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Travel to Malawi — Unbiased reviews and
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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 (2008 est.): 13,931,831
(growth rate: 2.3%); birth rate: 41.7/1000; infant mortality rate:
90.5/1000; life expectancy: 43.4; density per sq km: 148
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)
National Holiday:
Independence Day (Republic Day), July 6
Literacy rate: 63% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007
est.): $10.51 billion; per capita $800. Real growth rate:
7.4%. Inflation: 8.1%. 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, © 2008 Pearson
Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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