expenditures: $523 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 29.5% (2000)

Exports: $416 million (f.o.b. 2000)
Commodities: tobacco tea sugar cotton coffee peanuts wood products
Partners: South Africa 16% Germany 16% US 15% Netherlands 7% Japan (1999)

Imports: $435 million (f.o.b. 2000)
Commodities: food petroleum products semimanufactures consumer goods transportation equipment
Partners: South Africa 43% Zimbabwe 14% UK 5% Germany 5% Zambia Japan US (1999)

Debt external: $2.9 billion (2000 est.)

Exchange rates: Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 80.0946 (December 2000) 59.5438 (2000) 44.0881 (1999) 31.0727 (1998) 16.4442 (1997) 15.3085 (1996)

Electricity
Production: 1.025 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 2.44%
Production by source hydro: 97.56%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 950 million kWh (1999)
Exports: 3 million kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 37,000 (1997)
Mobile cellular: 7,000 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: fair system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations
International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .mw
Service providers isps: 8 (2001)
Users: 10,000 (2000)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $9.5 million (FY00/01)
Percent of gdp: 0.76% (FY00/01)

Airports: 44 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 6
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 38
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 14
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 23 (2000 est.)

Railways
Total: 789 km
Narrow gauge: 789 km 1.067-m gauge

Waterways
Note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire Riverall