I | INTRODUCTION |
Malawi, republic in southeastern Africa, formerly the
British protectorate of Nyasaland, bounded on the north by Tanzania, on the east
by Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa), on the southeast and south by Mozambique, and on
the west by Zambia. Malawi extends about 835 km (about 520 mi) north to south
and varies in width from about 80 to 160 km (about 50 to 100 mi). The total area
of the country is 118,484 sq km (45,747 sq mi), nearly one-fifth of which is
water surface, mainly Lake Malawi and three smaller lakes. The capital of Malawi
is Lilongwe, and the largest city is Blantyre.
II | LAND AND RESOURCES |
Part of the Great Rift Valley runs through
Malawi from north to south. In this deep trough lies Lake Malawi, the third
largest lake in Africa. The Shire River flows from the southern end of the lake
to the Zambezi River in Mozambique. To the east and west of the Great Rift
Valley the land rises to form high plateaus, generally about 900 to 1,200 m
(about 3,000 to 4,000 ft) in elevation but reaching about 2,400 m (about 8,000
ft) in the Nyika uplands in the north. South of Lake Malawi lie the Shire
Highlands, which rise to more than 2,700 m (9,000 ft). Sapitwa (Mount Mulanje),
central Africa’s highest peak at 3,002 m (9,849 ft), is here.
A | Climate |
The climate in Malawi varies with the
elevation. In the low-lying Shire Valley it is hot and humid, with temperatures
averaging from 21°C (69°F) to 29°C (84°F) depending on the season. In the
highlands the climate is more equable. The rainy season lasts from November to
April. Annual rainfall averages about 2,300 mm (about 90 in) in the highlands
and about 800 mm (about 30 in) in the lowlands.
B | Natural Resources |
The resources of Malawi are almost entirely
agricultural. Mineral wealth is slight, although some marble, limestone, and
coal are produced. A thin forest of small trees covers large parts of the
country, and some timber trees grow in the damp ravines of the mountains and
along the riverbanks. Baobab grow on the plains near Lake Malawi and in the
southern valleys. Acacia and conifers grow in the highlands.
Animal life in Malawi includes elephants,
rhinoceroses, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, and several varieties of antelope.
Hippopotamuses inhabit the lake shores. Snakes and other reptiles, birds, and
insects are plentiful, and the rivers and lakes abound in fish.
C | Environmental Issues |
Malawi is a very poor country that has a
high population density and a high population growth rate. Most people depend on
agriculture for their livelihoods, and traditional fuels, particularly fuelwood
and charcoal, account for 89 percent (1997) of the country’s total energy use.
The high population density and dependence on the land put great pressure on the
environment for more farmland and fuelwood. Malawi has one of the highest rates
of annual deforestation in Africa, at 0.9 percent (1990–2005).
Unsafe sewage disposal, agricultural
runoff, and soil erosion due to deforestation combine to contaminate much of the
country’s fresh water. Only 73 percent (2004) of the population has access to
safe water. In addition, erosion causes siltation of rivers and streams,
endangering fish populations.
Nevertheless, Malawi has a rich and
diverse wildlife population, and about 29 percent (2005) of the country’s total
land area remains forested. Experts believe that Lake Malawi has more endemic
species of fish than any other lake in the world. Of the country’s total land
area, 16.4 percent (2007) is designated protected. Lake Malawi National Park, at
the southern end of the lake, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1984.
Poaching continues to be a problem in the protected areas, however. The
government has ratified international environmental agreements pertaining to
biodiversity, climate change, desertification, endangered species, environmental
modification, hazardous wastes, marine life conservation, ozone layer
protection, and wetlands.
III | POPULATION |
More than 99 percent of the people of Malawi
are black Africans. Principal ethnic groups include the Chewa, who constitute 90
percent of the population of the central region; the Nyanja, who predominate in
the south; the Tumbuka, who predominate in the north; the Ngoni, an offshoot of
the Zulu, who settled in the lower northern and lower central regions in the
1800s; and the Yao, who are mostly Muslim and live along the southeastern
border. The rest of the inhabitants, principally settlers of British and Indian
origin, form less than one-half of 1 percent of the population. Some 83 percent
of the people live in rural villages.
