Introduction

 
Background: Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution, which came into full effect the following year. Current President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after the previous president failed to amend the constitution to permit another term, has struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor, who still leads their shared political party. MATHARIKA's anti-corruption efforts have led to several high-level arrests but no convictions. Increasing corruption, population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, and HIV/AIDS pose major problems for the country.

 

Geography

 

Location: Southern Africa, east of Zambia

 

Geographic coordinates: 13 30 S, 34 00 E

 

Map references: Africa

 

Area: total: 118,480 sq km; land: 94,080 sq km; water: 24,400 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: 23.38%; permanent crops: 1.49%; other: 75.13% (2001)

 

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, 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

 

People

 

Population: 12,158,924; 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 2005 est.)

 

Age structure: 0-14 years: 46.9% (male 2,877,568/female 2,823,296); 15-64 years: 50.4% (male 3,041,352/female 3,081,762); 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 132,175/female 202,771) (2005 est.)

 

Median age: total: 16.34 years; male: 16.04 years; female: 16.65 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate: 2.06% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate: 43.95 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate: 23.39 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female; total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 103.32 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 107.44 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 99.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 36.97 years; male: 36.59 years; female: 37.36 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate: 5.98 children born/woman (2005 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 14.2% (2003 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 900,000 (2003 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 84,000 (2003 est.)

 

Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high; food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever; vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations; water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)

 

Nationality: noun: Malawian(s); adjective: Malawian

 

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

 

Religions: Christian 79.9%, Muslim 12.8%, other 3%, none 4.3% (1998 census)

 

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 census)

 

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write; total population: 62.7%; male: 76.1%; female: 49.8% (2003 est.)

 

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 Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; head of government: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; cabinet: 46-member Cabinet named by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009); election results: Bingu wa MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of vote - Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (UDF) 35.9%, John TEMBO (MCP) 27.1%, Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA (MC) 25.7%, Brown MPINGANJIRA (NDA) 8.7%, Justin MALEWEZI (independent) 2.5%

 

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); elections: last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UDF 74, MCP 60, Independents 24, RP 16, others 18, vacancies 1

 

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

 

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 accounted for nearly 40% of GDP and 88% of export revenues in 2001. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for over 50% of exports. 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, including developing a market economy, improving educational facilities, facing up to environmental problems, dealing with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. In 2005, the anticorruption campaign championed by President MUTHARIKA may help encourage investment and economic growth.

 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $7.41 billion (2004 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2004 est.)

 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $600 (2004 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 54.8%; industry: 19.2%; services: 26% (2004 est.)

 

Labor force: 4.5 million (2001 est.)

 

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 90% (2003 est.)

 

Unemployment rate: NA (2003 est.)

 

Population below poverty line: 55% (2004 est.)

 

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA; highest 10%: NA

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12% (2004 est.)

 

Investment (gross fixed): 10.7% of GDP (2004 est.)

 

Budget: revenues: $536 million; expenditures: $635.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

 

Public debt: 228.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

 

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

 

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

 

Industrial production growth rate: 1.4% (2004 est.)

 

Electricity - production: 1.088 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - consumption: 1.012 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002)

 

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - consumption: 5,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - exports: NA

 

Oil - imports: NA

 

Current account balance: $-55.5 million (2004 est.)

 

Exports: $503.4 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Exports - commodities: tobacco 60%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel

 

Exports - partners: South Africa 13.8%, US 12.3%, Germany 11.8%, Egypt 8.2%, UK 6.8% (2004)

 

Imports: $521.1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Imports - commodities: food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment

 

Imports - partners: South Africa 43.5%, India 6.8%, Tanzania 4.1% (2004)

 

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $160.5 million (2004 est.)

 

Debt - external: $3.129 billion (2004 est.)

 

Economic aid - recipient: $540 million (1999)

 

Currency (code): Malawian kwacha (MWK)

 

Exchange rates: Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 108.894 (2004), 97.433 (2003), 76.687 (2002), 72.197 (2001), 59.544 (2000)

 

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use: 85,000 (2003)

 

Telephones - mobile cellular: 135,100 (2003)

 

Telephone system: general assessment: NA; domestic: system employs open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations; international: country code - 265; 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)

 

Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001)

 

Internet country code: .mw

 

Internet hosts: 18 (2003)

 

Internet users: 36,000 (2003)

 

Transportation

 

Railways: total: 797 km; narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)

 

Highways: total: 28,400 km; paved: 5,254 km; unpaved: 23,146 km (1999 est.)

 

Waterways: 700 km; note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River (2003)

 

Ports and harbors: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba

 

Airports: 42 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with paved runways: total: 6; over 3,047 m: 1; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2004 est.)

 

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 36; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1; 914 to 1,523 m: 15

under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)

 

Transnational Issues

 

Disputes - international: disputes with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant.