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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.

[edit] Geography

Location 

Southern Africa, east of Zambia

Geographic coordinates 

13 30 S, 34 00 E

Map references 

Africa

Area 

total: 118,480 sq km
water: 24,400 sq km
land: 94,080 sq km

Area - comparative 

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries 

total: 2,881 km
border countries: 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
highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m

Natural resources 

limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite

Land use 

arable land: 19.93%
permanent crops: 1.33%
other: 78.74% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

280 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards 

NA

Environment - current issues 

deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations

Environment - international agreements 

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note 

landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature

[edit] People

Population 

10,701,824
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 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 44% (male 2,358,730; female 2,347,017)
15-64 years: 53.2% (male 2,810,478; female 2,884,601)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 120,761; female 180,237) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

1.39% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

37.13 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

23.2 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio 

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

119.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 36.59 years
female: 37.15 years (2002 est.)
male: 36.05 years

Total fertility rate 

5.04 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

15.96% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 

800,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths 

70,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Malawian(s)
adjective: Malawian

Ethnic groups 

Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European

Religions 

Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 3%, other 2%

Languages 

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

Literacy 

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58%
male: 72.8%
female: 43.4% (1999 est.)

[edit] Government

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 

27 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba

Independence 

6 July 1964 (from UK)

National holiday 

Independence Day (Republic 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: 38-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 

unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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 96, MCP 61, AFORD 30, others 6

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]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Bakili MULUZI] - governing party

Political pressure groups and leaders 

National Democratic Alliance [Brown MPINGANJIRA]

International organization participation 

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, 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
FAX: [1] (202) 265-0976
telephone: [1] (202) 797-1007
chancery: 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Roger A. MEECE
embassy: Area 40, Plot 24, Kenyatta Road
mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi
telephone: [265] (1) 773 166
FAX: [265] (1) 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

Government - note 

the executive exerts considerable influence over the legislature

[edit] Economy

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 88% 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. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth.

GDP 

purchasing power parity - $7 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 

1.7% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita 

purchasing power parity - $660 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector 

agriculture: 40%
industry: 19%
services: 41% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line 

54% (FY90/91 est. )

Household income or consumption by percentage share 

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

28.6% (2001 est.)

Labor force 

4.5 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation 

agriculture 86% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate 

NA%

Budget 

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

Industries 

tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods

Industrial production growth rate 

2.5% (2001 est.)

Electricity - production 

825 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 3%
hydro: 97%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

767.25 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 

0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products 

tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; cattle, goats, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts

Exports 

$415.5 million f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities 

tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel

Exports - partners 

South Africa 18%, Germany 13%, US 13%, UK 10%, Japan 7%, Netherlands 3% (2000)

Imports 

$463.6 million f.o.b. (2001)

Imports - commodities 

food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment

Imports - partners 

South Africa 40%, UK 11%, Zimbabwe 7%, Japan 5%, Germany 2%, US 1.8%, Zambia (2000)

Debt - external 

$2.8 billion (2001 est.)

Economic aid - recipient 

$427 million (1999) (1999)

Currency 

Malawian kwacha (MWK)

Currency code 

MWK

Exchange rates 

Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 67.3111 (December 2001), 72.1973 (2001), 59.5438 (2000), 44.0881 (1999), 31.0727 (1998), 16.4442 (1997)

Fiscal year 

1 July - 30 June

[edit] Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

38,000 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

49,000 (2000)

Telephone system 

general assessment: NA
domestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

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 

NA

Internet country code 

.mw

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

7 (2001)

Internet users 

35,000 (2002)

[edit] Transportation

Railways 

total: 797 km
narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2001)

Highways 

total: 14,594 km
paved: 2,773 km
unpaved: 11,821 km (2001)

Waterways 

144 km
note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire Riverall

Ports and harbors 

Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba

Airports 

44 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 37
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 22 (2002)

[edit] Military

Military branches 

Army (including Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (including paramilitary Mobile Force Unit)

Military manpower - availability 

males age 15-49: 2,535,207 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service 

males age 15-49: 1,301,625 (2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure 

$9.5 million (FY00/01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP 

0.76% (FY00/01)

[edit] Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

Malawi and Tanzania maintain a largely dormant dispute over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and current location of historical boundary in meandering Songwe River