Malawi

Find a country's flag, map or national anthem here. Click on a letter to find the country:

Malawi

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Republic of Malawi Area 118,484 sq km/45,735 sq mi Capital Lilongwe Language English, Chichewa (both official), other Bantu languages Religion Protestant 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 2%, animist Time difference GMT +2 Major holidays 1 January, 3 March, 14 May, 6 July, 17 October, 22, 25–26 December; variable: Good Friday, Easter Monday, Holy Saturday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Blantyre, Mzuzu, Zomba Physical features landlocked narrow plateau with rolling plains; mountainous west of Lake Nyasa Airports two international airports and three domestic airports; total passengers carried: 109,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: 797 km/495 mi; total passenger journeys: 237,000 (1999–2000) Roads total road network: 28,400 km/17,647 mi, of which 18.5% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 2.3 per 1,000 people (1996 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Bingu wa Mutharika from 2004 Political system emergent democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions three regions, subdivided into 24 districts Political parties Malawi Congress Party (MCP), multiracial, right wing; United Democratic Front (UDF), left of centre; Alliance for Democracy (A FORD), left of centre Death penalty retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes but can be considered abolitionist in practice Armed forces 5,300; plus paramilitary forces of 1,500 (2006 est) Conscription military service is voluntary Defence spend (% GDP) 0.8 (2004 est) Education spend (% GDP) 6 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 3.3 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Malawi kwacha GDP (US$) 2.1 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 8.4 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 2.1 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 650(2005 est) Consumer price inflation 10.9% (2006 est) Unemployment 1.1% (1998) Labour force 85% agriculture, 7% industry, 8% services (2005 est) Foreign debt (US$) 3.1 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners South Africa, USA, India, Egypt, Tanzania, the Netherlands, Zambia Resources marble, coal, gemstones, bauxite and graphite deposits, reserves of phosphates, uranium, glass sands, asbestos, vermiculite Industries food products, chemical products, textiles, beverages, cement Exports tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, groundnuts. Principal market: USA 17.7% (2005) Imports petroleum products, fertilizers, coal, machinery and transport equipment, miscellaneous manufactured articles. Principal source: South Africa 37.6% (2005) Arable land 20.7% (2006 est) Agricultural products maize, cassava, groundnuts, pulses, tobacco, tea, sugar cane, coffee


POPULATION

Population 13,165,700 (2006 est) Population growth rate 2.2% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 111 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 17 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 47%, 15–59 48%, 60+ 5% (2005 est) Ethnic groups almost all indigenous Africans, divided into numerous ethnic groups, such as the Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, and Ngoni. There are also Asian and European minorities Life expectancy 42 (men); 41 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 175 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 8 Literacy rate 76% (men); 49% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 0.1 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 1.3 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 14.1 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 78,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 96 (urban); 62 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 0.8 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 3.3 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 250 (1998) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 6 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 0.2 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 0.4 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

1st–4th centuries AD Immigration by Bantu-speaking peoples. 1480 Foundation of Maravi (Malawi) Confederacy, which covered much of central and southern Malawi and lasted into the 17th century. 1530 First visited by the Portuguese. 1600 Ngonde kingdom founded in northern Malawi by immigrants from Tanzania. 18th century Chikulamayembe state founded by immigrants from east of Lake Nyasa; slave trade flourished and Islam introduced in some areas. mid-19th century Swahili-speaking Ngoni peoples, from South Africa, and Yao entered the region, dominating settled agriculturists; Christianity introduced by missionaries, such as David Livingstone. 1891 Became British protectorate of Nyasaland; cash crops, particularly coffee, introduced. 1915 Violent uprising, led by Rev John Chilembwe, against white settlers taking land from local population. 1953 Became part of white-dominated Central African Federation, which included South Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and North Rhodesia (Zambia). 1958 Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda returned after working abroad and became head of conservative-nationalist Nyasaland/Malawi Congress Party (MCP) spearheading campaign for independence. 1963 Central African Federation dissolved. 1964 Independence achieved within Commonwealth as Malawi, with Banda as prime minister. 1966 Became one-party republic, with Banda as president. 1967 Banda became pariah of Black Africa by recognizing racist, white-only republic of South Africa. 1971 Banda made president for life. 1970s Reports of human-rights violations and murder of Banda's opponents. 1980s Economic deterioration after nearly two decades of expansion. 1986–89 Influx of nearly a million refugees from Mozambique. 1992 Agitation for multiparty political system; Western aid suspended over human-rights violations. 1993 Referendum overwhelmingly supported ending of one-party rule. 1994 New multiparty constitution adopted; Bakili Muluzi of United Democratic Front (UDF) elected president in first free elections for 30 years. 1999 Violent protests followed Muluzi's re-election for second and final presidential term. 2002 Railway line to Mozambican port of Nacala reopened after almost 20 years, giving access to Indian Ocean. 2004 UDF nominee Bingu wa Mutharika won presidential election. 2005 Mutharika resigned from UDF and formed new Democratic Progressive Party, surviving UDF-backed impeachment attempt.


© Research Machines plc 2008. All rights reserved. Helicon Publishing is a division of Research Machines plc.