A | Population Characteristics |
The population of Malawi is 13,931,831
(2008 estimate). The country has an overall population density of 148 persons
per sq km (384 per sq mi), one of the highest in Africa.
B | Political Divisions and Principal Cities |
Malawi is divided into 3 regions and 24
districts. The largest city is Blantyre (population, 1998, 502,053). The
capital, since 1975, is Lilongwe (587,000).
C | Religion and Language |
Christians make up 76 percent of the
inhabitants of Malawi. Another 15 percent are Muslim, and 8 percent practice
traditional religions. English is Malawi’s official language and is the primary
language of instruction in the schools. Chichewa, a Bantu language, is the
national language, and a number of other Bantu languages are widely spoken.
D | Education |
In the early 1990s about 1.4 million
students attended primary schools. However, after the government made primary
education in Malawi free, enrollment increased dramatically. In the 2000 school
year 2.7 million students attended 4,841 primary schools. In an effort to reduce
overcrowding, the government has recruited more than 20,000 new teachers.
Enrollment in secondary schools remains low, however, with only 33 percent of
secondary school-aged children attending. The University of Malawi at Zomba
(founded in 1964) and its affiliated institutions had 4,600 students in
2002–2003.
IV | ECONOMY |
Malawi is primarily an agricultural country,
with 54 percent of its working force engaged in farming, fishing, and forestry.
The nation has traditionally been self-sufficient in food, but malnutrition
among children was a serious problem as the 1990s began. The principal crops are
corn, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables, and peanuts. Major exports include tobacco,
tea, sugar, and peanuts. A growing fishing industry, producing for domestic
needs, is centered at Nkhotakota on the western shore of Lake Malawi. In 2005
the catch was 59,595 metric tons. Major manufactures, principally for domestic
consumption, include processed food, chemical products, textiles, and beverages.
The national budget for 1992 included revenues of $416 million and expenditures
of $498 million. Many Malawians work as migratory laborers in South Africa and
other countries.
A | Energy |
Some 98 percent of Malawi’s electricity is
produced by hydroelectric facilities. In 2003 Malawi generated 1,296 million
kilowatt-hours of electricity.
B | Currency and Foreign Trade |
The unit of currency in Malawi is the
kwacha, consisting of 100 tambala (136 kwacha equal U.S.$1; 2006
average). Currency is issued by the Reserve Bank of Malawi, established in
1965.
In 2003 the value of exports was $457
million. Imports, which typically consist of manufactured goods, fertilizers,
machinery, motor vehicles, textiles, and petroleum, were valued at $724 million.
Malawi’s principal trading partners for exports are South Africa, Germany,
Japan, the United States, and Mozambique; chief partners for imports are South
Africa, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
C | Transportation and Communications |
With the completion of a line from Salima
to Mchinji on the Zambian border in 1980, Malawi owns 797 km (495 mi) of
operated railroad track. Total road mileage in 2003 was 15,451 km (9,601 mi), of
which only a small portion was paved or gravel surfaced. Passenger and freight
traffic on Lake Malawi is extensive. Air Malawi provides domestic as well as
international service.
In 2004 Malawi had 2 daily newspapers,
with a combined circulation of 25,000. The Daily Times, published in
Blantyre, is the most widely read daily newspaper. The government operates the
postal and telegraph service. Radio transmitters are located in Blantyre and
Lilongwe. The country has an estimated 8 telephone mainlines and 501 radios for
every 1,000 inhabitants.
V | GOVERNMENT |
Under the country’s latest constitution,
which went into effect in 1995, Malawi is a republic with an elected president,
who is both the head of government and the head of state. Cabinet ministers are
responsible to the president, who is elected to a five-year term by universal
adult suffrage.
A | Legislature |
The parliament of Malawi is the unicameral
National Assembly, made up of 193 members who are popularly elected to terms of
up to five years, with additional members nominated by the president. The Malawi
Congress Party (MCP) was the sole legal political party from 1966 until 1993;
the first multiparty elections were held in 1994. The MCP and the United
Democratic Front (UDF) hold most of the seats in parliament.
