| Malawi |  | Click to enlarge
| Introduction Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues |
Home Reference Maps Appendixes Print-Friendly Page
In general, information available as of 1 January 2003 was used in the preparation of The World Factbook 2003. This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
Legend: Definition Field Listing Rank Order
| Introduction | Malawi | Top of Page
Background: | 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.
| Geography | Malawi | Top of Page
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
| People | Malawi | Top of Page
Population: | 11,651,239 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 2003 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 46.8% (male 2,748,058; female 2,698,052) 15-64 years: 50.5% (male 2,911,892; female 2,973,723) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 128,722; female 190,792) (2003 est.)
Median age: | total: 16.4 years male: 16.1 years female: 16.7 years (2002)
Population growth rate: | 2.21% (2003 est.)
Birth rate: | 44.7 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate: | 22.64 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 105.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 100.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 109.36 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 37.98 years male: 37.57 years female: 38.39 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 6.1 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 15% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 850,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 80,000 (2001 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: 62.7% male: 76.1% female: 49.8% (2003 est.)
| Government | Malawi | Top of Page
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: 46-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]; Malawi Congress Party or MCP [John TEMBO, president; Gwanda CHAKUAMBA, vice president]; Malawi Democratic Party or MDP [Kampelo KALUA]; 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, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, 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, WCL, WCO, 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 Stephen BROWN 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
| Economy | Malawi | Top of Page
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 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. In November 2002 the World Bank approved a $50 million drought recovery package, which is to be used for famine relief. The government faces strong challenges, e.g., to fully develop a market economy, to improve educational facilities, to face up to environmental problems, to deal with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and to satisfy foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for over 50% of exports.
GDP: | purchasing power parity - $6.811 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 1.7% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $600 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 37% industry: 16% services: 47% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 54% (FY 90/91 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 27.4% (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 (FY 99/00 est.)
Industries: | tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: | -0.8% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production: | 769.2 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 3.3% hydro: 96.7% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: | 715.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 5,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA (2001)
Oil - imports: | NA (2001)
Agriculture - products: | tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats
Exports: | $435 million f.o.b. (201)
Exports - commodities: | tobacco 60%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel
Exports - partners: | US 17.3%, Germany 13.6%, South Africa 10.2%, Egypt 6.2%, Japan 6%, Netherlands 5.5%, Russia 4.8%, UK 4.3% (2002)
Imports: | $505 million f.o.b. (2001)
Imports - commodities: | food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment
Imports - partners: | South Africa 44.4%, Zambia 12.7%, US 5.6%, India 4.2% (2002)
Debt - external: | $2.9 billion (2002)
Economic aid - recipient: | $540 million (1999)
Currency: | Malawian kwacha (MWK)
Currency code: | MWK
Exchange rates: | Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 76.69 (2002), 72.2 (2001), 59.54 (2000), 44.09 (1999), 31.07 (1998)
Fiscal year: | 1 July - 30 June
| Communications | Malawi | Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use: | 45,000 (2000)
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)
Television broadcast stations: | 1 (2001)
Internet country code: | .mw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 3 (2002)
Internet users: | 35,000 (2002)
| Transportation | Malawi | Top of Page
Railways: | total: 797 km narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Highways: | total: 28,400 km paved: 5,254 km unpaved: 23,146 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: | 144 km note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire Riverall
Ports and harbors: | Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba
Airports: | 43 (2002)
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)
| Military | Malawi | Top of Page
Military branches: | Army (including Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (including paramilitary Mobile Force Unit)
Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 2,625,495 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 1,347,248 (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $13.01 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 0.7% (FY02)
| Transnational Issues | Malawi | Top of Page
Disputes - international: | dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003