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Travel to Malawi — Unbiased reviews and great deals
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Republic of Malawi
President: Bingu wa Mutharika (2004)
Current government officials
Land area: 36,324 sq mi (94,079 sq km);
total area: 45,745 sq mi (118,480 sq km)
Population (2007 est.): 13,603,181
(growth rate: 2.4%); birth rate: 42.1/1000; infant mortality rate:
92.1/1000; life expectancy: 43.0; density per sq mi: 374
Capital (2003 est.):
Lilongwe, 499,200
Largest city: Blantyre, 547,500
Monetary unit: Kwacha
Languages:
Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%,
Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga
1.7%, other 3.6% (1998)
Ethnicity/race:
Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena,
Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European
Religions:
Christian 80%, Islam 13%, none 4% (1998)
Literacy rate: 63% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005
est.): $7.645 billion; per capita $600. Real growth rate: 1%.
Inflation: 15.4%. Unemployment: n.a. Arable
land: 20%. Agriculture: tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea,
corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses, groundnuts,
Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats. Labor force: 4.5 million (2001
est.); agriculture 90%, industry and services 10% (2003 est.).
Industries: tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement,
consumer goods. Natural resources: limestone, arable land,
hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite.
Exports: $364 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): tobacco 60%, tea,
sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel.
Imports: $645 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): food, petroleum
products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation
equipment. Major trading partners: South Africa, U.S.,
Germany, Egypt, UK, Mozambique, India, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania
(2004).
Member of Commonwealth of Nations
Communications: Telephones: main lines
in use: 45,000 (2000); mobile cellular: 49,000 (2000). Radio
broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 5 (plus 15 repeater stations),
shortwave 2 (plus a third station held in standby status) (2001).
Radios: 2.6 million (1997). Television broadcast
stations: 1 (2001). Televisions: n.a. Internet Service
Providers (ISPs): 3 (2002). Internet users: 35,000
(2002).
Transportation: Railways: total: 797 km
(2002). Highways: total: 28,400 km; paved: 5,254 km; unpaved:
23,146 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 144 km; Lake Nyasa (Lake
Malawi) and Shire Riverall. Ports and harbors: Chipoka,
Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba. Airports: 43
(2002).
International disputes: dispute with
Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the
meandering Songwe River remain dormant.
Major sources and definitions
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Geography
Malawi is a landlocked country about the size of Pennsylvania. Located
in southeast Africa, it is surrounded by Mozambique, Zambia, and Tanzania.
Lake Malawi, formerly Lake Nyasa, occupies most of the country's eastern
border. The north-south Rift Valley is flanked by mountain ranges and high
plateau areas.
Government
Multiparty democracy.
History
Early human inhabitants of what is now Malawi date to 8000–2000
B.C. Bantu-speaking peoples migrated there
between the 1st and 4th centuries A.D. A large
slave trade took place in the 18th and 19th centuries and brought Islam to
the region. At the same time, missionaries introduced Christianity.
Several major kingdoms were established in the precolonial period: the
Maravi in 1480, the Ngonde in 1600, and the Chikulamayembe in the 18th
century.
The first European to make extensive explorations in the area was David
Livingstone in the 1850s and 1860s. In 1884, Cecil Rhodes's British South
African Company received a charter to develop the country. The company
came into conflict with the Arab slavers in 1887–1889. Britain
annexed what was then called the Nyasaland territory in 1891 and made it a
protectorate in 1892. Sir Harry Johnstone, the first high commissioner,
used Royal Navy gunboats to wipe out the slavers.
Between 1951 and 1953, Britain combined Nyasaland with the colonies of
Northern and Southern Rhodesia to form a federation, a move protested by
black Africans who were wary of alignment with the ultra conservative
white-minority rule in South Rhodesia.
On July 6, 1964, Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi. Two
years later, it became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. Dr.
Hastings K. Banda became Malawi's first prime minister (a title later
changed to president). In his first month as ruler, he declared,
“one party, one leader, one government, and no nonsense about
it.” In 1971, he became president for life, further consolidating
his authoritarian rule. In addition to allowing former colonialists to
retain considerable power in the country, he maintained warm relations
with the white-minority government of South Africa. These policies drew
heavy criticism from citizens of Malawi and other African nations. In
1992, Banda faced violent protests.
Bakili Muluzi of the United Democratic Front (UDF) won the country's
first free election in May 1994, ending Banda's 30-year rule. In 1999,
Muluzi was reelected. While Malawi was no longer the repressive society it
was under Banda, Muluzi's government was tainted by corruption scandals.
Senior officials are believed to have sold off 160,000 tons of reserve
maize in 2000, despite the signs of a coming famine. In 2002 and 2003, the
country faced severe food shortages, with more than 3 million people
suffering.
In May 2004, Bingu wa Mutharika, an economist and crony of Muluzi, was
elected president in elections that were widely considered irregular.
In 2005, Malawi faced its worst food shortage in over a decade, with
more than 4 million people, 34% of the population, without adequate food
supplies.
See also Encyclopedia: Malawi.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes:
Malawi
National Statistical Office www.nso.malawi.net/ .
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson
Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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