B | Judiciary and Local Government |
The judicial system comprises a Supreme
Court of Appeal, a High Court, magistrates’ courts, and local courts. The high
court has unlimited jurisdiction in all civil and criminal cases and hears
appeals from lower courts. Popularly elected councils in Malawi’s 24 districts
and 8 municipalities are responsible for all government services within their
areas.
C | Defense |
In 2004 the total strength of Malawi’s
armed forces was 5,300. In addition, the country had a paramilitary national
police force of 1,000 members.
VI | HISTORY |
Some evidence of Stone Age and later Iron
Age settlements has been found around Lake Malawi. Bantu peoples moved into the
territory in the 1st millennium ad. By the 16th century a Malawi
kingdom, from which the present name of the country is derived, had a prospering
trade with the coastal areas of Mozambique.
Jesuit missionaries from Portugal visited
the territory near Lake Malawi as early as the 17th century, but the lake
probably was not known to Europeans until Scottish missionary and explorer David
Livingstone reached its shores in 1859. European involvement began in 1875 and
1876, when Scottish church missions were established; a British consul was
stationed in the country in 1883. Subsequent warfare with Arab slave traders and
fear of Portuguese expansion from Mozambique led to a mission by British
explorer and colonial official Harry Johnston, who negotiated treaties with the
indigenous rulers. In 1891 the treaties resulted in a formal declaration of a
British protectorate, called the Nyasaland Districts Protectorate. Beginning in
1893, it was known as the British Central Africa Protectorate, and in 1907 the
area was officially designated the Nyasaland Protectorate. In 1915 John
Chilembwe, an African preacher, staged a short, bloody uprising in response to
the treatment of Africans by British colonists. The uprising is considered a
forerunner of later nationalist movements.
After World War II (1939-1945), nationalist
movements gained strength. From 1953 the protectorate was joined for ten years
in a federation with Northern Rhodesia and Southern Rhodesia (now Zambia and
Zimbabwe), called the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. However, this
federation was heavily opposed by nationalists who advocated political freedom
from British rule. Following the federation’s dissolution in 1963, Nyasaland
achieved internal self-government, with Hastings Kamuzu Banda, leader of the
Malawi Congress Party (MCP), as the first prime minister. The protectorate
gained independence on July 6, 1964, under its new name, Malawi. It was declared
a republic on July 6, 1966, and Prime Minister Banda was elected president by
the National Assembly.
Under the Banda regime Malawi embarked on a
vigorous program of economic development. In international affairs Banda held to
a firm policy of neutrality in the dispute between the United Kingdom and the
government of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia before 1964), maintaining
extensive trade relations with Rhodesia’s rebellious white minority government.
He also continued friendly relations with Mozambique (until 1975 governed by
Portugal) and in 1967 signed a trade pact with South Africa.
In November 1970 the constitution of Malawi
was amended to make Banda president for life, effective the following year.
Maintaining good relations with then white-dominated South Africa, he became the
first black African head of state to visit that country. His policy of
cordiality toward South Africa brought serious criticism from the leaders of
other black African countries, and the influence Banda could exert on
continental affairs was minimal.
The first parliamentary elections since
independence were held in 1978. Although only the MCP participated, a majority
of the incumbent members were defeated; participation in the 1983, 1987, and
1992 elections was also restricted to the MCP. Malawi’s economy performed
sluggishly in the early 1990s, burdened by foreign debt and by an influx of
Mozambican refugees. Meanwhile, Banda faced rising domestic discontent and
international criticism of his human rights record.
Change swept through the government in May
1994, as a new constitution was approved, followed by Malawi’s first multiparty
elections. Bakili Muluzi, the leader of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and a
former federal cabinet member, defeated Banda for the presidency and formed a
UDF-dominated government. In keeping with the new constitution, which
established a human rights commission, Muluzi freed political prisoners and
closed three prisons where tortures were reputed to have taken place. In June
1999 presidential and legislative elections, Muluzi was reelected but the UDF
failed to secure a majority in the National Assembly, winning just less than
half the total seats. Muluzi stepped down in May 2004 after two terms in office,
and voters elected Bingu wa Mutharika of the UDF as Malawi’s next president.
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